Housing transactions in the nation’s major municipalities rose 6 percent in the first two months of this year, with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak not yet evident due to the time it takes to complete ownership transfer procedures, real-estate brokers said yesterday.
Housing transactions totaled 33,500 units for January and last month in the six special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, representing a modest increase of 6 percent from the same period last year, government figures showed.
Sinyi Realty Inc (信義房屋) said that the data are not yet reflecting the effects of the virus, as it would take at least one month to complete the related paperwork.
“We will have to wait for the March statistics to see how the property market fares amid the virus outbreak,” Sinyi research manager Tseng Ching-der (曾敬德) said.
Taoyuan reported the biggest rise in transactions of 23.8 percent year-on-year, followed by Taipei’s 14.6 percent increase for the two-month period.
Taoyuan has gained popularity as a location for homes, supported by improving infrastructure projects, Taiwan Realty Co (台灣房屋) spokeswoman Charlene Chang (張旭嵐) said yesterday, adding that the trend is obvious in districts through which the Taoyuan Airport MRT railway runs.
On the other hand, Taipei is benefiting from demand linked to companies returning from China to avoid US-China trade tensions, H&B Realty Co (住商不動產) said, adding that this group of buyers is relatively affluent and can afford housing in the capital city.
Kaohsiung and Tainan bucked the upturn by posting transaction declines of 10.4 percent and 1.2 percent in respectively.
Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) said that Kaohsiung had a high comparison base last year.
As the virus is spreading around the world, its effect might prove serious going forward, Evertrust added.
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