Taiwanese have turned slightly more optimistic about the domestic property market, as housing prices have stabilized and transactions increased, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) said yesterday, citing a quarterly poll.
However, an overwhelming majority of respondents intend to delay home purchases until after the US-China trade row and the nation’s presidential elections.
“The findings suggest little room for property price hikes, despite an improvement in sentiment,” Evertrust spokesman Jay Hsieh (謝志傑) told a news conference.
A total of 43 percent of respondents expect housing prices to hold steady next quarter, gaining 3 percentage points from the previous quarter to a four-year high, the real-estate brokerage said.
Housing prices appear to have emerged from years of correction, but uncertainties are putting a cap on their upward movement, Hsieh said, citing global trade and domestic political tensions.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents said it would be better to stay on the sidelines and delay purchases until next year after the presidential and legislative elections in January, the survey showed.
A majority said the trade dispute would not affect their buying interest, but would slow the timing, it said.
Real-estate properties topped other investment tools as a defense against inflation and market turbulence, the poll showed.
About 67 percent of respondents showed an interest in being lessors, it showed.
Properties in the Greater Taipei area have no difficulty finding corporate tenants looking for office space, while small apartments in all six special municipalities are attractive for people who cannot afford to buy a house, Evertrust said.
People in Hsinchu — home to major technology companies — were least optimistic, as they are more sensitive to global economic headwinds, it said.
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