Down Under, property not always a thunder

A couple look at a property brochure recommended by a sales agent at a property fair in Shanghai. Provided to China Daily

Yao Lisha, 38, lives with her family at a villa in suburban Shanghai, and has invested in Australian properties. Now, she is desperate to ensure her investments do not lead to losses.

She runs a trading company with her husband in Shanghai. In 2014, she was persuaded by a friend to buy an 88-square-meter apartment in Brisbane, Queensland. Just 10 percent of the full amount of A$615,000 ($461,954) was down payment plus A$30,000 went towards stamp duty.

She took a home loan from a local lender and started repaying interest every month, hoping it would all come good eventually as possession of the flat was expected to be followed by steady rent.

She received possesion alright in late 2015, but by then, the local policy had changed, stipulating that overseas homebuyers needed to repay both principal and interest at the same time.

She spent more than a month trying to rent out the flat for A$480 per week (that is, A$1,920 per month) while the monthly loan repayment was about A$2,300. Worse, on top of that, the housing complex's montly maintenance fees was 3,000 yuan ($452).

"Buying this (Brisbane) apartment was a mistake. I didn't consider the risk of government policy change and the unexpected slump in the property rental market," said Yao.

That was not all. The property did not appreciate in value. Now, Yao is thinking of holding it for five to ten more years till resale prices recover.

Thankfully for her, another investment Down Under produced a better experience. The A$1.55-million, 160-square-meter penthouse in Sydney she bought in 2014, whose possession she is yet to receive, is faring better in the market already.

Now valued around A$1.7 million, it will be ready only in 2018. But Yao has already received a few offers from potential buyers after her real estate agent posted an online classifieds ad. Its value is expected to further increase in the next two years.

Yao is keen to sell after receiving possession because a tighter local policy prevents overseas property buyers from taking loans from local banks. She wants to cut her costs and, maybe, even make some profit. She had made the 10 percent down payment and paid A$70,000 towards earnest money deposit.

"Australian cities like Sydney are worthy of investment but local policies are restricting overseas buyers, especially Chinese," said Yao. She has decided not to invest anymore in overseas properties.

But not so Su Jianning, 55. In 2013, he bought a 300-square-meter house in Los Angeles County, California, for $750,000. He is confident of making a tidy profit.

Since he is not a US permanent resident, he had to make full down payment. Local banks' home loans were not for overseas buyers.

His annual property tax has been $8,500, home insurance premium $1,000 and maintenance expenses $5,000, but the monthly rent of $4,000 covers the expenses.

"The current value is about $800,000 but it is expected to remain there as the market isn't as good as it was estimated. The value was supposed to double well before by 2018," said Su.