近期踏入商厦租赁旺季，指标甲厦单位纷录欠租，其中亦不乏交吉多时的单位，美国银行中心一个低层单位，空置4年，以每呎55元租出，属市价水平。

市场消息透露，美国银行中心低层06至08室，面积约1650方呎，早于2018年11月交吉，业主以每呎55放盘，期间并没有减价，惟经历动乱及疫情持续，该厦纷录低价承租，直至近期踏入租赁旺季，该单位以每呎55元租出，月租约9万，属市价水平。据了解，该单位望长江集团中心二期地盘，景观一般。

有代理则表示，近期踏入租赁旺季，指标甲厦连录承租，不少盘源交吉一段时间，最终成功租出，随着盘源减少，未来租金趋向平稳。

每呎55元市价水平

日前，金鐘甲厦海富中心亦录一宗租赁，一个优质单位于交吉逾一年后，以每呎32元租出，租金属今年以来次低。海富中心二座中层1D室，面积约2040方呎，拥海景，单位于去年6月交吉放租，近日以每呎32元租出，月租6.528万，呎租属今年次低。市场人士指，现时属商厦租赁旺季，皆因圣诞新年期间，很多公司老闆外游，租赁及搬迁工作赶在12月中前完成，由于目前盘源眾多，业主纷趁旺季减租吸客租出。

(星岛日报)

更多美国银行中心写字楼出租楼盘资讯请参阅：美国银行中心写字楼出租

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青建底价2.6亿夺医局街旧楼 统一业权料发展商住项目

近年长沙湾及邻近一带旧区处于市区更新步伐，不少发展商于区内併购旧楼重建发展。最新青建国际等併购的医局街旧楼，昨日举行公开拍卖，该公司在无对手下以底价2.6亿投得，成功统一业权发展。

市区供应罕有，不少财团透过强拍途径增加土储。其中青建国际等收购的深水埗医局街旧楼，今年10月获土地审裁处颁下强拍令，最新于昨日在莱坊举行公开拍卖，由手持「1号牌」的青建国际代表在无对手下，以底价2.6亿投得，成功统一业权发展，以可建总楼面约36662方呎计，每方呎楼面地价约7092元。

每呎楼面地价约7092元

上述项目位于医局街163至169号 (单号)，该地区是住宅区，附近物业多为唐楼及高楼住宅大厦。主要用作五金业和各式零售。区内设有多种公共交通工具如小巴、巴士和的士等，步行至港铁深水埗站和南昌站只需要10分鐘，极具重建价值。

该物业坐落于深水埗医局街西南侧，靠近深水埗区北河街交界处，该项目现址为2幢5至6层高商住旧楼，地下共4商铺，主要用作五金业和各式零售；其餘楼层为住宅，涉23个单位，楼龄均逾65年。

批建22层高商住楼宇

该项目地盘面积为4329方呎，现纳入「住宅 (甲类) 6」用途；该项目于2020年10月获屋宇署批出建筑图则，获批建1幢22层高商住楼宇，另设4层平台，涉及可建总楼面约36662方呎。

有业内人士指出，该项目邻近港铁站，交通方便，区内旧楼极具重建价值，故近年吸引不少财团于区内进行收购，料未来该区将有不少重建项目登场，相信日后区内将展现全新面貌，是一个全新住宅区。

除上述项目外，富豪酒店上月初亦透过强拍途径以1.2亿、统一海坛街227B至227C号旧楼业权。该项目坐落于九龙深水埗海坛街之东南面，介乎九江街与钦州街之间，现址为一幢楼高6层的商住物业，地下为商铺，楼上为住宅，早于于1960年落成，至今楼龄约62年。上述地盘面积约2322方呎，若以9倍地积比率作商住发展，涉及可建总楼面约20898方呎。

据该公司年报显示，海坛街227B至227C号，将联同已完成併购的海坛街227至227A号项目合併重建为作商业/住宅发展用途，地盘面积扩展至4644方呎，若以9倍地积比率作商住发展，涉及可建总楼面约41796方呎。

事实上，今年迄今土地审裁处合共接获22宗强拍申请，已超过去年全年的16宗，并多出6宗或37.5%。而该处今年暂批出18宗强制售卖令。另外，今年迄今市场上共举行17场旧楼强拍物业拍卖会，对比去年21宗减少19%。

(星岛日报)

Hibor surges, mortgages fall

The mortgage-related one-month Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate surged by 40 basis points to 4.83881 percent yesterday while mortgages for completed homes slumped 20 percent monthly to 5,308, a seven-month low.

For the first 11 months this year, the number of mortgages for existing homes plunged 17.2 percent yearly to 77,450, data from mortgage broker revealed.

Further, mortgage applications for presold homes also plummeted 30 percent monthly to 255 in November, while sinking by 28.9 percent to 3,895 for the first 11 months, marking a new low for November since 2011.

The mortgage broker cited the continuous fall of home prices amid global interest rate hikes as the reasons behind the slump, and expects the number of applications to fall further in this month, leading to a 20 percent decrease in mortgages for existing homes and about 30 percent for presold homes for the whole year.

Meanwhile, the number of licensed property agents shrank by 250 or 0.6 percent to 41,239 in November, a new 15-month low, data from Estate Agents Authority showed.

The number also shrank by 1,169 or 2.8 percent from a peak of 42,408 agents in February.

As agents left, a local property agency’s commissions in November fell to about HK$153 million, the second-lowest in six years and 10.8 percent lower than last month.

Separately, China's developer CNQC International (1240) acquired a site at Yee Kuk Street in Sham Shui Po through a compulsory sale with a reserve price of HK$260 million.

CNQC had bought a group of old buildings with a site area of 4,329 square feet, including two blocks of five to six storeys with residential flats.

(The Standard)

Goldman Sachs Hong Kong home price forecast of 30 per cent drop too bearish, JP Morgan analyst argues

The most pessimistic forecasts of a 30 per cent decline are ‘fundamentally wrong’, JP Morgan analyst says

The US investment bank believes the decline will total 20 per cent by May 2023 from a peak in August 2021

Predictions of a 30 per cent drop in Hong Kong home prices by the end of 2023 are too pessimistic, according to JP Morgan.

Goldman Sachs in October forecast that prices would fall by 15 per cent in both 2022 and 2023. But JP Morgan believes the decline will total 20 per cent by May 2023 from a peak in August 2021. The full-year price decline in 2023 will be 8 per cent, mostly concentrated in the first half of the year, it said in a report released on Wednesday.

The view that home prices would correct by 30 per cent based on the median formula was “fundamentally wrong”, Cusson Leung, JP Morgan’s head of Hong Kong property research, told the Post on Thursday.

The most pessimistic forecasts, Leung said, assumed that if mortgage payments increased, home prices would have to drop by enough to maintain the affordability ratio – the ratio of mortgage payment to median household income.

“I think fundamentally, that is very different from what happened in reality,” he said.

A market index has lost 16.5 per cent since its peak of 191.34 in early August 2021.

“I think other people are wrong,” Leung said. “People are just having a too bearish expectation of the interest rate, that it will keep rising forever. As long as it is not continuing this increase, sentiment from buyers will start to return.”

Hong Kong’s interest rate lags behind the US interest rate, said Leung, and banks already had a strong buffer because they were stress testing loan applications against a higher interest rate.

Meanwhile, Leung does not believe the government is going to relax any of the cooling measures that some believe are holding back the market. “There’s no urgency at all” because doing so would not particularly help with the government’s objectives. In addition, the increase since 2009 dwarfs the current price decline, he said.

Overall property transactions in November fell for the third straight month, nosediving 16.7 per cent month over month to 3,701, the lowest since 3,038 in December 2018, according to the property agency. Transaction value fell to HK$30.18 billion (US$3.88 billion), the lowest since HK$29 billion in January 2020.

The slump reflects factors such as the continuous rise of interest rates and the uncertain economic outlook, according to the agency.