Home sales in China are up 30% year on year for May, according to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics. Research service China Confidential suggests that self-occupancy home buyers, rather than speculators, are responsible for the boost. [Financial Times] However, Chinese property investment growth for January-to-May 2015 has fallen to 5.1%, its slowest pace since 2009. [Today] The average Sydney house price is up 4.9% in the March quarter, while Perth and Brisbane fell 2.7% and 1.5%, respectively, according to data from the Real Estate Institute of Australia. [The Australian] According to analytics firm CoreLogic, cash purchases in Miami-Dade accounted for 58.3% of purchases in March, down from 59.3% in February 2015 and 63.4% in March 2014. The decline seems to be tied to the strengthening dollar, which is curbing the volume of purchases from foreign buyers. [Miami Herald] CityLab examines how the insatiable international demand for luxury real estate is altering the simple “laws” of housing supply and demand in top global cities like New York and London. [CityLab] Realtor-turned-developer David Cheang is confident that prices in the Singapore luxury property market will rebound despite posting a 0.7% drop in the first quarter of 2015, thanks to the country’s stable economy and government as well as the scarcity of land. [Today] Forbes profiles the Mayfair neighborhood of London, which has been a desirable location for affluent property buyers the world over for nearly 300 years. [Forbes] A 1914 mansion in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, which once served as a wing of the Playboy Mansion, has returned to the market after 18 months for $14.5 million, double the price it was purchased for in 2013. [Chicago Magazine] The Telegraph profiles Barbados’ most expensive listing, which only recently reached the market — a 75,000-square-foot beachfront mansion featuring four infinity-edge swimming pools and an 18-car garage. It could be yours for just $125 million. [The Telegraph] Kickstart your apartment. Chinese real estate developers are turning to Internet financing after facing difficulty securing loans from more traditional sources. [Reuters] Perth Now investigates what the average Sydney house price will get you on the northern beaches. Spoiler: Not much. [Perth Now]View full listing (pictured) Have an update for Mansion Global? Write to us at info@mansionglobal.com
Read More: - The Dash for Denver Estates- Bolivia’s Boldest Architect- Global Divide on House Prices