Nation’s housing prices stable on tight curbs despite declines in four first-tier cities

Home prices in major Chinese cities remained stable in September as local governments continued with tight property curbs, data showed on Saturday.

On a month-on-month basis, four first-tier cities – Beijing, Shanghai as well as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province – saw declines in prices for both new and existing homes, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Prices of new commercial housing sales in first-tier cities edged down 0.1 percent in September, compared with a 0.3-percent increase in August. Prices of existing home sales were down 0.1 percent last month. New and existing home prices in second-tier and thirdtier cities increased at a slower pace from a month earlier.

The NBS monitors the home prices in 70 large Chinese cities , including four first-tier cities, 31 second-tier cities and 35 third-tier cities.

Among all 70 cities, 64 saw new home prices rise month on month in September, less than 67 in August. Three cities saw the prices drop, compared to just one in August.

The total price increases in the first three quarters of this year were slower than the same period last year in all three tiers of cities, said NBS statistician Liu Jianwei. New home prices declined year-on-year in two of the 15 “hotspot” cities, where speculative home purchases are particularly monitored, while one city saw prices unchanged from a year ago and 12 posted growth, Liu said.

To curb speculation, local governments have rolled out a spate of measures, including restrictions on purchases and increasing minimum down payments for mortgages.

The central authority vowed to regulate the property market order and “firmly curb the rises in housing prices” at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in July.

NBS said on Friday that commercial housing sales measured by floor area rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters.