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Netizens question moderate increase on housing prices
By Cai Muyuan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-02-26 12:02
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The sales price for housing in 70 large and medium-sized Chinese cities increased 1.5 percent year-on-year in 2009, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday.
In China's 70 major cities, prices for newly-built residential buildings went up by 1.3 percent, the cost for second-hand homes grew by 2.4 percent and the price for rental and leasing were down by 0.6 percent.
The housing prices began to surge in June after consecutive declines in the first half of 2009 and reached its peak in December. The National Development and Reform Commission's price index shows the sales prices for housing in the 70 cities increased 7.8 percent year-on-year in December 2009, a record growth in 17 months.
"The average sales price for homes in the first 11 months last year hit 4,600 yuan per square meter, up 1,000 yuan from 2008. That was the highest increase since the reform of the housing system (in 1998)," said Yu Bin, head of department of macroeconomic research under the Development Research Center of the State Council, Beijing Morning Post reported.
"Housing prices soared more than 30 percent even in a small town last year, not to mention big cities. How could it possibly be a 1.5 percent increase? The decimal point must have been put in a wrong place," a netizen said.
"Housing prices varies in different cities. Thus people from different cities would feel differently towards the price increase," Yang Shaofeng, general manager of a real estate brokerage firm in Beijing told the reporter.
"Hopefully NBS can provide data on price increases in different cities in order to put off people's doubt," Yang said.
