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Hong Kong property recovery tested as bigger student housing deals gain traction Hong Kong’s student housing sector is entering a new phase as larger institutional-style deals emerge from the city’s distressed commercial property market, signalling that professional investors are cautiously returning after years of falling asset values. Investors and analysts said the market was moving beyond the smaller hotel conversions that dominated the past two years, with more sizeable transactions expected as financing conditions improve, distressed sales accelerate, and buyers hunt...

Empty shops, unpaid rents: Is Hong Kong retail unravelling? Regional Dongbei Fujian JiangZheHu Shandong Sichuan Politics ASEAN China-US Relations Chinese Communist Party Cross-Strait Relations Governance International Relations Military Soft Power Economy Belt and Road Initiative China-US Trade War Digital Currency Domestic Consumption Manufacturing Property Market Stock Market Supply Chain Tariffs Transport Technology Artificial Intelligence China-US Tech War Cybersecurity Energy Hi-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Semiconductors Space History Cold War Colonialism Cultural Revolution Memories Nanyang Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Society China workplace China youths Education Entertainment Family Gender Involution Marriage Population Social Media Culture Architecture Arts Death Festival Food Heritage & Tradition Language Music Nature Philosophy Cartoon Videos Explainers Shorts ThinkChina Conversations ThinkChina Forum Vox Pops Amid high property prices and rentals in Hong Kong, many office units are being left vacant, while old brands are finding it difficult to survive. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing…

Companies snap up bargains in Hong Kong's prime office rental market Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Multinational companies in Hong Kong are taking advantage of decade-low lease rates to expand or upgrade their premises, as agents and landlords hold out hope that the Asian financial hub’s prime office market might be bottoming out. Companies including private equity group General Atlantic, hedge fund Point72 and law firm Akin Gump have planned moves to newer, more centrally located facilities in recent months, according to property agents and industry executives, as rents have fallen by nearly half from their 2019 peak. Hong Kong-based insurer FWD on Wednesday said it had signed the city’s “largest office lease” of the year — a decade-long contract for 330,000 sq ft in Swire Properties’ Taikoo Place — but did not disclose the rental terms. The city’s property market has suffered from weak demand after tough pandemic restrictions and a crackdown on political dissent by Beijing starting in 2020 led to an exodus of expatriates and foreign companies. A wave of new office towers coming into th…

What's Happening with Hong Kong's Property Market Right Now? Hong Kong, once home to the most expensive real estate in the world, is now facing one of its most dramatic property downturns in decades. A confluence of political shifts, economic pressure, and population outflows has drastically reshaped the city’s housing and commercial property landscape. So, what exactly is happening in the Hong Kong property market right now? Residential and commercial property prices in Hong Kong have been sliding for over two years. As of early 2025: Developers are now offering steeper discounts and incentives to attract buyers, a rarity in what was once a hyper-competitive, undersupplied market.Official Partner Several key factors are fueling the downturn: With global interest rates climbing over the past two years, mortgage costs in Hong Kong have soared. A city already known for pricey real estate now finds affordability even more out of reach, dampening demand. Post-pandemic economic recovery in Hong Kong has been slower than expected. Tourism, retail, and finance—key sectors supporting the property market—are still struggling to regain momentum. Since the implementation of the Nationa…

Hong Kong's property market poised for gradual recovery as supply ... Home News Opinions Hong Kong’s property market poised for gradual recovery as supply tightens and... Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram 25th October 2024 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong residential property market appears positioned for a significant recovery over the next three to four years, defying current bearish sentiment and offering compelling opportunities for investors. A confluence of factors, including tightening supply, renewed mainland Chinese interest, and supportive government policies, suggests the market may be approaching an inflection point. Recent data from the Housing Bureau today reveals a noteworthy trend in the supply pipeline. The projected supply of new private residences has declined for two consecutive quarters, standing at approximately 108,000 units as of September 2024 – a decrease of 1,000 units from the previous quarter. This figure encompasses 21,000 completed units awaiting buyers, 77,000 units under construction, and 10,000 units on approved development land. This declining supply trajectory, coupled with Hong Kong’s historically constrained land availability, suggests p…

Hong Kong property recovery tested as bigger student housing deals gain ... Investors and analysts said the market was moving beyond the smaller hotel conversions that dominated the past two years, with more sizeable transactions expected as financing conditions improve, distressed sales accelerate, and buyers hunt for assets capable of generating stable income. “This year and next year, there will be more sizeable transactions,” said Kavis Ip, CEO of Centaline Investment. Unlike earlier student housing projects typically backed by smaller private investors, the Regal deal was structured with an equity partner and sized for eventual exit to institutional buyers such as insurers, sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms. “We always wanted to do deals of this size,” Ip said. “Large institutional-grade assets create a completely different buyer pool when you eventually exit.” Source link

Hong Kong property recovery tested as bigger student housing deals gain ... May 31, 2026|INVESTING Hong Kong’s student housing sector is entering a new phase as larger institutional-style deals emerge from the city’s distressed commercial property market, signalling that professional investors are cautiously returning after years of falling asset values.Investors and analysts said the market was moving beyond the smaller hotel conversions that dominated the past two years, with more sizeable transactions expected as financing conditions improve, distressed sales accelerate, and buyers hunt… Read More Jul 8, 2026|INVESTING Jul 7, 2026|INVESTING Jul 7, 2026|INVESTING Jul 7, 2026|INVESTING Jul 7, 2026|INVESTING

Caution on land tenders key to Hong Kong’s property recovery: analysts As Hong Kong moves forward with its huge new Northern Metropolis development zone, analysts argue the government should take a cautious approach to land sales to help sustain the recent recovery in the residential property market. The large-scale project near the border with the Chinese mainland continues to progress, as the government set a tender deadline for midday on Friday for several plots in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area. The parcels of land – which comprise three...

The Case for Hong Kong Real Estate | J.P. Morgan Private Bank Asia Hong Kong’s real estate market is showing signs of bottoming after a challenging period. After prices fell close to 30% since 2021, residential property prices bounced back 4.7% YoY in 2025, and have continued to gain momentum with a 4.3% increase as of March 2026, supported by three key catalysts: declining interest rates, equity market recovery, and the return of mainland Chinese buyers. While challenges remain, the improving fundamentals suggest we are at an inflection point. Residential: The standout performer, having rebounded +11.4% from their previous lows, driven by several key factors. Lower mortgage rates – currently at 3.25-3.5%, down from peaks above 5% - have significantly improved affordability for homebuyers. Meanwhile, gross rental yields have risen to 3.5%, making property investments more attractive. The Hang Seng Index has rallied by 70% over the past two years, which has not only created a positive wealth effect but also boosted confidence in Hong Kong assets. The return of mainland Chinese buyers – accounting for 20-30% of sales at some new launches – provides crucial demand support and repres…

Hong Kong's collapsing land sales threaten city's funding model News analysis Hong Kong’s collapsing land sales threaten city’s funding model Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Falling home prices and rising office vacancies have caused developers to stop bidding for sites or offer very low prices. PHOTO: AFP Published Aug 13, 2024, 09:15 AM Updated Aug 13, 2024, 09:27 PM Set as preferred source Hong Kong - Hong Kong’s real estate slump is choking off one of the financial hub’s most important sources of government revenue. For decades, the city’s government generated massive income from auctioning off land to cash-rich developers as prices soared. That helped enable Hong Kong’s low-tax system, which has been crucial to its business hub status. The arrangement largely worked – until recently. A protracted property downturn is now undermining the model. Falling home prices and rising office vacancies over the past few years have caused developers to either stop bidding for sites or offer exceptionally low prices. In a sign of how depressed the market remains, an index of Hong Kong home prices sank to a nearly eight-year low in July. The government’s revenue fr…

Hong Kong property market poised for robust recovery by 2026 Home News Opinions Hong Kong property market poised for robust recovery by 2026 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram 5th September 2025 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong property prices have edged higher for four straight months to a seven‑month high, primary sales are at multi‑year peaks, secondary transactions are firming, and rents are climbing at the fastest clip since before the pandemic. Inventories are being absorbed. Financing is turning from headwind to tailwind. The ingredients for a recovery are assembling, not in a speculative rush but in a measured, broadening way that suits Hong Kong’s current cycle. The official secondary home price gauge rose 0.42% month on month in July to 287.9, the highest since December’s 289.2. Since April, secondary prices are up 1.05%, narrowing the year‑to‑date decline to just 0.45%. This matters less for the magnitude than for the momentum. The market’s long correction from the September 2021 peak—down as much as 28.4% to March this year—has flattened into a base. In housing cycles, stabilisation typically precedes sustained recovery by quarters, not weeks; four monthly gains, acco…

Hong Kong stressed/distressed property report - ION Analytics A service of ByRaza HussainandDominic Soon The Hong Kong commercial property market has been in a slump since mid-2019, making banks increasingly wary of refinancing the sector over the past few years, especially those that are smaller second and third-tier developers. As a result, some second and third-tier developers as well as private investors have been forced to sell property to repay debt, while — perhaps because of the systemic risk they pose to Hong Kong’s economy — banks continue to refinance most large first-tier companies and are granting them forbearance when they are under stress, as Hong Kong-listed New World Development’srestructuring of its HKD 88.2bn (USD 11.31bn) of unsecured bank loanson 30 June highlighted. Landlords that have been forced to sell this year have had to accept steep losses relative to valuations seen about a decade ago. The market prices of Grade A office buildings in Hong Kong’s core commercial districts hasfallen 60% from its peak in December 2018, according to data from the Hong Kong government’s Rating and Valuation Department. The steady supply of commercial and retail space …