China's property market in first-tier cities sees more signs of warming

China's real estate market in first-tier cities has shown more signs of warming thanks to the lifting of home purchase restrictions and the lowering of mortgage interest rates and down payment requirements.

Many real estate sales offices in the country have seen a considerable growth in the inquiries of housing projects amid stable home prices and improvements in market expectations.

The latest data shows that the real estate market in many parts of the country has continued to reverse the downturn and stabilize since the fourth quarter of last year, with a noticeable recovery in first-tier cities.

At a real estate sales office in Beijing's Haidian District, sales staff said that they adopted rotating shifts to ensure continuous operation during the Chinese New Year holiday.

"It is precisely because customers indeed have this demand the decision was made to stay open during the Chinese New Year. Approximately two to three dozen customer visits are received daily, and over 200 groups of potential buyers were received throughout the holiday period," said Yan Yu, marketing manager of a real estate project in Beijing.

At another new property sales office in Beijing, sales personnel said that the Spring Festival period is usually a slow season for sales. However, China's property market has seen more active trading in key cities since January this year.

"According to preliminary statistics, there are nearly 140 to 150 groups of visitors, excluding weekends and only considering weekdays. At present, many home buyers are still very enthusiastic about the houses for living condition upgrades," said Li Pengyu, a real estate agent.

Meanwhile, sales offices in other major cities during the Spring Festival season are also noticeably busier than in previous years.

In January, the sales area of newly built commercial housing in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province increased by 57 percent year-on-year. Also, Shanghai saw the transaction of 500,000 square meters in new homes, marking a 29 percent increase over the daily average of last January. In addition, the total transactions of both new and second-hand homes in Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province are on the rise.

"During the Spring Festival period, the number of visits increased by around 20 percent compared with last year. The trading volume increased by approximately 14 percent. Recently, the majority of customers who purchased houses are local residents looking to upgrade their living conditions," said Wu Rong, sales manager of a real estate project in Shanghai.

"Throughout the Spring Festival period, there were quite a high number of visitors. There are no empty seats at the sales office every day," said Liu Qiuyi, sales director of a real estate project in Guangzhou.

China's property market in first-tier cities sees more signs of warming

China's property market in first-tier cities sees more signs of warming

The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.

In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.

"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.

Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.

President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.

Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.

Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests