恒地中环扩版图 7500万购旧楼

市区旧楼物业具重建价值，恒地(00012)在中环扩大收购版图，上月中斥7,500万元购入卑利街66及66A号旧楼，该厦楼龄已届64年，相信为收购重建活动。

土地註册处资料显示，中环卑利街66至66A号全幢旧楼，以7,500万元易手，新买家为乐晶有限公司，註册董事恒地李家诚、李镜禹、郭炳濠及冯李焕琼。该项目地盘面积约1,270平方呎，划为住宅甲类用途，最高可建楼面约6.4万平方呎计，每平方呎楼面收价地价约1.17万元。

原业主于2010年以5,900万元购入该幢旧楼，持有10年，是次交易帐面赚1,600万元或升值27%。

鰂鱼涌滨海街旧楼拒批建商厦

该物业邻近发利楼，旁边有不少旧楼，不排除日后将进一步扩大收购范围，而恒地在周边已有多个旧楼收购地盘，包括伊利近街锦棠阁将连同伊利近街33至47号旧楼计划合併重建，预计可重建成10万平方呎商住物业。

而邻近坚道芬芳大厦亦已收齐业权正进行重建，3地盘将形成「凸」字布局。

另外，恒地及太古地产(01972)合作发展的鰂鱼涌滨海街旧楼，发展商最近斥8,200万元增购滨海街72至78号一篮子铺位，并计划重建成商厦，惟城规会昨覆核审议后，拒绝该地盘重建商厦方案。

(经济日报)

Evergrande’s Emerald Bay project flops for the second time in two months as buyers stay away amid Hong Kong’s economic slump

China Evergrande suffered its second sales flop in two months as Hong Kong’s homebuyers gave their collective cold shoulder to its Emerald Bay flats in Tuen Mun, even after a 14-per cent average discount.

The Chinese developer managed to find buyers for 18 flats, or a mere 6.7 per cent of the 269 units on offer at 8pm, according to sales agents. A month earlier, Evergrande sold a third of the first batch of Emerald Bay flats during the peak of the city’s coronavirus outbreak.

Since then, Hong Kong’s daily confirmed cases have fallen to single digits for six consecutive days, with two new infections today, bringing the city’s total caseload to 1,023, with four lives lost.

Still, that was not enough to attract buyers, in an economy mired in its first recession in decades. Unemployment is expected to rise in Hong Kong, as the services, hospitality and retail industries bear the brunt of more than two months of stay-at-home lockdowns, as city authorities try to contain the outbreak.

The cool reception underscores the correction that is underway in the world’s most expensive residential property market, a slump that still has some way to go, even after the Hong Kong Monetary Authority slashed its base lending rate by 50 points on March 4 in lockstep with an emergency cut in the cost of money by the US Federal Reserve.

Property investors, currently spoilt for choice amid plunging prices and expectations of more projects in the pipeline, will take their time to return to the market, real estate agent said.

“Buying confidence will gradually return once buyers see that the coronavirus outbreak is under control,” the agent said.

Phase Two of Emerald Bay, with sizes measuring 223 to 314 square feet (29 square metres), were offered at between HK$3.53 million and HK$5.67 million (US$731,500), or HK$16,700 per sq ft on average after the developer kept the discount unchanged at 14 per cent.

The developer made payments easier during today’s sales launch, requiring buyers to put down 5 per cent of the property’s price as an initial deposit, with the remainder payable only when they get their keys to the completed flats, scheduled for completion in August 2021.

The current sales slump is in stark contrast to the sell-out success in October, when Evergrande launched its first real estate project in Hong Kong with a flying start, selling all 167 apartments on offer in a day, out of 1,982 units including 22 villas for the entire project. Buyers were then drawn by the starting price of HK$3.18 million for a 223 sq ft flat after discounts, or HK$14,260 per sq ft, with the developer throwing in sweeteners, such as flexible financing plans, stamp duty discounts and furnishing.

(South China Morning Post)