Investors shifting focus in global realty purchases

Chinese investors have been moving from core office and residential developments into leisure and industrial assets when they seek opportunities in overseas realty markets, a study said.

Knight Frank, a realty services provider, said a number of recent investment hot spots have shown a discount in prime residential prices compared with key Chinese gateway cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

"In Los Angeles and Miami, prime apartment prices are both about 25 percent lower than Shanghai, drawing significant interest from high net worth individuals in China," said Dominic Ong, senior director of Asian markets at Knight Frank Australia.