Mom holds off for cool market

Li Guiying, 53, a retired factory worker from Hebei province, was grateful she did not purchase a property in Beijing last month for her daughter.

"My daughter is working in Beijing now. As parents, we wanted to give her a home in the capital so we can have a place to stay when we visit," Li said.

Li started paying close attention to housing prices in Beijing early last year. She was very interested in a new community near the North Fifth Ring Road in Chaoyang district.