新冠肺炎疫情逐渐受控，整体经济开始步入復甦期，甲级写字楼租赁市场连续两季表现回暖。有代理行指出，写字楼租金跌幅已见收窄，预计明年中环顶级写字楼租金或重现增长。

该行代理表示，2021年第四季甲级写字楼的吸纳量为18.55万方呎，虽然全年吸纳量仍为负57.87万方呎 (迁出腾空的楼面多于新租出楼面)，但较2020年全年的负230万方呎已经大为改善。新租赁成交以金融及保险行业租户为主，佔约42%。

商厦租金方面，今年全年各区平均跌幅为4.7%，下跌幅度相比去年的19.3%大为收窄；整体待租率由今年第二季的14.4%，回落至第四季的13.6%。

该代理认为，2022年将有超过200万方呎全新甲级写字楼供应相继落成，整体待租率料升至16%至17%，导致整体平均租金将下调1%至3%。不过，由于新落成商厦主要位于非核心区，故中环顶级写字楼租金有望录得约1%的轻微增长。

代理行：住宅价看涨一成

该行另一代理指出，疫情受控，经济正处于稳步復甦阶段，消费市场得以改善，商铺租金已经见底，空置率将进一步下降。预期2022年铺租将于上半年进一步回扬，升幅由2%至5%，中环的租金涨幅估计更可达5%至8%。

另一代理预期，2022年本港住宅楼市仍然向好，楼价将有5%至10%升幅，其中较看好位于市区的豪宅。

(信报)

西半山旧楼强拍 恒地5.2亿统一业权

恒地 (00012) 在西半山积极收购旧楼，罗便臣道94、94A及96号的旧楼，昨日举行公开拍卖，最终由手持1号牌的恒地执行董事黄浩明在无竞争下、以底价5.221亿元投得。

黄浩明指，项目收购约6至7年，将会连同罗便臣道98及100号一同发展，组成约1.2万平方呎地盘，以地积比率5倍发展，可建楼面约6.08万平方呎，将会兴建中型单位为主，预计最快两年后开售楼花。

旗下罗便臣道88号 批强拍令

同时，集团位于罗便臣道88号旧楼，亦获土地审裁处批出强拍令，拍卖底价10.09亿元。恒地在2020年时候申请强拍，其后再增持至96%业权，只剩最后两个单位未完成收购。

土地审裁处决定颁发强拍令，并将底价定为10.09亿元，按照估值报告指出，地盘可建楼面51,805平方呎，每呎楼地价约1.95万元。

(经济日报)

葵涌工厦重建积极 变身数据中心

受惠工厦活化政策，各区工厦频频申请重建或改装，以释出物业最大潜力，当中葵涌近年的工厦重建或改装个案转趋积极，目前中葵涌有12个相关的申请，涉及总楼面面积高达261.84万平方呎。而随5G时代降临，数据中心的改划申请亦增加。

葵涌区有不少工业区，其中葵涌道以东的工业区，近年积极转型，相继录有不少工厦重建或者改装个案，最新有外资基金将本年中购入的工厦，向城规会申请改装为数据中心。

光辉冻仓申改数据中心

该工厦为永业街11至19号光辉冻仓（二仓），外资基金ESR在今年5月以18亿元向已故「铺王」邓成波买入上址后，近期向城规会申请将全幢工厦改装为15层高的数据中心，并以地积比率10.19倍发展，涉及总楼面约35.23万平方呎。申请者认为，拟议发展可加速葵涌工业区的活化进展。

事实上，随着5G年代来临，整个大气候逐渐转变，市场对数据中心的需求大大增加，计入上述最新申请，单计葵涌区已录至少7宗的相关重建或改建申请，涉约179万平方呎楼面。在上述申请中，具中资背景的万国数据最积极，集团先后为区内3幢工厦并申请重建为数据中心，涉及地点包括打砖坪街57至61号中央工业大厦、蓝田街2至16号葵涌联发工业第一大厦及大圆街2至10号美罗工业大厦，合共涉及约75.9万平方呎总楼面。

另外，金朝阳 （00878） 早前亦就位于华星街13至17号的南华冷房大厦，向城规会申请发展1幢20层高的数据中心，涉及总楼面约21.8万平方呎。兴胜创建 （00896） 旗下业成街22号太平洋货运大厦，拟建成1幢楼高22层的数据中心。

罗氏美光 重建新工厦

值得一提的是，中葵涌一带亦有不少重建为商厦的申请，如美联工商铺 （00459） 伙同德永佳集团 （00321） ，为罗氏美光发展大厦向城规会重建成1幢26层高的新式工厦。

而房委会早前已完成有关为辖下6幢工厦重建为公营房屋的可行性研究，计划把其中位于大连排道103至113号的葵安工厂大厦拟将清拆，并重建为公营房屋，预计可提供约600个单位。

(经济日报)

More new flats for sale over weekend

Hang Lung Properties (0101) is this week offering 130 flats at The Aperture in Ngau Tau Kok, which carry an average discounted price of HK$22,628. That is 5 percent higher than prices for the first batch.

The flats going on the market on Saturday range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom homes, with sizes from 320 square feet to 770 sf.

More new homes are also going on sales listings elsewhere on Saturday.

In Tseung Kwan O, the latest round of sales will involve 312 flats at Manor Hill from Kowloon Development (0034).

A new project from Henderson Land Development (0012) at Caine Hill in Sheung Wan will see 50 flats being offered on Saturday.

Also this week, Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016) will publish a first price list for the Yoho Hub project atop Yuen Long MTR Station, which will be providing at least 206 homes.

At Mid-Levels West, Henderson acquired several old buildings at Robinson Road for HK$522 million through a compulsory sale, and it has now received a nod for another compulsory sale for a 10,361 sf site also at Robinson Road.

On other home-related topics, a property agency expects that next year could see a 10 percent hike in overall property prices because of an easing of the pandemic situation, which would see a reopening of the border with the mainland.

(The Standard)

Who is the buyer of the US$82 million property on The Peak – Asia’s most expensive flat?

Lau Chauin, the daughter of the chairman of Heungkong Group, paid HK$140,800 (US$18,050) per square foot for a flat and three parking spaces in Mount Nicholson on The Peak

The previous record for Asia’s most expensive flat on a per square foot basis was held by CK Asset’s 21 Borrett Road project

The buyer of Asia’s most expensive flat in the ultra-luxury Mount Nicholson project on The Peak is Lau Chauin, according to a source close to the deal.

Lau, the daughter of Lau Chi-keung, the chairman of Heungkong Group, which has interests ranging from logistics and finance to health care and property development on the mainland, bought flats 16C and 16D in phase three of the exclusive project for a combined HK$1.2 billion (US$154 million) last month.

Flat 16D, measuring 4,544 sq ft and three car parking spaces in the project developed by Wharf Holdings and Nan Fung Development, was sold for HK$639.8 million, or HK$140,800 per square foot, making it Asia’s most expensive flat on a per square foot basis. It broke the record held by a flat in CK Asset Holding’s 21 Borrett Road luxury residential project in Mid-Levels. That flat, which also came with three parking spaces, sold for HK$459.4 million, or HK$136,000 per square foot, in February.

The price for the 4,186 sq ft flat 16C at Mount Nicholson was HK$560.92 million, or HK$134,000 per square foot, slightly lower than the Borrett Road flat.

“About 50 per cent of Hong Kong’s ultra-luxury homes [in the past two years] have been sold to wealthy mainland Chinese or so called new Hongkongers,” property agent said. “Buyers from the mainland are willing to pay big bucks for homes on The Peak as spectacular views like those of Victoria Harbour are rare in China.”

New Hongkongers comprise 60 per cent of the owners of two of the most exclusive residential addresses in Hong Kong – 21 Borrett Road and Mount Nicholson, according to land title searches conducted by the South China Morning Post.

The term “new Hongkongers” is applied to residents who have recently acquired permanent residency in the city. Permanent residents do not have to pay an extra 30 per cent stamp duty on property purchases levied on non-permanent residents.

Lau, a first-time local buyer with permanent residency, paid only 4.25 per cent, or HK$23.84 million, in tax for flat 16C, according to local media reports. But for flat 16D she was required to pay a 15 per cent tax, or HK$95.97 million.

In 2018, the Lau family bought two more flats – 11C and 11D – in the same project for HK$1.16 billion, shelling out another HK$27 million for three parking spaces last year, according to media reports.

The family has spent a total HK$2.36 billion for four flats and six parking spaces at Mount Nicholson.

The Heungkong Group, which currently employs 20,000 people, started off as a furniture seller in Shenzhen in 1990, according to the company’s website. It operates two major furniture chains – Heungkong Furniture and Kinhom Furniture – across China. It also operates the furniture trading platform, Kinhom.com, which has more than 6,000 furniture brands.

Heungkong later expanded into health care, logistics, property development and finance. It owns stakes in many financial institutions such as China Guanfa Bank, GF Securities and GF Funds and is also a principal shareholder of Guangdong Nanyue Bank and Bank of Tianjin, according to its website.

Meanwhile, Xu Hang, the co-founder of Shenzhen-listed Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics, has bought a 4,664 sq ft penthouse at 39 Conduit Road, Mid-Levels, for HK$308 million, according to media reports.

The fully furnished four-bedroom flat on the 45th floor, which was previously owned by the debt-laden mainland Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, had been put up for sale by creditors in August.

A property agency declined to comment on the Post’s queries related to the transaction on Tuesday.

Another agent said that for mainlanders owning a super deluxe house in Hong Kong is a mark of elite status.

“Unlike mainland buyers who will pay record prices for such properties, Hongkongers are much more conservative and do not like to flaunt their wealth,” the agent said.

(South China Morning Post)

Deluge of new flat handovers to depress Lohas Park rents in the short term, say agents

Nearly 4,200 flats in Sea To Sky, Marini and Montara will be delivered in the next few months

A few owners have rented their flats at rates below the asking price, agents say

Rents in Lohas Park are expected to come under pressure amid an increase in supply of new homes in the area, property agents say.

Nearly 4,200 homes in three projects – Sea to Sky, Marini and Montara – will be ready for occupation in Hong Kong’s largest residential enclave this quarter and in the first quarter of next year. Marini is the largest of the three with 1,653 units, while Sea to Sky and Montara have 1,422 and 1,120 units, respectively.

“Rents will definitely face heavy downward pressure with so many new units available around the same time,” property agent said.

Some 200 to 400 units are already on the market, with rents of about HK$40 (US$5.1) per square foot, agents said.

A two-bedroom, 468 sq ft unit at Sea to Sky was recently rented at HK$16,000 a month, 5 per cent lower than the asking price, according to another agent.

Tseung Kwan O has long been popular with renters, especially mainland students, thanks to its cheaper prices and proximity to local universities.

Rents in the area bottomed out at the end of last year, having fallen by 5-10 per cent because of the social unrest in 2019 and later due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the city brought the pandemic under control, universities and schools resumed normal operations this year, which allowed mainland students to return. As a result, rents started to inch up this year, with the average rent about 10-15 per cent higher than in 2019.

With the opening of the 480,000 sq ft Lohas shopping mall last year, and international schools and kindergartens coming up in the area, more local and expatriate families would love to move in, agents said.

They added that as the area provides a range flat sizes, most of which are new and come with club facilities, these will appeal to a young clientele.

Property agents remain optimistic about rents in Lohas Park and Tseung Kwan O.

After the market digests the supply from Montara, Sea to Sky and Marini, the rental market will return to normal, agent said.

Another agent said that the 1.8km Cross Bay Link connecting Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel to Wan Po Road, which is set to be completed next year, will relieve traffic congestion in the area and further increase the popularity of the area.

(South China Morning Post)

Hong Kong property investment to grow by 20 per cent next year, led by hotels, serviced apartments, property consultancy said

Multifamily conversions – hotels converted into long-stay flats for rental – are proving an attractive investment, property consultant said

Industrial buildings and sites were among the most active sectors, last year and that is expected to continue

Hong Kong will see property investment grow by a fifth in 2022, with hotels and serviced apartments set to become investors’ main acquisition target, according to a property consultancy.

There will be 200 major transactions next year valued at around HK$100 billion (US$12.81 billion), the highest since 2018, according to the global property service firm’s “Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area (GBA) Property Market 2021 Review and 2022 Outlook.”

As the pandemic gradually eased and the economy regained some life this year, Hong Kong’s property market has shown signs of recovery.

“Investors worldwide have recently been drawn to emerging multifamily conversions such as serviced apartments and hotel properties,” property consultant said. “The aforementioned asset classes will likely benefit from the revival of tourism activities when the border gradually reopens.”

Multifamily conversions – hotels converted into long-stay flats for rental – are proving an attractive investment, the consultant said.

In November, American developer Hines bought the 158-room Butterfly on Prat hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui for HK$930 million. Hines planned to convert the hotel into a co-living flagship to be managed by local residential operator Dash Living.

Major investment deals in 2021 were mainly driven by local investors and foreign funds. The number of transactions more than doubled from the previous year.

Industrial buildings and development sites were among the most active sectors, each accounting for about 30 per cent of the total volume, according to the property consultancy.

“Demand for industrial buildings in 2021 was at a historic high, and we expect this to continue in 2022,” the consultant said.

On Monday, Sun Hung Kai Properties agreed to lease an en-bloc industrial building spanning 158,000 square feet to Kerry Logistics. Located in Tuen Mun, in the New Territories, the logistics warehouse is near the Hong Kong International Airport and enjoys well-developed transport facilities.

Sun Hung Kai, Hong Kong’s biggest home builder by market value, owns an industrial and logistics portfolio with gross floor area of about 4.5 million square feet along with nearly 12,000 car parking spaces.

Across Hong Kong, the sector consists of 43 industrial premises available for rent, including buildings, industrial-office developments and advanced logistics centres.

“During the pandemic, industrial has offered a higher rental return yield compared to other commercial sectors such as office and retail,” said Raymond Fok Lee-man, head of the Industrial and Logistics Portfolio Department at Sun Hung Kai.

The industrial sector also benefits from government policies, and the fact warehouse rent has been the least affected by the pandemic, according another property consultancy.

“The trend will continue in 2022. However, it may slow down due to the shortage of available stock in the market as a lot of stock has been absorbed by institutional buyers during 2021,” the other consultant said.

Property consultant expects industrial buildings, residential development sites and multifamily conversions to become the three key pillars of the investment market in 2022.