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Malaysia is making a bold leap onto the radar of China’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), quickly becoming the go-to destination for luxury real estate investment. 

In fact, it is now the fourth most popular choice for Chinese buyers seeking high-end properties, especially those valued at US$5 million and above,

This remarkable rise in popularity is highlighted in a recent report by Juwai IQI, which attributes this trend to several key factors. 

Kashif Ansari, co-founder and CEO of Juwai IQI, points out the country’s attractive value proposition. 

“Malaysia offers the comfort and quality that HNWIs from China and other nations want, without the visa headaches, capital controls, or high price tags they face elsewhere.” 

Kashif Ansari, co-founder and CEO of Juwai IQI

Several elements are also contributing to Malaysia’s growing appeal. 

The country’s real estate market offers excellent value for money compared to other luxury markets in Asia. 

For example, the average cost of prime homes in Kuala Lumpur is approximately US$240 per square foot, which is significantly more affordable than markets like Singapore (US$1,810 per square foot) or Bangkok (US$1,090 per square foot). 

Additionally, Malaysia’s education sector also plays a crucial role in attracting wealthy Chinese families. 

Between 2021 and 2023, there was a 35% increase in the number of Chinese students enrolling in Malaysian universities.

This growth has boosted property demand in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Penang, with many families purchasing real estate for both investment and personal use. 

“Many high-net-worth buyers are repeat visitors who develop personal ties to the country through travel, education, or business,” Ansari explains. 

Another key factor is Malaysia’s updated Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, which has made it easier for international buyers to settle in the country. 

The revised programme offers clearer pathways for long-term stays and allows participants to use a portion of their fixed deposits to purchase property. 

As reported by NST, nearly 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited Malaysia in the first five months of 2024. 

This surge in travel has helped boost buyer confidence, leading to increased interest in luxury homes. 

As Malaysia continues to rise as a top destination for China’s ultra-wealthy homebuyers, the country’s real estate market is expected to grow even stronger, further solidifying its position as a prime location for international investment. 

Juwai IQI was featured in New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today, WeirdKaya, Malay Mail, Daily Express and theSun.

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Western Australia’s property market is holding its own, seemingly unperturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the country.

Amid the unprecedented impacts of coronavirus, Perth agents say it’s yet to impact the local housing market, with an influx of sales including a Dalkeith mansion that sold for $14 million last week.

Director of IQI Australia Lily Chong, says interest from foreign buyers is also high, with investors from China and Hong Kong remotely making purchases in Perth and actively seeking more stock.

“I have a buyer from China who cannot travel here but is still purchasing.” 

For the full story, read on: realestate.com.au

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Mainland Chinese investment in Australian real estate surged by 16% according to the latest data from the governmental Foreign Investment Review Board.

Chinese invested AU$7.1 billion in Australian residential and commercial real estate in the year 2019-20, up from $6.1 billion a year earlier. Including Hong Kong, Chinese investment totalled $9.5 billion.

“Australia depends on foreign investment more than most countries,” said Juwai IQI Group Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Georg Chmiel. “Foreign investment flows average about 3.3% of Australian GDP, compared to 1.5% for countries in the G20. Of course, this dependence is especially great in the real estate sector because of the high investment required.

“Amid the global gloom of 2020, Australia did relatively well. Investment into Australia declined by only slightly more than total global cross-border investment.

Chmiel said that foreign investment into Australian residential real estate jumped by 15.5% to $17.1 billion. That is a surprising increase, given the difficult global environment in the first half of 2020.

Read more: RETALK ASIA

Source: RETALK ASIA

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According to Knight Frank, Dubai’s business hub is the latest city to experience a post-pandemic rebound in luxury home sales.

With a record burst of sales in Dubai’s luxurious areas in the first five months of the year, a total of 22 properties worth more than $10 million found a buyer, the most since 2015 and up from a total of 19 last year.

Furthermore, the recent surge in Dubai real estate investments from Chinese investors has also ensured Dubai’s growing attraction globally.

The ups and downs of the Chinese investor’s activity

Despite Chinese investors being among the top four nationalities who invested in Dubai real estate, the buying activity is still severely depressed compared to prior years because of the pandemic and what had been a week market.

Juwai IQI Group Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Georg Chmiel said:

“Chinese buyer activity is rapidly recovered from the low levels hit during 2020. The recovery is still in the early stages, but in the first quarter of 2021, Chinese buyer enquiries for UAE property hit their highest level in more than a year. The year-on-year growth rate in Chinese buyer inquiries hit the triple digits and reached 209% in Q1. This early first-quarter search is likely to continue through the remainder of the year.”

Thus what is making Dubai an attractive place investment in 2021?

Due to lower supply, rising prices and new government policies, Dubai’s pandemic-enhanced profile and the likelihood that travel between China and Dubai will resume later this year,  the market is now in a growth phase for Chinese demand.

The most important single factor driving Chinese investment in demand is that prices look to be on a growth path that could last for the next several years.

Chinese investors, in general, prefer to buy into rising markets where they can easily visualize future capital gains. It takes a rare type of individual to purchase in a market that is falling or has bottomed as, as Dubai’s did over the past few years.

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An important factor is that the Chinese feel safe in Dubai. The fact that Chinese tourists who have been trapped in the country due to travel restrictions have received vaccines has been a huge boost for Dubai’s profile. It has attracted attention from buyers who otherwise might not never have considered Dubai.

What are the trends regarding Chinese buyers investing in Dubai property?

Based on the latest Juwai-IQI’s findings, Chinese activity is still relatively low, especially compared to prior years. 

With China and the United Arab Emirates rapidly inoculating their populations, free travel could resume this year, with an expectation on demand to continue to recover and gain pace.

With a sense of uncertainty and too much to process, getting the right professional assistance could make a difference.

Get in touch with our representative in Dubai for your next step in an investment of a lifetime.

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New data suggests that residential property acquisition by buyers from China and other parts of Asia will rebound as the pandemic recedes.

According to Juwai IQI, a pan-Asian real estate sales and media group based in Kuala Lumpur, vaccinations and international travel are the two key factors that will assist in the rebound.

Foreign condominium purchases in Thailand dropped 34% in 2020, compared with 2019, according to data from the Real Estate Information Center (REIC). The nationalities with the biggest declines were Japan, with 58.6% fewer transactions, and Russia (down 51.4%). Chinese buyer transactions declined only 31.1%.

Bangkok and Chon Buri account for the largest share of foreign buyer transactions, at 80% of all foreign transfers nationwide. The majority of foreign buyer transactions were for properties that cost less than 5 million baht. The median condo price in Bangkok, the country’s most expensive market, is approximately 6 million baht.

Read more – Bangkok Post

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The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has led to Chinese investors ramping up cross-border property investments as they have more money in their pockets now than they would otherwise have spent on pricey vacations.

According to Juwai IQI Group co-founder and chief executive officer Kashif Ansari, Chinese cross-border buying enquiries could increase by 20 per cent to 40 per cent this Chinese New Year over the previous year.

Kashif said this year, Beijing is encouraging its citizens to stay home and not travel as they contain a wave of coronavirus infections.

“More than 22 million people have been told to stay indoors, and travel is discouraged across most of the country. Only about half as many people were affected last January during the Wuhan lockdown. Many of the wealthiest cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, have told their citizens not to travel.”

Click here to read more.

SOURCE: News Strait Times

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Despite a new wave of Covid-19 cases in Thailand, Chinese buyers are prepared to purchase Thai properties in the second half of 2021, driven by the expectation of distributing vaccines and reopening inbound tourism.

Kashif Ansari, co-founder and chief executive of Juwai IQI Group, said Thailand remained the top destination in terms of interest among Chinese property buyers.

“We don’t think the recent wave [of Covid-19 infections] will delay the reopening of the economy or recovery of foreign real estate investment,” he said.

“What’s probably more important is when Thais and foreign nationals who wish to travel here can be vaccinated. The sooner vaccinations are obtained, the quicker life can go back to normal.”

Click here to read more.

Source: Bangkok Post

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Rich Chinese home buyers are back.

Across China and in some of their familiar hunting grounds in Asia, wealthy buyers are snapping up luxury homes, in many cases to guard their wealth against anticipated inflation and a weakening yuan. The rush to add real estate has led to a jump in upmarket housing prices in China, while offering some support for Asian property markets hit hard by the pandemic.

“It’s been flat-out,” said Monika Tu, founder of Black Diamondz, an Australian company that caters to Chinese buyers of luxury real estate.

Since March, Tu has sold A$85 million ($55 million) of prime property, with about half the sales to Chinese clients who were in Australia when the pandemic hit. That’s a 25% jump from earlier in the year. The homes, priced between A$7.25 million and A$19.5 million, are all in Sydney’s well-heeled, ocean-front suburbs such as Point Piper.

A gradual easing of virus restrictions is making it easier for wealthy Chinese to view properties and complete purchases in nearby Asian hot spots like Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney. In another favorite Singapore, virtual tours and photos have been enough to seal multi-million dollar deals, pointing to how transactions are evolving. That’s in contrast to London and New York where real estate remains sluggish amid lockdowns.

Chinese buyer inquiries for South Korean property increased 180% in the first quarter compared with the fourth quarter of 2019, while inquiries on New Zealand homes jumped 75%, according to data from Juwai Iqi, a real estate firm. Searches dropped 32% in the U.K. and 18% in the U.S.

Foreigners can only buy new homes in Australia, though the very rich can get around these restrictions by applying for “significant investor” visas, which give them an easy path to residency, allowing them to buy existing real estate as well.

The high-end demand is bolstering prices in China and tempering declines in other markets. Prices for top-end homes in the four biggest Chinese cities rose 1% in April, led by the biggest jump in two years in the tech hub of Shenzhen.

Even in Singapore, where a partial lockdown remains in place, activity is picking up via online platforms. Three Chinese clients bought six apartments worth a combined S$20 million ($11 million) at Marina One Residences this month without any virtual tours, said Clarence Foo, a property agent with APAC Realty Ltd.’s unit ERA. One investor spent about S$12 million on three separate three-bedroom units in the same development, a five-minute walk to the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino.

Click here to read more about it. 

Source: Bloomberg

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