Poll finds 82 percent think housing prices too high

Poll finds 82 percent think housing prices too high
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/06/10/2003592423

Staff writer, with CNA

A housing policy survey recently conducted by the Want Want China Times Poll Center among adults in Taipei, New Taipei City, Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung showed that 82 percent of the respondents think housing prices are unreasonable in comparison with their incomes.

Among the age groups polled, 30-to-39-year-olds were found to be the most dissatisfied with housing prices, with 91 percent complaining that prices are unreasonably high.

Despite the discontent expressed, 69.4 percent of those surveyed listed owning a home as one of their goals in life.

However, 63.6 percent said they could never afford to buy one in an urban area, according to the survey, which collected 2,447 valid samples from telephone interviews which took place between May 12 and May 14.

“Using a real-estate purchase as the core financial management strategy for life will cause significant damage to the nation and society,” said Hua Ching-chun (花敬群), an associate professor at Takming University of Science and Technology.

A good housing policy should make helping the socially disadvantaged the top priority, Hua added, suggesting that the government provide sufficient social housing and take measures to solidify the rental market.

An article published by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday concerning equality in Taiwan featured the failure of the 1990-2014 Danhai New Town (淡海新市鎮) development project in New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) along the northern coast of Taiwan.

The project was aimed at “building housing units for mid and low-income households,” and “resolving the housing problem in the Greater Taipei area,” while “suppressing land prices,” in response to protests about a lack of affordable housing in metropolitan areas and rising house prices.

Danhai New Town was designed to accommodate 300,000 people on 1,756 hectares. However in the past 25 years, the town has had an occupancy rate of less than 10 percent.

Pointing to a group of more than 600 public housing units situated further along the coast, Danhai New Town resident Lu Cheng-chung (盧正忠) said that basically, the project was a failure.

“Those in the middle and lower income brackets cannot afford to commute [between the remote town and the city in which they work], Tamsui resident Wang Chung-ming (王鐘銘) said.

Also, no manufacturing industries want to move to the coast, while many local light industry businesses have been forced to move out due to the government’s land requisition policies and restrictions that prevent industries from expanding, he added.

Urban Reform Promotion Organization secretary-general Peng Yang-kae (彭揚凱) said the government’s housing policy is either encouraging people to buy homes or build cheap public housing.

However, history shows “no one wants to live in a remote area,” Peng said.

As for public housing built in urban areas, he pointed out, the quantity is too small to suppress rising housing prices. The chance of finding this kind of affordable accommodation through the drawing of lots is the same as winning the lottery, Peng said.