1) Developers must now make a 50% down payment while acquiring land.
2) From January 1 sales tax on homes sold within two years of purchase has been imposed slashing the time period from five years.
3) The taxable period on home sales to five years from date of purchase.
4) The government would re-impose the 5.5% tax on sales of homes bought less than five years previously to discourage speculation.

1) SOEs buy most of the land using money from state owned banks wich eager to let more not less.

2) There are ways to avoid or reduced to the minimum these sales taxes. The real estate agent will handle this thru his connection with people in the tax office.

3) same as 2) above.

4) same as 2) above.

Come and live in China and buy a couple of apartments by yourself
then you will write differently about real estate in China.

Given that :
01) You already own a home (home = apartment to most Chinese).
02) You already have a car.
03) You have only one child by law.
04) You have to tend your business over 12 hours a day, 350 days a year (10-14 days off
for Chinese New Year).
05) No property tax, local tax, state tax, federal tax, no whatsoever tax.
06) Property maintenance fee 0.30 USD per square meter (10 square feet) per month.
07) Down payment for the nth (n > 1) apartment is 30-40%
08) Mortgage interest rate 4.75% (2009-12-24)
09) Before late 70s
*) You had no right to choose the color of your cloth.
*) You were not allowed to buy more than a few sets of cloth per year.
*) You were not allowed to choose the place to live or to work.
*) Consuming even an oz of meat was a privilege reserved for those in power.
*) Rice, sugar, salt, etc. were available thru ration if you were obedient.
*) Stores all over the countries were stocked with empty shelves.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.