Investors still keen on realty

Foreign investors are taking advantage of the cooling property market, rather than being put off by it.

Contracted investment in the real estate sector in Shanghai accounted for 27 percent of all foreign direct investment in the first half, double that for the same period last year, according to the latest Shanghai statistics bureau report.

"The number of investors, in fact, hasn't changed much. The higher transaction volume is mainly due to more attractive prices in this fluctuating market," said Eric Chan, deputy managing director of the Beijing branch of Savills, a UK real estate service provider.