Hong Kong
June 3, 2020—Real estate is in Hong Kong’s DNA. Government-created land shortages, easy access to credit and a growing population made local property a good investment and the source of many family fortunes. Start with a 400-square-foot flat in Tai Po, trade up to a slightly larger unit in Sha Tin, rinse-and-repeat, and with a […]
January 21, 2020—Today, I learned something about making a statutory declaration that could save you money. What is a statutory declaration? If you buy or sell international property, you may be asked to provide a statutory declaration of your address and other personal details. The declaration doesn’t prove that this information is accurate, just that […]
October 10, 2015 — This morning, host Peter Lewis featured Landed Hong Kong on Money Talk, Radio 3’s daily finance program. I’ve appeared on RTHK 3 several times before, but this was the first time that I was interviewed by Lewis, who I found pleasant, engaging and well prepared. You can listen to the interview […]
The following is a transcript of a presentation entitled Hong Kong property without tears that was delivered to the American and Canadian chambers of commerce in Hong Kong on November 9, 2015. A video of the presentation is available here. The presentation explains how to buy Hong Kong property, including: The political and economic factors […]
October 5, 2015 — Landed Hong Kong 2.0 — the second edition of the book Landed Hong Kong — is now available. The updated and expanded edition includes a wealth of new material about topics such as buying a home in the New Territories and buying off the plan. It also includes updates on the […]
March 1, 2015 — Over the past five years, the government introduced a series of measures with the goal of cooling the Hong Kong property market. Here is a chronology of the policy changes and tax increases that were introduced between April 1, 2010, and February 27, 2015. 2010: Stamp duty increase On April 1, […]
January 5, 2014 — I spent a couple of hours on Sunday morning wandering around Hong Kong Cemetery with my daughter Lindsey. It was something that we had been planning to do for some time, and the cool, dry weather made it a perfect day. We decided to skip the famous graves and explore some […]
January 13, 2013 — I got hit by a security guard for taking this picture — which does relate to real estate — so I have to share it. In Hong Kong graveyards, you only rent space for 10 years, which is extendable for another 10 years. At the end of the lease, the bones […]
The following is a transcript of a presentation entitled Re-purposing industrial property in Hong Kong that was delivered to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong on January 12, 2012. Video of the presentation is available here. The presentation explains how to convert a Hong Kong factory to a non-industrial use, including: The physical […]
The following is a transcript of a presentation entitled How to buy or rent a Hong Kong office that was delivered to the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong on November 10, 2011. A video of the presentation is available here. The presentation covers: Cheap Hong Kong offices for micro-businesses and start-ups Renting space […]