Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 3,241 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold as per Stamp Duty record in the fourth quarter of 2017, and the total value of transactions was MOP21.57 billion, up by 15.0% and 38.1% respectively quarter-to-quarter. Purchase and sale of residential units increased by 530 to 2,618 units, and the total value went up by 43.2% to MOP17.78 billion. Transaction volume of pre-sale residential units surged by 219.9% to 803 units and the value soared by 203.7% to MOP7.36 billion, attributable to a large-scale housing estate released for sale during the quarter. Meanwhile, purchase and sale of existing residential units dropped by 22 to 1,815 units while the transaction value went up by 4.3% to MOP10.41 billion.
In terms of average price per square metre of usable area, the average prices of existing residential units (MOP90,047) and pre-sale residential units (MOP137,586) decreased by 2.1% and 5.2% respectively quarter-to-quarter. However, the overall average price of residential units grew by 6.4% to MOP105,654 as the proportion of generally high-priced pre-sale residential units in the total transaction volume of residential units (30.7%) rose significantly by 18.7 percentage points. The average prices of residential units in the Macao Peninsula (MOP97,551) and Taipa (MOP121,922) rose by 4.5% and 10.6% respectively while the average price of those in Coloane (MOP125,336) decreased by 4.2%.
Many of the pre-sale residential units purchased and sold were in NATAP (286), Baixa da Taipa (200) and Fai Chi Kei (170), and the average prices per square metre were MOP137,961, MOP151,231 and MOP103,938 respectively.
Existing residential units purchased and sold were mainly in Baixa da Taipa (249), NATAP (194) and Barca (161), and the respective average prices per square metre were MOP98,795, MOP109,083 and MOP67,760.
The average price of office units was MOP110,848 per square metre, down by 8.2% quarter-to-quarter, and that of industrial units also fell by 3.7% to MOP55,618 per square metre.
For the whole year of 2017, number of residential units and parking spaces transacted dropped by 0.9% year-on-year to 13,985, whereas the transaction value went up by 15.0% to MOP85.23 billion. Purchase and sale of residential units increased by 411 to 10,581 units, at a total value of MOP69.44 billion, up by 18.2%. The transaction value for pre-sale residential units (2,043) and existing residential units (8,538) totalled MOP20.41 billion and MOP49.04 billion respectively.
The average price of residential units was MOP100,822 per square metre in 2017, up by 16.8% year-on-year. The average prices of those in the Macao Peninsula (MOP91,769), Taipa (MOP115,160) and Coloane (MOP128,205) rose by 18.8%, 16.7% and 15.7% respectively. The average prices of existing residential units (MOP90,412) and pre-sale residential units (MOP137,597) also went up by 15.7% and 16.3% respectively year-on-year. The average prices per square metre of office units and industrial units were MOP113,198 and MOP54,411 respectively, up by 13.1% and 14.4%.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, there were 3,327 real estate purchase and sale contracts signed, involving 3,333 properties, down by 5.1% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 2,903 mortgage contracts were signed, involving 4,244 properties, up by 19.0%. For the whole year of 2017, a total of 14,917 real estate purchase and sale contracts were signed, and the number of properties involved (15,041) went up by 5.2% year-on-year; moreover, 13,527 mortgage contracts were signed, and the number of properties involved (17,439) dropped by 5.9%.
As regards construction in the private sector, there were 20,529 residential units in the design stage, 9,324 under construction and 1,295 under inspection as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017. In addition, 34 residential units were issued the construction permit, with a total floor area of 1,740 square metres. A total of 351 residential units with a total floor area of 28 thousand square metres were issued the licence of use; the number of studio flats and two-bedroom units accounted for 55.3% and 21.9% respectively of the total.
In 2017, a total of 3,111 residential units were issued the construction permit with a total floor area of 288 thousand square metres. Furthermore, 4,318 residential units with a total floor area of 338 thousand square metres were issued the licence of use; 49.6% of the units were studio flats and 27.2% were two-bedroom units.