Housing transactions last month totaled 25,027 units in the nation’s six special municipalities, rising 1.1 percent from a month earlier as the market showed resilience, despite a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, brokers said on Thursday, citing data from the local governments.
Tainan outperformed Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung with a 29.6 percent rise to 3,263 units, benefiting from capacity expansion by major technology firms, Great Home Realty Co (大家房屋) lead researcher Mandy Lang (郎美囡) said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) is building new plants in Tainan to meet demand for advanced chips, creating jobs and real demand for housing, Lang said.
Relative affordability and accommodative policy also lent support to property markets outside the greater Taipei area, she said.
For similar reasons, Taichung was second with a 10.5 percent gain to 4,753 units, followed by Taoyuan’s 8.8 percent advance to 4,239, Lang said.
Transactions in New Taipei City fell 14.4 percent to 5,609 units and dipped 1.1 percent to 2,967 in Taipei, data from the respective city governments showed.
H&B Realty Co (住商不動產) lead researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨) said that the findings were consistent with the regional severity of the virus outbreak.
Most local infections are concentrated in Taipei and New Taipei City, slowing house hunting there, Hsu said.
However, Kaohsiung also reported a 6.5 percent decline in housing deals to 4,195 units, the data showed.
Housing deals in the six municipalities in the first half of this year soared 24.6 percent to 134,458 units from a year earlier, aided by a booming economy and excessive liquidity, Hsu said.
It is unclear whether the momentum will continue in the second half with steep property tax hikes taking effect this month, she said.
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