For most people, buying a house is something that happens only
once in their lives, leaving most with the intention of getting it
right. This makes it all the more shocking that 80 percent of
Beijing home-owners are dissatisfied with their purchases, a recent
survey revealed.
Conducted by the Beijing Consumers' Association (BCA), the
survey quizzed 2,315 people across 23 residential complexes in
Beijing, with a large majority expressing their ire at the
rocketing prices of real estate.
As Beijing's housing market continues to be cost-prohibitive for
most of its inhabitants, those surveyed said that a reasonable
price for Beijing property should lie between 3000 to 7000 yuan per
square meter.
Other factors concerning house-hunters are the quality of the
buildings, surrounding environment and conditions as well as
traffic and property management.
In an effort to quell these grumblings, the BCA has suggested
that strict sales regulations and contracts be imposed, along with
tough punishment being meted out to developers caught in violation
of building standards or of conspiring to jack up property
prices.
About 41.2 percent of respondents' complaints stemmed from
defective designs in their houses, while nearly 40 percent
lamented the poor quality of lighting and ventilation.
The list of complaints continues, as staggering as it is
wide-ranging. Landscaping in residential areas sparks the
dissatisfaction of 43.2 percent of respondents, with about
one-third say they were "bluffed" into buying "third-rate"
houses.
Over 50% of those surveyed took issue with the lack of sports
and entertainment facilities in their neighborhoods, with woeful
property management coupled with high fees also alienating 56.5
percent of residents.
A whopping 60 percent of consumers felt that developers'
advertisements were untruthful, with only 6.3 percent being
satisfied.
Experts have suggested that consumers should be better informed
about a developer and their background before making the purchase.
Furthermore, all little details such as lighting and ventilation
conditions should be thoroughly surveyed before any deal is agreed.
In China, the average lifespan of a house stands at only 50
years, a poor figure when compared to the 80-year average seen in
Switzerland or Norway and far behind the 132 years enjoyed by
homesteads in Britain.
"I checked more than 50 residential complexes in over 30 cities
in China and found that almost 95 percent of the new designs
proposed last year had high construction standards. However, over
half of the completed buildings did not meet the standards
presented on paper," said Zhou Leijian, an expert from Ministry of
Construction.
"Therefore, we should pay more attention to the process of
construction, and guarantee the quality of building materials to
have high quality houses that satisfy the consumers," Zhou
said.
(China Daily April 9, 2007)