HANDOVER:Many are waiting for the May 20 change in government, which explains why 45.4 percent of respondents plan to buy homes in the second half, an analyst said

Taipei Times
Date: May 06, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

Housing transactions might improve in the second half of this year, as 45.4 percent of Taiwanese plan to buy homes in the coming six months according to a recent poll, an increase of 10 percent from a year earlier, Taiwan Realty Co (台灣房屋) said yesterday.

However, the survey found most respondents expect home prices to drop by 10 percent, with the global economy and government policies cited as the greatest downside risks, the company said.
“Buying interest picked up noticeably after the central bank on March 24 lifted mortgage restrictions on houses in Taipei and New Taipei City,” Taiwan Realty manager Jack Chou (周鶴鳴) told a news conference.

The central bank’s move suggested a shift to a neutral stance after a series of credit controls and unfavorable policies last year sent housing transactions to a record low since the bust of the technology bubble in 2001, Chou said.

The economic weakness in Taiwan and abroad merits measures to spur GDP growth and continued tightening would counter such efforts, Chou said.     [FULL  STORY]