Hong
Kong
Real Estate as an Investment
With more
than 250 islands, Hong Kong is an incredible destination, located at
the south eastern tip of China. Covering an area of 1104 square
kilometers, it is a special administrative region of the People 's
Republic of China.
Once
described as a 'desolate rock' area, the city has now been transformed
into a great financial, trading and business centre. Indeed, it is an
international city, with an amazing mix of the cultures and
sophistication from both east and west. Many reputable international
companies functions with Hong Kong as the base for carrying out their
core business activities.
In
recent years, the city has also gained much popularity as an
educational center, the evidence for which is hundreds of foreigners
including Europeans and Canadians studying in many of the reputable
educational institutions here. In addition, the place is a hot tourist
destination with an incomparable array of attractions such as soaring
towers, artistic edifices, interesting museums, beautiful parks and
gardens, ancient shrines, and much more. Above all, the destination
enjoys a great deal of autonomy except in the case of defense and
foreign affairs.
Probably for these causes, many
people from
across the globe are now getting attracted to invest in real estate
here. Real estate in Hong Kong
is regarded as one of the priciest in the world. For instance, the Peak
- a much favored residential area in the city, located between Victoria
Peak and Mount Gough - is one of the most expensive areas in the world.
Likewise,
many of the posh destinations in the area claim to have record prices.
According to some recent publications, the property price in the city
has rose to more than $ 3500 per sq ft or more than $ 300 per sq mt. It
is estimated that even a small house or apartment in the dull areas of
the city costs more than two million Hong Kong dollars.
Nowadays,
people prefer to invest here due to a myriad of reasons. Some people
may invest in residential real estate including house, condo,
penthouse, and villa, in order rent it out. By way of renting out the
property, it can fetch you a minimum of at least HK$ 100,000 per year.
However,
when you consider Hong Kong real estate for renting purpose and that
too to the region 's expatriate community, it is important that you
invest in some of the most exclusive areas of the city. On contrary, if
you are planning to invest in property here in order to sell it out
after some times, then you should go for such a real estate within the
area that has strong potential for developments. There are some people
who consider real estate investment as a means to enhance their
business activities.
One
of the obvious benefits of investing in property here is accessibility
to one of the world 's leading trade market. Since no specific
restrictions are imposed to buy a property in the Hong Kong,
it benefits many foreigners to invest here. Further, the laws and
regulation involved in the purchase of real estate here is quite
liberal. Above all, investing in real estate can undoubtedly fetch you
huge profits.
Since the city is a former British
colony, its
property law is structured on the basis of English law. Every process
in connection with acquiring of a property in the place is governed by
Conveyancing and Ordinance. This in turn has attracted many European
real estate investors. A specialty of Hong Kong Property Law is that
all of the property found here belongs to government, ie, all real
estate in Hong Kong
is held under leasehold title. Hence, those who are interested in
property investment buy an agreement or a lease for a period ranging
from 50 to 999 years.
A real estate or property in
the city can
be either solely owned by one person or through jointly by several
investors. However, joint investment may be usually in the form of
tenant or a joint tenancy. Further, a property can also be owned
through a company structure. But, in case, if a company would like to
conduct its business through the purchase of a property on lease, then
it should be registered with the Hong Kong Companies Registry. In
addition, every type of lease should be listed at the Hong Kong' Land
Registry.
A
plethora of real estate firms have now come forward to find and acquire
your dream property in the city. Some of them even provide the services
of professional lawyers to help you in carrying out buying procedures,
including listing on the Hong Kong Companies Registry and negotiation
of purchase. Additionally, there are also real estate firms providing
steps to arrange mortgages for the purchase of property.
Wantanee
Khamkongkaew
Wantanee Khamkongkaew is an
independent author evaluating and commenting on leading International
Property Consultants in Asia and Greater China, especially CB Richard
Ellis.
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