Housing challenges in the key Asia markets of Singapore, Hong Kong, and China formed just one of the relocation discussion sessions at Cartus’ recent 2012 APAC Roundtable seminar series.
In a series of presentations given by Cartus’ destination services experts at our Singapore Roundtable in August and our Hong Kong and Beijing Roundtables in September, challenges such as market availability, rental values, demand, and location were highlighted. The topics were a huge draw for regional mobility specialists wanting to keep up to date with current real estate trends and local destination services issues.
Housing advice for international assignees from our housing specialists in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing includes starting the school search first to ensure the home-to-school commute is realistic; being flexible with locations, housing types, and requirements to include the widest choice of properties; and acting quickly once a suitable home if found, as the best properties are snapped up very quickly.
Attendees of the roundtable sessions in Hong Kong and Beijing were particularly impressed by the information sharing with school representatives from key international schools during a school panel session, where the discussion centered on new international school places, demand for Mandarin language lessons in schools, as well as provision of special education and needs support.
Along with housing and schooling, the important issues in global relocation trends, cross-cultural ROI, and the challenges and best practices in emerging markets including India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines were also featured at the Roundtables.
For further information on the expatriate housing market, please review our MarketWatch microsite which hosts profiles of Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.
Please see the Cartus On the Ground video series for more information on Asia Pacific nations, including destination overviews on India and Vietnam. New videos of Thailand and the Philippines are coming soon!
Email this contributor at Kenneth.kwek@cartus.com
