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Posts Tagged ‘Hong Kong’

Most Expensive Street In The World

December 13th, 2009 StudioFlatsLondon No comments

A survey by a highly placed and respected European banking internet site has just concluded a survey showing where the most expensive roads are in the world for property – and the top one is Avenue Princess Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The bankers’ internet site suggest that four bedroom apartments are selling for over US 40 million dollars, and estate agents in Monaco confirm this to be about right.
And they describe the 190,000 US dollars a square metre as ‘eye-watering’ – a description few people would disagree with, and that buyers will need to be billionaires, or not far off being a billionaire.
The second most expensive street in the world is Severn Road in Hong Kong with prices fetching 120,000 US dollars a square metre, and it isn’t until third place that New York features, with Fifth Avenue real estate achieving a mere 80,000 US dollars a square metre – placing it firmly within grasp of some multi-millionaires. The upper East side side of Fifth Avenue is the part that gains most interest, and the site notes that some apartments can reach to 60 million – more than Monaco’s Princess Grace Avenue, but being such a long road in comparisom it brings the average below that of Monaco’s.
It’s back to Europe for the fourth most expensive road, London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, where property is fetching 77,000 dollars a square metre, and is symbolic of London where some areas continue to see price rises while others drop. London and Monaco normally vye for the most expensive real estate in Europe.
Helping Monaco’s Princess Grace Avenue to be the most expensive street in the world is a mix of British, Russian and Arab money, with the British buyers especially attracted by her tax haven status.
Monaco’s tourism is upmarket and exclusive too. In a recent report on Monaco’s tourism, the Director General of the tourist office announced that no less than 93 per cent of the Principality’s hotel capacity is in the luxury category – more than any other country in the world, and confirming Monaco’s status as haven for the wealthy.
Also in the report figures showed that Monaco increased her tourist numbers by 36 per cent between 2004 and 2007, and last year alone saw a 10 per cent increase over 2006.
But good as the figures are, Monaco wants to further increase her tourists numbers. Unusually it’s not just the numbers overall she wants to improve on, impressive though they are already – but one categoty in particular.
And it’s a category of tourist that Monaco is particularly well placed to attract compared to almost every other country in the world – URI’s.
URI’s could almost have been a class of tourist specially designed for Monaco and all that she offers – and it stands for Ultra Rich Individuals.
One URI could spend more in a week in Monaco than several hundred average tourists, with the casino in Monte Square quite capable of taking a few hundred thousand Euros off the ultra rich in an evening or two. One URI from Italy was recently reported in a British newspaper as cashing up 700,000 Euros for one evening on the tables!
Monaco has the most expensive street in the world, and looks like she intends to keep at the top of the real estate league with London, Hong Kong and New York for some time.

Flying Experience – Travel Hong Kong to London

November 26th, 2009 StudioFlatsLondon No comments

Al though the UK’s sovereignty of Hong Kong lasted in 1997 when it handed over Hong Kong to Chinese rule after decades of prosperous as well as energetic colonial existence, the trade relationship between both the nations still continues.
In fact, Hong Kong plays a dominant role in the expansion of the Sino-British business relationships. This in turn has encouraged many leading British business firms to set up their offices in Hong Kong as well as to work in association with counterparts in the special administrative region in order to tap the huge potentials of the country.
Since laws including business and real estate laws in Hong Kong are modeled in the form of English law, it has attracted many Europeans to invest in Hong Kong properties and businesses. Additionally, as a tourist destination, Hong Kong draws many holidaymakers, particularly westerners such as Europeans and Americans, with its diverse range of attractions covering Victoria Peak with its much famed Peak Tram, Mongkok, Central District, Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront, Repulse Bay, Disney Land, Ocean Park, and much more.
Traveling Hong Kong to London and vice versa has never been so easy. The introduction of budget airlines has revolutionized the concept of air travel. Many of the major airline services in Hong Kong provide budget air travel facilities.
Al though economical, these long-haul airlines provide in-flight services, such as, enhanced on-board service, restaurant style dining services, cozy blankets for a relaxing sleep, headset for noise elimination, and channels displaying latest Hollywood movies. On-board facilities also include luxurious ultra modern seats, superb interiors, variety of snacks from sandwiches to noodles, excellent entertainment facilities in the form of personal television in every passenger seat, and features to facilitate communication.
Some airlines even provide delicious complimentary meals. The meals available in-flight are prepared according to the dietary requirements of passengers. Also, special meals are prepared on demand for kids and infants. In addition, special facilities are also made available for those suffering from any kind of ailments or requiring immediate medical facilities. Since many of the leading airline work as per the Flight Standards and Airworthiness Division of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, this ensures utmost safety and security.
Further, some airlines even provide duty free services by featuring a variety of top-rated products covering fragrances for men and women, cosmetic as well as skin care items, jewelry, kids’ items, chocolates, travel accessories, and beverages. Above all, these airlines provide special services to elderly passengers, pregnant passengers, people with infants, hearing and speech impaired passengers, allergic passengers, passengers requiring walking assistance, unaccompanied children as well as flying mum, and visually impaired passengers.
All these airlines have in their fleet most modern aircrafts such as 747-400 aircrafts. They are serviced by some of the world’s most popular engineering companies such as the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd.
Many of them provide passengers to choose from two types of seats such as business class seats and economic class seats, as well as four types of airfares including Flexi fare, Value Fare, which is semi-flexible and refundable, Super Saver, which is semi flexible and non refundable, and hot deal fare. Business class seats’ fares are usually inclusive of access to top class facilities and services, deluxe meals with a choice of Asian or Western menu, and comfortable seats. When comes to economic fares, they cover personal TVs, music programs, hot meals, and relaxing seats.
No matter it is business seats or economy seats, these airlines provides opportunities to make bookings in advance and that too online in order to travel from Hong Kong International Airport to London Gatwick Airport. Aside these, there are some airlines that offer some kind of deals when make bookings during a particular period of a year. Likewise, these airlines provide some kind of discounts and deals during certain seasons such as Christmas and New Year.

Commercial Property & Real Estate Investment in China

October 26th, 2009 StudioFlatsLondon No comments

China is an incredible country with a number of attractions to boast of. This favorite destination offers investors, tourists, and prospective residents a wealth of opportunities. Before 1990s, there were only few office buildings, commercial properties and housing units in the country. But the country has now undergone tremendous changes and you can see high-rise condominiums, luxury apartments, and commercial buildings dominating the skyline of China.
All of the destinations in the country including Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin are hotspots for investing in all types of properties. Beijing, the capital and seat of administration, has a population of 13.5 million people. Shanghai (16.4 million) is considered as the financial capital of the country, and it is also home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Shanghai has been chosen as the venue for some parts of the 2008 Olympics. Investing in Chinese properties can certainly fetch you handsome returns.
There are several reasons why savvy investors are attracted to invest in the country’s real estate. China is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. With the formation of the World Trade Organization, the country has emerged as the leader of the global economy.
Property prices in many of the Chinese cities are one third of the prices of world’s leading cities such as New York, London and Tokyo, as a result of the huge number of direct foreign investments every year. The crime rates in China are very low, In contrast to other countries in Asia. This has made China a safe place to live in. To crown it all, China is welcoming foreigners wholeheartedly. Westerners are attracted to the country in large numbers thanks to the highly educated, amicable, and well mannered Chinese people.
Investors interested in entering the Chinese property markets can be classified into institutional investors, commercial property investors, and residential property investors. Institutional investors are interested in investing in multistoried office complexes and latest retail units, owing to their high demand and potential for shortage in future.
Commercial property investors invest mostly in properties such as office spaces, hotels, warehouses and commercial lands. Residential property investors largely invest in residential properties such as houses, single detached houses, townhouses, villas, condominiums, apartments, and serviced apartments. Many people invest in these properties with a view to sell them in future when their prices rise, and there are others who invest in these properties to rent them out and reap high profits.
The price of a property in China depends on many factors such as the nature of the property and the location. For example, a standard apartment in Shanghai costs about 20000 Renminbi (people’s money) per square meter. However, the price of a Chinese serviced apartment with high end amenities ranges between 25000 and 30000 RMB per square meter. Real estates around city centers or near transportation hubs are always likely become the most valuable. In China there is a growing demand for retail and industrial space, as more and more Chinese citizens move to urban areas seeking jobs.
If you are interested in real estate in China you can either directly invest in the property itself or through a Real Estate Investment Trust. An REIT is an investment firm specializing in real state business. It is a commercial organization that handles real estate portfolio in order to make profits. REITs engage in owning and operating income-generating real estate properties such as apartments, shopping centers, condos, hotels, offices, and warehouses. They offer investors financial instruments of the nature of mutual funds. While mutual funds focus on stocks, REITs concentrate on real estate.
One of greatest benefits of investing through a real estate investment trust is that it brings huge tax benefits, as investors are exempted from paying any tax over the dividends. Another great benefit in investing through REITs is that you can trade your assets just like stocks. Yet another advantage of investing through REIT is that no minimum amount has been fixed for the investment.
There are a number of real estate firms to help you find your dream property in China. They offer a range of real estate services such as market analysis, property search, advertising and negotiation with sellers. Most of these real estate firms provide services of professional attorneys to verify the authenticity of documents.

The Real Estate in China Is Booming

October 16th, 2009 StudioFlatsLondon No comments

China is an incredible destination that provides tourists, investors, and prospective residents with a wealth of opportunities. From 1949 when the Communists took over the country to 1990s, there were only few office set ups and housing units in China. But, the country has now changed tremendously, and one can see high-rise commercial buildings and luxury apartment blocks dominating the skyline of China.
All of the destinations in China, especially Beijing and Shanghai, are considered hotspots for investing in real estate, no matter it is residential or commercial properties. When Beijing is the capital and the seat of administration in the country, Shanghai is regarded as the trade as well as financial center of the country, and is home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Investing in Shanghai property market can undoubtedly fetch handsome returns in the form of rental income, since it is highly westernized because of its long tradition of international trade as well as European influence.
Now we will discuss some of the prime reasons that attract savvy investors to invest in China real estate, which include:
- First of all, China boasts of one of the world’s fastest growing economies
- With the set up of the World Trade Organization, China has now become the leader of the global economy
- Real estate prices in many of the cities in China such as Shanghai are presently one third of other world’s global cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. This is perhaps due to the explosive number of foreign direct investments per year
- Shanghai in China has been chosen as the venue to host some parts of the 2008 Olympics
- In contrast to other countries in Asia, China has very low crime rates. This in turn makes the country a safe place to live in
- Above all, the country is welcoming for westerners due to highly educated, amicable, and well mannered Chinese people
Investors interested in investing in property markets are categorized into institutional investors, commercial property investors, and residential property investors. Institutional investors fall under the category who is interested in investing in high rise office complexes as well as latest retail units, due to their increased demand and chances of shortage in future.
In the case of commercial property investors, they invest largely in properties such as small office spaces and commercial lands. When comes to residential property investors, they mostly invest in residential properties including villas, condominiums, apartments, single detached houses, townhouses, and serviced apartments. Some may invest in these properties to sell them in future when their prices rise, while some invest them in order to rent it out and yield good profits.
The price of a property in China varies depending upon the nature of the property and the area where it is situated. For instance, a standard apartment in Puxi near Shanghai is about RMB 20000 per square meters. On the other hand, the price of a serviced apartment attached with high end amenities and facilities may go up to RMB 30000 per square meters. According to certain recent reports, the price of a 60 square meters studio in one of the posh areas in the country starts from about 90,000 Pounds.
People who are interested in real estate in China can either invest it in property itself or via a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust), which in turn is a firm that invests its assets in real estate holdings. One of the prime benefits of investing through REIT is that they offer tremendous tax benefits, since investors need not have to pay any tax over the dividends. Another great benefit is that investors can buy or sell them just like stocks. Above all, no minimum amount has been set in order to invest in a real estate investment trust.
There are a number of real estate firms in the scenario in order to help you find your dream property in China. These firms undertake a range of services in connection with real estate, such as, market analysis, advertising, negotiation with sellers, and providing the services of professional attorneys in order to check the authenticity of documents pertaining to property.