China Herald: Real estate prices will drop, and people will buy

Sam Crispin

After twenty years of covering real estate in China, Sam Crispin has seen it all. He is not worried by the recent drop in house prices. "When prices drop, people will buy," the UK-based real estate consultant tells in KBIA.

KBIA:

Sam Crispin, who has spent two decades following China's real estate sector, thinks prices will gradually drop, and people, eventually, will buy. He cites the history behind Shanghai's Pudong New Area, which had huge vacancy rates in the 1990s.

"The whole of Pudong was a bit of a basket case," Crispin says, sitting in an office in the area's Lujiazui financial district, overlooking the cruise ship terminal along Shanghai's muddy Huangpu River. "Fifteen years ago, not many people wanted to make the move, but now we see some of the most desirable, most expensive real estate here in Pudong. It's been a massive success for Shanghai."

Of course, Shanghai is a prestigious, coastal city and a magnet for the wealthy and ambitious, dramatically different from Wuxi. As for Crispin, earlier this year, he moved home to England for family reasons.

He says no one should read too much into this, but he has sold all but one of his properties in China. He says he's looking for better rent revenue.

"I can see the capital growth is slowing and it's time to go and invest elsewhere where there might be better income," Crispin says.

More in KBIA.

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Sam Crispin now covers Chinese outbound investments from the UK. Are you interested in more experts on China´s outbound investments? Do check out our recent list.