尽
管政府采取措施给房地产市场降温，但香港房地产价格依然接近1997年的最高点，许多在香港工作的外籍人士仍在问一个问题：租房还是买房？
ipac
安睿理财策划（香港）有限公司副总裁朱愉雯(Pricilla Chu)。
2010年11月，朱愉雯举办了一个研讨会，讨论客户该如何做出这方面的决策。她接受了《华尔街日报》的采访，告诉买房者应该做哪些准备工作，以确保买到 合自己的房产。
《华尔街日报》：近期印花税上调，针对购买后两年内转售的房产征收最高15%的额外税费。对此，你对买房者有什么建议？
朱愉雯：（印花税上调）政策刚刚推出，但对炒房者来说确实会有影响。很明显，这会影响到每个人的情绪。买房者应该沉住气，看看市场的反应再做决策，最好等待尘埃落地，目前不要轻易出手。
《华尔街日报》：买房子有没有所谓的正确时 ？
朱愉雯：没有。这就像股票投资一样。香港的房地产市场波动很大，买房子更多的是看自己的承受能力，也就是如果房地产市场大跌，在最坏的情况下，你能否承受得住。目前的房价很高，但什么时候会达到最高点？只有上帝知道。什么时候会跌到最低点？也只有上帝才会知道。
《华尔街日报》：那你是如何做房地产投资决策的？
朱愉雯：什么时候买房没什么公式可供参考。我们喜欢问客户，你们准备好了没有？你们买房的理由是什么？由于我们的客户大多数是外籍人士，他们甚至不确定自己要在香港住多长时间。因此，这可能是一笔风险非常高的投资。如果你说不准将在香港呆多久，那目前就不要对买房过于热衷。
《华尔街日报》：你对打算买房的外籍人士有什么建议？
朱愉雯：要在买房前做好功课，上 看看价格，去看几处房产，还要考虑汇率问题。举例而言，如果一个澳大利亚人被调回国内工作，而澳元兑港币有大幅升值，你可能卖掉房子换成澳元后感觉还亏了钱。此外，香港没有房产增值税，但你可能要在本国缴纳类似的税费。
《华尔街日报》：做好功课之后呢？
朱愉雯：看看自己的投资组合。人们不想把鸡蛋全部放在一个篮子里，但你是不是正在这么做呢？房地产的变现能力较弱，如果被套牢，可没有什么后悔药可吃。目前，我的建议是观望。
《华尔街日报》：买房有什么容易被忽视的隐性成本吗？
朱愉雯：你得问自己一个问题：买房后要不要装修？预算多少？装修是很花钱的。你可能花五、六百万（港币）买了一个公寓，但仅装修一项就还要花出去100万，成本很高。
买房总是伴随着一些持续的额外成本支出。你准备入住时，得交不少公共事业的预付费，大约得打出1万港币的预算。此外，每年还要向政府交物业税。 租房子的租金相比，物业税是很大的一笔额外支出。
《华尔街日报》：怎么弄清楚自己的房产究竟值多少钱？
朱愉雯：一定要让几家不同的银行评估你的房产。有时候，不同银行的评估结果会存在较大不同，甚至有超过10%的差异，这会影响到你的住房抵押贷款和纳税金额。
《华尔街日报》：在香港买房，应该考虑哪些区域的房子？
朱愉雯：我会考虑太古城(Tai Koo Shing)这样的房子，在康怡花园(Kornhill)一带，理由是这 地方的房价更加稳定，如果急于变现，脱手也更容易一些。
Alice Truong
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
Despite the government's measures to cool the property market, Hong Kong real-estate prices are still close to their 1997 peak. Many expats are continuing to ask: Rent or buy?
Pricilla Chu, vice president of ipac Financial Planning Hong Kong Limited, which caters largely to expatriates, encounters this question often. Arriving at the right answer requires a careful analysis of finances as well as a realistic idea of how long the prospective buyer intends to stay in Hong Kong, she says.
Ms. Chu, who led a seminar in November on how clients can approach this decision, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the homework prospective buyers should do to make sure home ownership is right for them.
In light of the recent stamp duty increases, which levy additional fees of up to 15% on residences sold within two years, what advise do you have for prospective buyers?
[The stamp duty increases] just came to the market, but they do have an effect on people who speculate. Clearly, there is a very emotional effect on all of us. Take your time and see how the market goes before making a decision. It's better to wait for people to settle down instead of making a decision while everything is up in the air.
Is there such a thing as the right time to buy?
No, it's the same thing as investing in stocks. It's very volatile in Hong Kong. It's more a question of if you can afford it, so in the worst-case scenario when the market drops drastically, you can still afford it then. It's high right now, but when is it the highest? God knows. When is it the lowest? God knows.
How do you make this decision, then?
There's no formula for when you should buy. What we like to ask people is whether they are ready or not. What is your reason to buy? Since most of our clients are expats, they're not even sure if they'll stay in Hong Kong for long. That could be a very, very risky investment. If you're not sure if you're going to stay in Hong Kong, don't get too excited about buying property right now.
What do you tell expatriates who are considering buying?
It's important to do your homework and do your shopping. Check the Internet for prices. Check out a few apartments. Also, something to take into consideration is the exchange rate. If a person from Australia is transferred back, for example, and the exchange rate is high, you might feel like you're losing money. Also in Hong Kong, there are no property-gains taxes, but you might be subject to them in your own country.
What does doing homework entail?
Look at your investment portfolio. People don't want to put all their eggs in one basket, but are you doing that? There's no liquidity with real estate. You get stuck, and there's no cooling off period. Right now I would say, Take a little while to watch the market.
What unseen costs are overlooked when it comes to buying?
People need to ask: Are you going to do renovations? How much? Renovations can be quite expensive. You might spend five or six million [Hong Kong dollars] on buying an apartment but on the other hand, you might spend one million on renovations alone. It's very expensive.
There are always some ongoing costs you have to look into that are extra. When you set up your place you have a bunch of utility deposits that could be HK$10,000 you have to budget for. And there's also the government rate charged each year. That's quite a lot of ongoing extras compared to renting.
How can you find out what your home is really worth?
Make sure you get an assessment of property through different banks. Sometimes the range can be very large. It could be more than 10% difference on property estimation, and that will affect your mortgage and duties.
What are neighborhoods in Hong Kong people should consider?
I would look into estates like Tai Koo Shing [in Kornhill]. I would go for those because it seems those places have steadier price points. They're also easier to sell when you're desperate to get rid of them.
Alice Truong
Pricilla Chu, vice president of ipac Financial Planning Hong Kong Limited, which caters largely to expatriates, encounters this question often. Arriving at the right answer requires a careful analysis of finances as well as a realistic idea of how long the prospective buyer intends to stay in Hong Kong, she says.
Ms. Chu, who led a seminar in November on how clients can approach this decision, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the homework prospective buyers should do to make sure home ownership is right for them.
In light of the recent stamp duty increases, which levy additional fees of up to 15% on residences sold within two years, what advise do you have for prospective buyers?
[The stamp duty increases] just came to the market, but they do have an effect on people who speculate. Clearly, there is a very emotional effect on all of us. Take your time and see how the market goes before making a decision. It's better to wait for people to settle down instead of making a decision while everything is up in the air.
Is there such a thing as the right time to buy?
No, it's the same thing as investing in stocks. It's very volatile in Hong Kong. It's more a question of if you can afford it, so in the worst-case scenario when the market drops drastically, you can still afford it then. It's high right now, but when is it the highest? God knows. When is it the lowest? God knows.
How do you make this decision, then?
There's no formula for when you should buy. What we like to ask people is whether they are ready or not. What is your reason to buy? Since most of our clients are expats, they're not even sure if they'll stay in Hong Kong for long. That could be a very, very risky investment. If you're not sure if you're going to stay in Hong Kong, don't get too excited about buying property right now.
What do you tell expatriates who are considering buying?
It's important to do your homework and do your shopping. Check the Internet for prices. Check out a few apartments. Also, something to take into consideration is the exchange rate. If a person from Australia is transferred back, for example, and the exchange rate is high, you might feel like you're losing money. Also in Hong Kong, there are no property-gains taxes, but you might be subject to them in your own country.
What does doing homework entail?
Look at your investment portfolio. People don't want to put all their eggs in one basket, but are you doing that? There's no liquidity with real estate. You get stuck, and there's no cooling off period. Right now I would say, Take a little while to watch the market.
What unseen costs are overlooked when it comes to buying?
People need to ask: Are you going to do renovations? How much? Renovations can be quite expensive. You might spend five or six million [Hong Kong dollars] on buying an apartment but on the other hand, you might spend one million on renovations alone. It's very expensive.
There are always some ongoing costs you have to look into that are extra. When you set up your place you have a bunch of utility deposits that could be HK$10,000 you have to budget for. And there's also the government rate charged each year. That's quite a lot of ongoing extras compared to renting.
How can you find out what your home is really worth?
Make sure you get an assessment of property through different banks. Sometimes the range can be very large. It could be more than 10% difference on property estimation, and that will affect your mortgage and duties.
What are neighborhoods in Hong Kong people should consider?
I would look into estates like Tai Koo Shing [in Kornhill]. I would go for those because it seems those places have steadier price points. They're also easier to sell when you're desperate to get rid of them.
Alice Truong
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