Taiwan's real estate market is experiencing a downturn. Real estate agencies observe that the average markup rate across Taiwan is rising, with southern cities showing the most significant changes.
Experts noted that the current shift towards a buyer's market is driven by the government's clear stance on curbing rent prices and a lack of signs of easing credit controls.
Across Taiwan, Bargaining Rates Rise; Kaohsiung Leads Among Six Major Cities at 17.1%
Statistics reveal an overall increase in bargaining rates across the six major cities and Taiwan as a whole.
In Taipei, the average bargaining rate for transactions from January to October this year reached 13.7%, up by 1.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year. In New Taipei, the rate increased from 10.6% to 13.8%, representing a rise of 3.2 percentage points. Taoyuan's rate hit 15.0%, up by 4.1 percentage points from last year.
In central and southern regions, Taichung registered a bargaining rate of 12.5%, up 3.3 percentage points year-on-year; Tainan recorded a rate of 16.9%, ranking second among the six major cities, with an increase of 3.5 percentage points; Kaohsiung, leading at 17.1%, saw the highest increase among the six, jumping 4.3 percentage points from the previous year.
Lai Chih-Chang, PR director of the UBN Real Estate Research Center, noted that buyers remain cautious under the impact of government credit controls and a slowing market.
Lai explained that the presence of high-tech industries initially benefited several southern Taiwanese cities, attracting developers and creating a thriving market.
He asserts that buyers are now acting more prudently. Consumers are no longer blindly following prices, and the real estate market's previous boom - where asking prices were often final prices - has vanished.
He notes that an inability to offload surplus could increase selling pressure in the region and further increase buyers' bargaining power.
Concessions Needed to Catch Opportunities
Hsu Chia-Hsin, executive director of the office of real estate at HB Housing, believes that this expanded bargaining space is an important sign that Taiwan's real estate market is returning to rational levels.
She notes that under the current tight policies, both second-hand property sellers and developers are slowly being forced to accept the widely accepted market view of flexible pricing.
She also cautioned that although homebuyers have more room to negotiate, they should actively assess the value of the property and their personal needs while negotiating, to avoid missing a good opportunity due to excessive caution. （Related： Taiwanese President Predicts Per Capita GDP May Reach $40,000 in 2026 ｜ Latest ）
