Chinese Plan 10 Billion in Worldwide Real Estate Purchases in 2014

Chinese real estate investors are scouring the globe looking for real estate deals to protect their nest eggs according to an article at the Wall Street Journal. With the risk of credit issues in China, prudent investors are looking for safe places to park their money overseas, and quality real estate seems to be a favorite.

The majority of the purchases are office buildings. A notable example of this is the purchase of the Chase Manhattan Plaza for 275 million by Fosun International in October of 2013. The Greenland Holding Group, a state owned conglomerate, bought 70% of the Atlantic Yards Project in Brooklyn, NY.

“Chinese outbound commercial real-estate investment is estimated to exceed $10 billion this year, after it doubled to $7.6 billion last year from 2012’s $3.3 billion, according to data from Jones Lang LaSalle. Rival brokerage Colliers International is more bullish, saying it expects Chinese investors to spend at least twice as much on overseas property assets this year as last year.
Pedestrians cross a road in front of the Ram Brewery in London. China’s Greenland Holding Group Co. is set to invest on two property projects in London, including the Ram Brewery site . Bloomberg News
“Chinese investors are very active in every major market in the world, and part of that has to do with government policy on overseas investment becoming less restrictive,” Mr. Hughes said.

Aside from the stronger yuan, which makes purchases abroad cheaper, Chinese investors also are heeding the old adage don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

International investments have been a big driver of the real estate recovery and it looks like this will continue into the coming year. The United States’ economy is still struggling, but it is a very attractive and safe market for investors looking for a safe place to buy and hold real estate.

This is a good thing.