(26 July 2018, Hong Kong) Citi Hong Kong announced today the results of the latest Hong Kong Residential Property Ownership Survey. The bank commissioned The University of Hong Kong Social Sciences Research Centre to conduct a telephone survey, interviewing over 500 Hong Kong respondents selected by random digital dialing in June of 2018.
Record Number of Respondents Expected Housing Prices to Rise over the Next 12 Months
According to the latest survey, the percentage of respondents who expected Hong Kong housing prices to rise over the next 12 months trended upward between the third quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of 2018, rising to 69% (see Table 1), the highest since the survey was introduced. The percentage of respondents who expected housing prices to drop over the next 12 months fell to 9%, the same levels as the first quarter of 2017.
Table 1
How do you think housing prices will trend in the next 12 months?
Percentage of Respondents
Q1 2017 Q2 2017 Q3 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 2018 Q2 2018
Upward 62% 57% 55% 63% 64% 69%
Flat 29% 30% 34% 27% 25% 22%
Downward 9% 13% 11% 10% 12% 9%
Base: All Respondents
*Figures in the above table may not add up to 100% due to rounding
The Desire to Buy a Home Consistent with the Last Quarter
In terms of the desire to buy a home, 19% of respondents expressed considerable interest in purchasing a residential property in the second quarter of 2018 (see Table 2). The percentage is consistent with the previous two quarters.
Table 2
How interested are you in purchasing a property now?
Percentage of Respondents
Q1 2017 Q2 2017 Q3 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 2018 Q2 2018
Very/ rather interested 23% 14% 21% 20% 20% 19%
Neutral 29% 31% 30% 30% 31% 31%
Very/ rather uninterested 48% 55% 49% 50% 49% 50%
Base: All Respondents
Respondents Who Felt It Was Not a Good Time to Buy a Home on the Rise Again
The survey also found that the number of respondents who felt that it was not a good time to purchase a home, increased from 69% in the first quarter of 2018 to 73% in the second quarter (see Table 3). By contrast, the number of respondents who felt that it was a good time to buy remained steady at a low 3%.
Table 3
If you do not own property, taking into consideration your current standard of living and family finances, do you think it is a good time to purchase a home?
Percentage of Respondents
Q1 2017 Q2 2017 Q3 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 2018 Q2 2018
A good/ excellent 3% 1% 5% 3% 3% 3%
time to purchase
Neutral 20% 20% 27% 22% 28% 24%
A bad/ terrible 77% 79% 68% 75% 69% 73%
time to purchase
Base: All Respondents
The Desire to Buy Increased Among Respondents Aged 30 to 44
With housing prices at a high, the desire to buy a home dropped among all age groups over the last two quarters, with the exception of the respondents aged 30 to 44. Their desire to buy a home rose slightly, by 2% per quarter since the fourth quarter of 2017, to 23% in the second quarter of 2018. However, 66% felt that it was a bad time to buy a home, a 3% increase since the first quarter of 2018.
Since 2010, Citibank has commissioned the HKU Social Sciences Research Centre to conduct a quarterly survey on the housing market to assess the current state of homeownership in Hong Kong, and to gauge public opinion on the subject of homeownership and public expectations in terms of future housing price trends. Data from the random-digital-dialing telephone survey is collected at the end of each quarter, with over 500 respondents on average interviewed in each quarter.