中國人在美國購房數額飈升

Chinese are now by far the biggest foreign buyers of US real estate in terms of units, dollar volume and price paid, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors, which tracks property purchases across the country.

全美房地產經紀人協會(National Association of Realtors)的一份報告稱，中國人現在是美國房地產遙遙領先的最大外國買家，無論以數量、美元銷售額還是交易價格衡量都是如此。該協會追蹤全美各地的房地產購買交易。

In the 12 months to the end of March, Chinese buyers spent $28.6bn on mostly residential property in the US, a 30 per cent increase from the previous year and more than two and a half times the amount spent by Canadians, the next biggest group of foreign buyers.

在截至今年3月底的12個月裏，中國買家在美國支出286億美元（主要用於購買住宅物業），同比增加30%，而且是第二大外國買家羣體——加拿大人支出金額的2.5倍多。

With the Chinese economy and real estate market slowing dramatically and a vociferous anti-corruption campaign in full swing at home, Chinese buyers have been scrambling in the past few years to buy real estate abroad.

隨着中國經濟和房地產市場大幅放緩，同時聲勢浩大的反腐敗運動不斷深入，近年中國買家競相在國外購買房地產。

As a group they have become the biggest buyers of housing in many major western cities, including New York, London, Sydney, Vancouver, Toronto and Auckland. Houses in English-speaking democracies with good education systems, excellent quality of life, strong rule of law and strong property rights are regarded by Chinese buyers as excellent stores of wealth.

作爲一個羣體，他們已成爲許多西方大城市住房的最大買家，這些城市包括紐約、倫敦、悉尼、溫哥華、多倫多和奧克蘭。在中國買家看來，這些地方位於講英語的民主國家，有良好的教育體系、一流的生活質量、強大的法治和產權制度，因此這裏的住房是極好的保值工具。

In the year to the end of March, Chinese buyers spent more than three times the average American buyer, paying an average of $831,800 per property, compared with the national average transaction price of $255,600.

在截至今年3月底的一年裏，中國赴美購房者的平均支出金額達到美國購房者的三倍多，平均爲每套住房付出83.18萬美元，而美國全國平均房產交易價爲25.56萬美元。

For all international buyers, the average purchase price was $499,600, although the next biggest buyers — from Canada, India, Mexico and the UK — all spent less than that on average.

就所有海外買家而言，平均購房價格爲49.96萬美元，儘管排在中國後面的最大買家羣體——加拿大、印度、墨西哥和英國買家——平均支出都低於這個水平。

Although Chinese buyers of American property overtook Canadian buyers in total transaction volume a year ago, they only overtook them in number of transactions in the latest 12-month period measured by the NAR report.

儘管中國赴美購房者的交易總額在一年前就超過加拿大買家，但就交易數量而言，中國買家只是在全美房地產經紀人協會報告覆蓋的最近12個月期間才超過加拿大買家。

Buyers from China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong) accounted for 28 per cent of total sales of US real estate to foreign buyers and 16 per cent of the number of transactions, compared with Canada’s 14 per cent of transactions.

就出售給外國買家的美國房地產而言，來自中國（包括臺灣和香港）的買家佔總銷售額的28%，交易數量的16%，而加拿大買家佔交易數量的14%。

The favourite Chinese investment destination in the US was California, accounting for 35 per cent of purchases, followed by Washington state, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois and Texas.

在美國，中國人最鍾情的投資目的地是加利福尼亞州，佔購房數量的35%，其次爲華盛頓州、紐約、馬薩諸塞州、伊利諾伊州和得克薩斯州。

About 70 per cent of Chinese purchases were reported as all-cash, compared with 55 per cent for all foreign purchases and 25 per cent for purchases made by domestic US buyers.

據報告，約70%的中國買家購房全部使用現金，相比之下，這個比例在所有外國買家中爲55%，在美國國內買家中爲25%。

Since China has strict capital controls that limit individuals to transferring just $50,000 a year out of the country, it appears that most of the money flooding into global property markets is technically illegal.

由於中國實行嚴格的資本管制，每人每年只能匯款5萬美元到國外，涌入全球房地產市場的大部分資金看起來在技術上是非法的。

While there are legal ways to transfer larger sums, several major banks in Beijing told the Financial Times they had never conducted such transactions for offshore real estate buyers. People involved in the market say the vast majority of money for overseas property purchases is transferred illegally.

雖然存在匯兌更大金額的合法途徑，但北京的數家大銀行向英國《金融時報》介紹說，他們從來沒有爲海外房地產買家安排這樣的交易。參與該市場的人士透露，絕大部分海外購房資金是非法轉移的。