Developers offer buybacks in weakest markets

[BEIJING] Property developers in two of China's weakest housing markets are offering to buy back homes above the purchase price to boost sales as demand slows.

In Hangzhou, where home prices fell the most in May among 70 Chinese cities watched by the government, Shanheng Real Estate Group is giving homebuyers an option to sell back their apartments in five years for 40 per cent above the purchase price. In Wenzhou, DoThink Group is offering to repurchase homes at three of its projects for 120 per cent of the purchase price after three years.

The offers are the latest strategy by developers across China, including reducing prices, delaying project launches and offering incentives to potential buyers, as they seek to maintain sales targets. Prices of new homes fell in May from April in half the 70 cities tracked by the government, the largest proportion since May 2012, according to government data. A more persistent and sharper downturn in the property sector is the biggest risk for China's economy in the next couple of years, according to UBS.