Housing Markets in Four Metropolitan Areas: There Are Still Bargains to Be Found

Housing prices in metropolitan areas remain stubbornly high, and young people lament that they cannot afford to buy a home; based on actual price registration data, real estate agents have singled out affordable road sections such as Kangle Street in Neihu, Beixin Road in Tamsui, and Jiuru 1st Road in Kaohsiung, to serve as references for people on limited budgets.

Through the actual price registration inquiry website, Taiwan Housing Think Tank surveyed the 4 major metropolitan areas of Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taichung City, and Kaohsiung City, screening for administrative districts and road sections with high transaction volumes and relatively affordable prices, and focusing on 2- to 3-bedroom products, the type most favored by first-time buyers and those looking to upgrade, finding that affordable road sections still exist in all 4 major metropolitan areas.

Among them, Kangle Street in Neihu District, Taipei City; Beixin Road in Tamsui District, New Taipei City; Zhongyong Road in Nantun District, Taichung City; and Jiuru 1st Road in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City are all areas where local housing prices are relatively cheaper.

Affordable homes in New Taipei City are mostly concentrated in Linkou, Sanxia, and Tamsui. Hong Peijun believes that although the Linkou, Sanxia, and Tamsui areas are subject to mortgage credit restrictions, transaction volumes within these districts are quite large and there is plenty of choice, so first-time buyers can compare more options.

She points out that Sanxia's Fuxing Road belongs to the old urban area (near En Chu Kong Hospital) and is 10 to 20 percent cheaper than the Taipei University Special District; Tamsui's Beixin Road is close to the back gate of Tamkang University, and because student rental demand is high, the surrounding living amenities are well developed; Linkou District's Zhongshan Road is located in the Linkou redevelopment zone and has park green spaces and a Carrefour shopping district.

As for affordable homes in the Taichung area, Hong Peijun points out that the Nantun Lingdong area not only has the Special Road No. 3 living circle connecting it to the city center, but also has a science park moving in; new elevator buildings within 10 years of age still have the advantage of low unit prices, making this a viable option for first-time buyers who find Taichung's 7th and 8th redevelopment zones too expensive.

In addition, Kaohsiung's Sanmin District and Fengshan District have always been high-volume transaction areas; along Jiuru 1st Road and Wujia 2nd Road, old buildings and old apartments over 20 years of age still offer units with single-digit unit prices to choose from; as for Zuoying's Dazhong 2nd Road, buildings within 10 years of age have an average price of 119,000 yuan, 12.5% below the district average.