Title: Chinese apartment buyers shift from Australia to UK

Zhang Biao, a 32-year-old Chinese entrepreneur, has already thought about where his eight-year-old will go to university. “We thought a flat overseas would be a good investment, and our son could use it for sixth form or university in Australia or the UK,” he says. Mr Zhang and his wife put an offer down on a A$600,000 (US$460,000) flat in Melbourne in October, only to be told that they were no longer eligible for the 60 per cent loan-to-value mortgage they had applied for. Instead they decided to pay upfront for a £120,000 flat in the English city of Liverpool. “Chinese buyers are increasingly nervous about Australia because of recent instability in regulation, tax and bank lending rules,” says Esther Yong, co-founder of ACproperty, a Chinese language property portal. “A lot of Chinese who bought apartments off-plan three years ago are now finding it difficult to find finance as Australian banks have blocked lending to foreign buyers.”

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Title: Why Chinese international property demand is rising

Chinese buyers want a stable investment rather than a high return, says a company chief who has been involved in a new international property website launch. ACProperty.com.au, which is one of Australia’s leading Chinese language property portals, has launched Sodichan.com in a joint venture with ListGlobally. The new site will be run by the Melbourne-based ACProperty directors Esther Yong and Ivy Xiao. The site brings together global syndicated listings from 50,000 global property developers and agents in Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco and other countries with ACProperty’s listings in Australia under one Mandarin-only website. Sodichan.com plans to have more than 3million international properties listed on the site to satisfy the thirst for Chinese investors looking for home abroad. Ancillary services like Chinese speaking lawyers, brokers, concierge services will also be offered. On top of this, Sodichan will be working with developers to curate a list of new developments across UK that are appealing to Chinese investors, make them “China ready” and distribute it to China-based agents to market and sell to their database of investors. its China agent network is requesting for more stocks from UK, especially student apartments with rental guarantee and buy back scheme. Esther Yong was recently in London, speaking to a few developers and agents working out a structure to launch their developments in China.

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Title: House prices defy predictions in 2016 by rising more than 15pc

Home prices defied forecasts they would stagnate in 2016 to grow more than they did during the "boom" year of 2015, according to year-end figures from property research firm CoreLogic. Dwelling prices rose 15.46 per cent in Sydney while Melbourne had a rise of 13.68 per cent. Even the much-maligned Hobart and Canberra housing markets posted strong gains, rising 11.24 per cent and 9.29 per cent respectively. The data disappointed economists hoping for a more subdued housing market in 2016. At the end of 2015, Sydney and Melbourne closed with 11.5 per cent and 11.2 per cent growth respectively across houses and units, according to CoreLogic. The Brisbane-based group, which expanded into Sydney in 2016 to capitalise on the city's strong growth, won't be moving into Hobart yet. There needs to be a steady pattern of strong price growth in Hobart to justify starting new projects, Mr Leahy added. Similar to Metro, NSW newcomer developer Villa World has no plans to build in Hobart. "It's quite a low-volume market," chief executive Craig Treasure said. The low volume, however, is mainly due to a lack of buyer awareness, Chinese property marketer ACProperty director Esther Yong said. "There has been little education about Tasmania for Chinese buyers, but it is getting more popular now. Buyers won't think about Tasmania because it is not a big city and no one talks to them about it."

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Title: New foreign land tax surcharge to hit on January 1

Residential foreign buyers will once again be slammed with a new tax, when the NSW foreign land tax surcharge goes into force at midnight on December 31. Along with the NSW residential duty surcharge of 4 per cent that was introduced on June 21, foreigners would need to pay an additional 0.75 per cent tax for residential land they hold. This is on top of the 1.6 per cent currently levied on NSW residential land. Australia's largest Chinese real estate website ACProperty director Esther Yong agreed many foreign buyers were not aware of the new land tax surcharge. Its agents have not received many inquiries about the tax. "I don't think the news has been well disseminated [to foreign lawyers and agents in Australia]," she said. This latest surcharge will bring NSW in line with the rest of the eastern seaboard. Victoria has long had a 0.5 per cent land tax surcharge for foreign buyers, and on January 1, that surcharge will rise to 1.5 per cent.

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Title: Discounts and 25 year rental guarantees to lure Chinese apartment buyers

Property developers are discretely offering discounts on apartments in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth to Chinese buyers for the first time, in a sign lending restrictions and over-supply are beginning to affect prices. One Melbourne developer is also offering a generous 25-year rental guarantee in a bid to lure Chinese buyers back to the market. The price discounts of up to 7 per cent were offered to clients of China's biggest online real estate agency, Fang.com, late on Friday night in an effort to clear stock before year's end. "This is the first time we have offered cash discounts," said Fang.com agent Edward Shang. A director at ACProperty.com.au, Esther Yong, said one developer was offering Chinese buyers a 25-year rental guarantee in Melbourne in an effort to move unsold apartments. "The market has slowed down a lot over the past six months and recently the only deals that are moving are those with big incentives," said Ms Yong. "It's not uncommon to see deals with one or two-year rental guarantees but this is the first time I have seen 25-year guarantees being offered." "It's working," she added, noting Chinese buyers have been attracted by the new deals.

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Title: Simon Baker's Listglobally and ACProperty start new site for Chinese buyers

Australia's Chinese residential property website ACProperty.com.au has joined forces with international property website Listglobally.com to start a new international housing site for Chinese buyers, The site, Sodichan.com, is an equal joint venture partnership between ACProperty and Listglobally, and will be run by the Melbourne-based ACProperty directors Esther Yong and Ivy Xiao. It brings together Listglobally's global syndicated listings from 50,000 global property developers and agents in countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco with ACProperty's listings in Australia under one Mandarin-only website.

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Title: Chinese buyers caught in a trap

As a renowned teacher of English in China, Liu Jiabing planned well for his daughter’s education. He chose a good university in Aus­tralia, helped her to get an offer to enrol next year, and bought an apartment in Melbourne that is due to settle next month. But now the apartment near Monash University that he bought off the plan for $600,000 is keeping him up at night. While Mr Liu sets about finding the money from friends and families to help make the down-­payment, AC Property, a Melboune-based property portal, has four or five calls every day from buyers who seek to resell their off-the-plan apartments after finding it hard to settle. “We have been referring our clients to mortgage brokers to see if they can get alternative finance, but we haven’t seen a single case of success so far,” said AC Property ­director Esther Yong.

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Title: Why China agents are turning from Australia to the US and Europe

Property investors who have been traditionally looking at Australian properties are now turning to the United States and Europe to build their portfolio. With the recent tightening of Australian property purchases by foreigners, agents in China are expanding their sales into the US and Europe. This is an easy transition for the agents given their strong buyer contacts. It is now just a matter of re-educating their buyers. That’s the assertion from leading Chinese language property website, ACproperty.com.au, which connects Australian real estate agents and developers with Chinese buyers locally and internationally.

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Title: Ray White launches in China with Lianjia

Ray White has expanded its agency services to China, signing an agreement to list new and old properties for sale with China's largest real estate agency, Lianjia, also known as Homelink. Lianjia, which has more than 6000 branches in more than 25 cities in China, will co-list Ray White's Australian and New Zealand properties in Mandarin on its websites. Local Ray White agents can also convert their listings into Mandarin through a new translation service the company has set up. A translated listing can be uploaded to local websites as well as Australian Chinese property website ACProperty.com.au.

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Title: Gold Coast revival in full bloom following $33m in prestige sales

The Gold Coast residential market is well on the mend after $33 million in prestige homes sold in the past week and foreign buyer inquiries doubled in the past three months. While the city's recovery had been in motion since the start of the year – after it was flattened by the global financial crisis in 2008 – it received another surge of activity in recent weeks. Chinese online property portal ACproperty.com.au had twice as many inquiries from foreign buyers and 75 per cent more traffic on their website for Gold Coast properties in the last three months. There was interest in places like Hope Island and Sanctuary Cove, which were FIRB-free. Foreigners were allowed to buy established homes in these areas. "A year and a half ago, we did a Brisbane seminar, it was lacklustre," director Esther Yong said.

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Title: NAB tightens lending to foreign home buyers

National Australia Bank is the last of the big four banks to clamp down on foreign home buyers, after it stopped lending to those who could not provide evidence of local income. NAB’s latest move, which began a week ago, meant Australia’s four big banks now have all shut the door to foreign home buyers who do not have existing Australian income. The changes came about as a result of the bank’s constant review of its lending policies, according to a spokesman for NAB. Esther Yong, director of Melbourne-based property portal ACproperty.com.au, said the business was starting to get inquiries from agents in China about properties in markets other than in Australia. “They are asking if we have projects in the US or Europe, as they know it’s getting hard to buy in Australia,” she said. “Those who are still looking to buy will now buy less expensive ones, taking financing into account.”

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Title: Foreign investment: new student visa rules tipped to charge up Chinese property buying

NEW relaxed visa regulations reopen the door for Chinese property investors, according to real estate experts. The new system, coming into effect on July 1, will reduce the existing eight student visa types to two — one for students and one for student guardians. Chinese student renters are another channel for education to boost Chinese property investment, according to Esther Yong, director of ACProperty.com.au, an Australian property portal targeting Chinese buyers. With about 250,000 higher education visa holders in Australia, Ms Yong said most international students sought to rent while living here, and should not be overlooked by the market. Figures from ACProperty.com.au show that rental enquiries almost tripled over from last year and more than half of rental enquirers requested information on buying property within seven months. “It is not uncommon for Chinese students to rent for the first couple of months when they first arrive, with a high intention to eventually buy a property,” Ms Yong said, adding that the strong sales potential of these students could help tackle a downturn in foreign investment caused by recent FIRB and bank lending restrictions.Popular suburbs in NSW included Chatswood, Campsie and Strathfield, which took out the top three most-searched areas for rental.

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Title: Kids’ visa change set to boost school-zone market

A new visa system that opens the door to ­primary-school students and their guardians to come to Australia is set to boost housing demand by Chinese buyers. Data from REA Group shows visits from China-based property seekers declined sharply early this year, but that is likely to pick up when the simplified student visa framework takes effect on July 1. The change is likely to boost demand for properties close to good schools, Esther Yong, director of ACproperty.com.au.

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Title: 6 myths about Chinese property buyers, busted

Chinese buyers have taken centre stage on Australia's property scene following an exponential surge in real estate investment from offshore markets. China is by far the biggest foreign buyer of residential and commercial property, proposing $24.3 billion of spend in 2014-15 – more than triple the United States and six times the outlay from Singapore, the Foreign Investment Review Board annual reports shows. Esther Yong, director at Chinese portal ACProperty, says the majority of average buyers are looking at properties priced between $500,000 to $800,000. "A lot of people think they just walk up with suitcases of money, but that doesn't usually happen," she says. "Generally, there's more news about people buying $5 million, $10 million and $20 million houses than just someone buying a $500,000 house ... so most people think Chinese buyers are really rich." Ms Yong says Chinese families usually plan and save for a property as a top priority, sometimes even over marriage. "[Property] is the first thing that families talk about when they sit down together," she says. "It is something that's embedded in the [Chinese] culture; first things first, own a property."

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Title: Chinese home buyers in Australia in decline

Visits from property seekers based in China declined sharply in the first four months of this year, data from REA Group shows, confirming a slowdown of Chinese buying in Australia due to concerns about lending restrictions and tax changes. sther Yong, director of Melbourne-based ACproperty.com.au, is having mixed responses from her clients — most of them ­Chinese. Demand was still strong for those who were not buying for investment but for long-term plans to move to Australia, such as ­migration or education for kids, she said. “These type of buyers generally just want to beat the tax increase before July 1, and they are also worried that there will be more changes to the policy in the future, so would rather commit sooner.”

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Title: Student renters the key to buffering investment downturn

AC Property has earmarked the sales potential of student renters from China. It suggests developers and agents can build a database of potential sales contacts that will buffer any property market downturn. New research from AC Property shows that 56 percent of rental enquiries from these students request property purchasing information within seven months. Esther Yong, director of AC Property said such figures suggest most Chinese student renters are already planning to buy a property when they first make a rental enquiry and she believes these rental enquiries may not only contain your next biggest sales lead, but could build a database that will ride you out while other investors wait for further policy changes before deciding their next move.

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Title: China's Australian property investment strong but could start to slow

Australia's cooling housing market did not stop Chinese property investor inquiries jumping 87 per cent in 2015, new data from online property giant Juwai.com show. "A lot of Chinese buyers are now looking for alternative funders for example HSBC, Bank of China or smaller credit unions," Chinese online property portal director Esther Yong said.

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Title: Chinese buyers to reach new record in 2016, but pain ahead

Demand for properties from offshore Chinese buyers is expected to hit record highs in 2016, new data shows. But there could be some cracks ahead for this surging segment of the market. Chinese property portal ACProperty director Esther Yong said the typical offshore Chinese buyer is “generally not [a] big risk taker”. Most would have a substantial cash buffer to cover any problems with funding or would consider a smaller lender as an alternative, she said. In the early months of 2016, Sydney-specific searches on the ACProperty site were up 87 per cent.

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Title: Victorian state budget 2016 - property experts slam foreign buyer tax hike

Property experts have blasted the state government over its plan to hike stamp duty for foreign buyers, accusing it of discrimination and warning the move could undermine confidence in the local property market. Esther Yong, director of Chinese language real estate website ACProperty.com, has hit out at the state government’s changes for being ridiculous and leaving offshore buyers uncertain. She was supportive of the foreign buyer tax, but said the jump from 3 per cent to 7 per cent was too fast and it would have been better for the stamp duty surcharge to be introduced at 7 per cent last year.

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Title: Australian state of Victoria squeezes foreign homebuyers

The Australian state of Victoria said on Wednesday it was more than doubling taxes on foreign property buyers in a move reflecting growing public concern over the volume of Chinese money flowing into the local real estate market. “Doubling the tax within a year makes foreign buyers feel very unwelcome,” said Esther Yong, director of ACproperty, a Chinese-language property portal. There are already signs that tighter scrutiny of foreign transactions, restrictions on bank lending to foreigners and the stamp duty tax in Victoria are beginning to temper overseas demand for property.

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Title: Market locally first to reach China: ACproperty's Esther Yong

Marketing to Chinese consumers is a hot topic for all businesses across different sectors. A common misperception for businesses is that they need to be in China to sell to Chinese consumers. This has prompted developers and agencies to invest in roadshows, exhibitions and seminars at China’s prime real estate and events, only to result in expensive failures. With the growing Chinese population in Australia, sellers need not look too far in reaching out to their prospective Chinese buyers. At ACproperty.com.au we believe there are 3 reasons why you should begin your marketing locally before embarking on overseas marketing investments.

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Title: Chinese investments in Australian property doubles as FIRB real estate approvals overall jump 75 per cent

Chinese investment in Australian real estate has doubled. Foreign appetite for Aussie homes, from all corners of the globe, has surged in the past financial year, with the value of proposed investment rocketing by more than 75 per cent. Some property pundits believed the extra taxes and crackdowns would slow Chinese investment, but Chinese property portal ACProperty director Esther Yong expects momentum to continue. Ms Yong said Chinese buyers were concerned about investing in countries with a lack of regulations, so increased regulations in Australia may provide Chinese buyers more confidence in the long-term.

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Title: The Top Three Reasons Why You Should Market Locally to Succeed in China

Marketing to Chinese consumers is a hot topic for all businesses across different sectors. A common misperception for businesses is that they need to be in China to sell to Chinese consumers. This has prompted developers and agencies to invest in roadshows, exhibitions and seminars at China’s prime real estate and events, only to result in expensive failures. With the growing Chinese population in Australia, sellers need not look too far in reaching out to their prospective Chinese buyers. At ACproperty.com.au we believe there are three reasons why you should begin your marketing locally before embarking on overseas marketing investments...

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Title: Five differences between buying property in China and Australia

Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au tells why Australia is such an attractive investment destination for the Chinese. These days it is not uncommon to open a newspaper or blog entry, to read news about the ever-rising inflow of Chinese buyers of Australian property. However, to truly understand this trend, it is important to see things from the other perspective. We like to call ourselves the “lucky country”, but few seem to realise that many of the privileges we take for granted here, are not available to Chinese nationals buying property in their own country.

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Title: Meet the female leaders in Melbourne’s property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning. Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles. They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young. The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au is one of shining stars.

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Title: Meet the female leaders in Melbourne’s property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning. Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles. They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young. The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au is one of shining stars.

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Title: Meet the female leaders in Melbourne’s property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning. Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles. They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young. The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au is one of shining stars.

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Title: Meet the female leaders in Melbourne’s property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning. Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles. They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young. The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au is one of shining stars.

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Title: Meet the female leaders in Melbourne’s property industry

Leadership roles in the property industry remain dominated by men, but the tide is turning. Hodges’s Carmel Baker last year became the second woman to take charge of a major real estate agency in Victoria after Harcourts chief executive Sadhana Smiles. They are among less than 10 per cent of female chief executives in the industry, according to a report by consultants Ernst & Young. The 2014 report reveals women occupy only about one in four management positions, while below management roles are spread more evenly. With real estate overtaking mining to become Australia’s most profitable industry, and to mark International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women leading the charge in Melbourne. Esther Yong from ACproperty.com.au is one of shining stars.

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Title: Chinese New Year 2016: mass of foreign investors spend their break hunting for property in Sydney

FOREIGN Chinese buyers are coming in droves during the Chinese New Year period this week, with property agents and portals receiving an influx of enquiries in the last two weeks. Esther Yong, director of ACproperty.com.au, an Australian Chinese-language property portal, said their call centre saw a 35 per cent spike in enquiries over the last two weeks. “A lot of them are calling to make appointments to view properties during the Chinese New Year period,” she said. “For the past two years, our call centre has always been the busiest during Chinese New Year.”

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Title: Chinese New Year sees foreign buyers flock to Melbourne

Agents are rolling out the red carpet for an influx of overseas buyers flying to Melbourne over the Chinese New Year holiday. Some agencies are providing a concierge service; picking up buyers from the airport, booking their hotels and helping with school enrolments. Others are reporting a jump in inquiries and translating property material into Chinese. House hunters have started arriving ahead of the year of the monkey, and will continue flying in over the national holiday, running from February 8 to 13. Esther Yong​, director at Chinese portal ACProperty, said phone inquiries before Chinese New Year jumped 35 per cent last year. The business is seeing similar levels of activity this year, from buyers wanting to make appointments with agents to view properties during the holiday period.

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Title: Where will Chinese property buyers go this Chinese New Year?

Mansions have been spruced up and glossy dossiers have been printed as prestige property agents await the influx of high net worth Chinese buyers arriving in Australia on Tuesday, the second day of the Chinese new year. In Melbourne, Doncaster is a sure bet because it sits on the top of a hill, but Docklands is considered "bad luck". "Doncaster is the eye of the dragon, particularly where the Westfield shopping centre is," Chinese property website ACProperty's Esther Yong said. "The stagnant water in the Docklands however is bad feng shui, which explains why prices there haven't risen."

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Title: Digital disruption comes to the property market

Real estate advertising has migrated to the online world over the last decade. It's one easy step from the simple advertising model to one that allows sellers to take over the sale process. It's an idea the big players, such as realestate.com.au and domain.com.au are aware of. In the meantime, as usually happens in the peer-to-peer business, small players are making an aggressive bid for some of the business. Australian portal ACProperty.com.au focuses on the local Chinese market as its niche. It lists, sells and manages buyers for the local Australian Chinese market as well as for Chinese clients. "For us, it's not just being online, but the after-search services. We go to the expo, help at seminars and provide support," chief executive Esther Yong says.

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Title: Onthehouse launches third property portal player with realestateVIEW.com.au

A third player in the online property industry dominated by realestate.com.au and Domain could be imminent, after online property company Onthehouse Holdings announced a potential joint venture with realestateVIEW.com.au. "There's a graveyard of applications trying to get in; it's a chicken and egg situation – no one will look at your site if you don't have enough properties but no one will list with you unless you have enough customers," localagentfinder.com.au chief executive Michael Banks said. "The JV can go a long way by giving consumers accurate property information." "The business model must be different: either offer a very specific service, or target a specific market," Chinese portal ACproperty.com.au chief executive Esther Yong said

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Title: Foreign Buyers Boom, ACproperty's take

Hundreds of new developments have flooded the market and agents still can't keep up with the demand from overseas. But how will this affect local buyers? ACproeprty.com.au has given some hints...

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Title: Chinese property investors set for hotel grab in 2016

Chinese property investors might have favoured residential property in Australia but that is all about to change. The next 12 months will be the year Chinese investors also turn their attention to commercial property, in particular hotel investments and development. "From what we can see, some might diversify into commercial investments, there's a significant commercial investment inquiries over the past few months, due to less restrictions and regulations [in commercial properties]," Chinese property website ACProperty.com.au director Esther Yong said. New investment house, specialising in technology and property investment for Asian institutional and high net worth investors, Taronga Group said it has observed "unprecedented interest from across Asia seeking quality hotel and leisure based investment in Australia." "This is logical, with astute investors positioned to take advantage of the rapid growth in Asian discretionary spend on tourism and leisure experiences outside their home markets," managing director Avi Naidu said...

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Title: Chinese investors “want land”: townhouses trump apartments in Chinese buyer demand

APARTMENTS in Australia have long been the go-to choice for overseas Chinese homebuyers but it’s the townhouses now that are winning the popularity contest. According to ACproperty.com.au, a Chinese-language Australian property portal, search inquiries for apartments dropped 20 per cent from 2014 to 2015, while inquiries for townhouses jumped by 30 per cent. Esther Yong, director of ACproperty.com.au, said it was the idea of owning land that appealed to Chinese buyers. “Owning land has always been the Chinese dream,” she said. She also attributed the demand for townhouses to the lack of this property type in major cities in China, while apartments had been “very well-marketed in China” over the last couple of years. “Fewer townhouses are marketed in China because there is a stock limitation, hence [the] high demand [reflected] in searches,” she said...

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Title: FIRB fees fail to deter Chinese property buyers

Higher federal government fees and tougher penalties for breaches of foreign investment rules that started December 1 have not deterred foreign investors in the property market. If deals were completed before Tuesday, foreign buyers would not have to fork out the new foreign investment application fee of $5,000 for a home under $1 million or $10,000 for homes over $1 million as mandated by the Foreign Investment Review Board. "We don't think there will be a slowdown in the market because of FIRB, if anything, it should give buyers more confidence in the Australian market," said Chinese property website ACproperty.com.au's director Esther Yong. "The Chinese thinks this way, "If I need to pay for it, it must be good"." The biggest foreign property buyers are the Chinese followed by a distant second, the US, according to the FIRB...

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Title: Tao Home for Chinese independent seniors in the heart of Melbourne

Asian parents often joke that their children are their superannuation plan. There is more truth in that than myth after developer Sunbright Development Australia launched Tao Home, an independent living residential project in Melbourne for Chinese seniors in response to demand from migrants wanting to buy homes for their parents. Launched two weeks ago, 40 per cent of the units have already been sold and Sunbright have plans for more projects in Balwyn or Glen Waverley, Mr Lang added. "We've noticed an increased number of buyers looking at large double-storey houses with the intention of having aged parents live downstairs. So yes, Tao Home concept is definitely something that will get more popular," Australia's Chinese property website ACProperty.com.au's Esther Yong said.

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Title: Rule change hits demand for Australian investor visas

Demand for Australian investor visas has slowed to a trickle following a government decision to follow Canada and the UK in tightening rules on fast-track residency in return for investment. The changes were introduced in July following a surge in applications from wealthy Chinese and suspension of a scheme Canberra argued was not generating enough return as investments flowed mainly into non-productive assets. Esther Yong, director of ACproperty.com.au, an Australian Chinese-language property portal, said changes to the scheme could scare off Chinese who want a visa in a foreign country but do not have a particular preference as to where. “The US and European Union countries’ visas are more affordable and have less requirements,” she added.

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Title: Chinese home buyers cautious over foreign investment rules

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey's get-tough tactics with foreign investments in residential property are making an impact on foreign investors who are "too afraid to break the law". Mr Hockey transferred all residential property monitoring to the ATO in May and the government is investigating 195 possible breaches. ACproperty.com.au, the largest Chinese property website in Australia has had a 40 per cent increase in queries from buyers seeking clarification on investment rules. "Some have no visa, on a student visa or are waiting for visa approval are looking to buy but are holding back until they get a clear understanding of the law," ACproperty director Esther Yong said. "Unlike what most people think, the majority of Chinese buyers are happy to follow regulations. Recent crackdowns on breaches have definitely raised awareness among Chinese buyers. "But a lot of buyers are calling us to clarify the regulations instead of FIRB because of the language barrier. They can speak basic English, but when it comes to understanding the law, they would much prefer to speak to someone in Chinese."

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Title: Proptech on track to disrupt the property industry

The taxi business has Uber. Travel has Airbnb and retail has Alibaba and Amazon. Now the property sector is getting its dose of the so-called digital "disruption". ACproperty.com.au, Australia's largest Chinese property website, allows Asian buyers to shop for properties in Mandarin, it will also allow buyers and sellers to converse via Wechat, the popular Chinese online messaging service. They can even loop in their accountant and lawyer or a housekeeping service.

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Title: Buyers should not be penalised if FIRB rules are loose

Chinese foreign investors welcome Australia's tight rein on foreign investments but say penalising buyers on the back of poorly administered foreign investment rules is unfair. "Many Chinese investors are actually reluctant to buy properties in countries where they are no restrictions at all on foreign investors, as it shows too much desperation, making them suspicious about the market," Chinese property advertiser, ACProperty.com.au director Esther Yong said.

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Title: Off-market property sales fuelled by Chinese social media

Off-market deals are favoured by home buyers who want to get ahead of the game, and those who can read Chinese may now have an edge. Agents are posting an increasing number of properties on Chinese social-media platforms such as WeChat before advertising them to the general market, meaning many of them are being snapped up behind closed doors. Esther Yong, director of Chinese language real estate website ACProperty.com.au, believes the app has changed the property industry.

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Title: New property taxes a 'king hit' to the real estate industry

Two shock new taxes on foreigners buying property in Victoria have been described as a "king-hit" to the real estate industry that will deter international investment in the state, and discourage the construction of new homes. Esther Yong, director of Chinese-language real estate website ACproperty.com.au, said the fees were reasonable but would initially slow foreign investment. "These kinds of taxes are quite common all over the world," she said.

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Title: Melbourne attracting foreign buyers at record rate

Sydney may be leading price growth, but it's Melbourne that's attracting the most foreign investors in Australia, according to the Foreign Investment Review Board. Foreign investment approvals in Victoria rocketed to $10.41 billion for development in 2013-2014, more than double the previous year's figure. In NSW foreign investment approvals for development totalled $10.39 billion. Esther Yong at Chinese language real estate portal ACproperty.com.au​ said Melbourne was marketed overseas for lifestyle opportunities and quality universities. "To many foreign investors, they see Melbourne and Sydney as equivalent; both are big metropolitan cities, great lifestyle, good universities available," she said.

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Title: Don't fear the offshore buyers, look closer to home

Chinese buyers swooping on top-end homes, and often paying well over reserve to do so, is a popular observation on most weekends. Real estate agents report to Domain that international buyers have been very active in their area. In fact, we were told there were a number of them bidding at a $7 million auction just a few weeks ago. Esther Yong, director of Chinese language real estate website ACproperty.com.au, said about 45 per cent of their traffic is from local Chinese buyers based in Australia, who were also more likely to look at top-end properties. She has observed that some agents are trying to appeal to offshore Chinese buyers, but said they should first concentrate on the local market, which really matters.

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Title: Foreign property investment system 'not broken', tax to blame

Australia's foreign investment rules have been under scrutiny, with the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) proposing higher fees for offshore purchasers and jail time for those who solely advertise their projects offshore. Esther Yong, director, ACproperty.com.au, commented that Australia needs to improve the enforcement process of the current FIRB framework.

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Title: How your house number can be valuable

Some Chinese home-buyers will pay tens of thousands of dollars more for addresses containing the number eight, but shun those with a four. ACproperty.com.au estimated Chinese buyers spend an annual $4 billion on Australian properties — and as much as a quarter of those transactions could involve a range of superstition-driven preferences. These include the number eight, not just in addresses but in land size.

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Title: Fish-and-chip visas

Chinese investors use the fast food back door. Fast food stores are at the top of the menu for hungry Chinese investors. ACproperty.com.au spokeswoman Esther Yong said that group has been approached by Chinese migrants asking to buy a business, which can help fast-track applications.

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Title: RBA chief warns foreign buyers drive up prices

RESERVE Bank governor Glenn Stevens says that wealthy Asian investors are bidding up Australian home prices, with inner-city areas feeling the greatest pressure - and specialist estate agents confirm it.They have revealed the Melbourne suburbs on rich Chinese buyers’ hit lists.A Chinese language real estate website, ACproperty.com.au, which is based in Australia and has a high proporting of overseas buyers, revealed its top 20 most inquired about suburbs in the first two months of this year. The CBD topped the list and was followed by Box Hill, Doncaster and Carlton. Further down the list were Point Cook, 10, West Melbourne, 13, Forest Hill, 16, and Murrumbeena, 18. “As they could not buy established houses, land and house packages in west side became very attractive,” said Esther Yong, a ACproperty sales and marketing manager...

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Title: Melbourne 'most popular city' for overseas investment

Melbourne is officially the most popular Australian city for overseas property investors, with many from China. Real Estate Institute says it has caused some house prices to soar, particularly in the eastern suburbs. Go online see no shortage of websites spuiking them to overseas investors. ACproperty.com.au was featured in the news.

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Title: House hunters gallop into Chinese New Year

CHINESE property investors are expected to gallop into the Year of the Horse thanks to the year's encouraging symbolism of immediate success. In anticipation of sales growth, real estate agencies are launching websites exclusively at the Asian property market. One of Australia's largest Chinese property portals, ACproperty.com.au, last week launched a new Queensland section to coincides with the start of the Chinese New Year...

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Title: Chinese head west, House-and-packages in demand

Werribee and Truganina have emerged as unlikely hot spots for Chinese investors... The operators of Chinese language real estate website ACproperty.com.au, which sells Australian property to offshore and local Chinese-speaking buyers, recorded increases of between 15 and 20 per cent in the three months to December...

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Title: Demand from Chinese speaking investors is up - but that's not the whole story

According to Australia’s foreign direct investment laws, non-residents can purchase new dwellings directly from developers. They are also able to purchase single blocks of vacant land to build a new home, so long as they commence continuous construction within 24 months of receiving approval. The same conditions apply to buying a block for the development of multiple residences. They cannot purchase a second-hand or established property unless it is uninhabitable and they intend to redevelop. Temporary residents are able to purchase established residences, so long as they live in the property for the duration of their ownership and don’t rent any part of it out. Of course, there are ways around this. It’s unclear who exactly is responsible for checking a buyer’s citizenship status when a property is purchased. And with many foreign investors with family members living in Australia it isn’t difficult to park a property under a relative’s name. But according to Esther Yong, the director of ACProperty.com.au, an Australian Chinese-language property listings site, the foreign investors she’s encountered are meticulous about obeying Australia’s regulations...

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Title: ACproperty.com.au to accomodate Qld buyers

ACproperty.com.au, Australia’s largest Chinese property portal announces the official launch of their exclusive Queensland section to the public on Chinese New Year (31st Jan 2014). ACproperty.com.au started their humble beginnings two and a half years ago, listing only Victorian properties to Chinese buyers. As demand grows, ACproperty.com.au sees themselves expanding to accommodate the growing demands from Chinese buyers from both local and overseas. They have since launched an exclusive section for Sydney properties in mid 2013 and now, a Queensland section by popular demand...

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Title: Melbourne's west a new hit with the east

The total amount of Chinese investment in property, including residential, increased just $93 million from the 2010-11 financial year to the $4.187 billion reported for 2011-12 by the FIRB. The operators of Chinese language real estate website ACproperty.com.au, which sells Australian property to a mixture of offshore and local Chinese-speaking buyers, recorded between 15 and 20 per cent increases in the three months to December last year...

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Title: Chinese migrants fuel local off-the-plan sales

Chinese property listing websites report an increase in the number of searches for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane residential real estate, foreshadowing a rise in off-the-plan sales. Most property searches on AC Property.com.au are for apartments, but there is growing appetite for detached houses and land. Melbourne has been the prime growth market for AC Property, but Sydney traffic is also rising...

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Title: Communicating with Chinese Buyers – Socially!

Without a doubt, digital strategy and online marketing strategy become more and more important each day for our business as the media landscape evolves. Esther Yong, from AC Property, discusses how you can use some of the the more modern and social methods to communicate with Chinese Buyers...

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Title: Cashed-up Chinese heat up local property market

China’s ghost cities might be standing empty, but the country’s cashed-up middle class is opting for overseas property in ever increasing numbers due to the lower Australian dollar and new regulation on property investments in China. That’s what Esther Yong and Ivy Xiao are banking on...

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Title: It’s about to get hot in here: low $A heats up Chinese interest in Australian property

Asian interest in the Australian property market is heating up because of the fall in the dollar and changes in Chinese real estate regulation. ACproperty, a Melbourne-based property portal catering to Chinese buyers of Australian real estate says their site traffic has increased dramatically...

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Title: How to effectively market your listings to Chinese Investors

We see weekly news reports of Chinese buyers cleaning up properties in major Australia cities. Everyone is talking about these “cashed-up” Chinese buyers acquiring apartments in bulk. But some agents and developers are asking the question, “Where can I find them? Why are they not buying from me?” Esther Yong from acproperty.com.au guides you through the mind of the chinese buyer and how to attract more attention to your listings...

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Title: ACproperty.com.au representing the Australian market in China

Australia’s ACproperty.com.au will be presenting opportunities in the Australian property market at the upcoming annual Shanghai Overseas Property and Investment Immigration Show. Now in its eighth year, the major annual expo held in China promotes overseas properties and investments and attracts 10,000 visitors...

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Title: Australian Property Listings Startup Welcomes Chinese Buyers to the Land of Oz

One of the most remarkable aspects of the economic boom in China has been the overseas property buying spree among some wealthier Chinese citizens. That huge demand is a great business prospect for a number of startups – such as Australia’s ACproperty. Focusing on real estate in its native Australia, ACproperty now consists of a team of ten people, with some support staff based in mainland China...

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