Unless you have paid tax in Kunming for 12 months you cannot get a mortgage. New regulation. Affects Chinese nationals as well.
If you already own one property in China, you cannot buy a second property in Kunming, unless you have a Kunming HuKou (Household ID, for Chinese nationals). Even with cash. New regulation.
If you already own 2 or more properties in China, you cannot buy in Kunming, even with cash. New regulation
Unless you have been resident in China for 12 months, you cannot buy property. Old regulation.
Regards real estate agents, things work differently to how they do back home. People who have property go to their local real estate agent, and this can be really local. Often 10 agents will have the same prop in the window, but only one will have the keys. There can be as many as 30 independent real estate agents in one small area.
Best way to find property is to go to the neighbourhoods where you think you could live. Have a good walk around to get a feel for the place, and look at buildings you might like to live in.
Look at local agents windows. There will always be at least one that looks more professional, possibly part of a chain. Hit these first. If you can, find an interpreter that you can trust not to try and act like an agent and try to get a commission.
Deposits vary, usually 2 months rent. You may also be expected to stump up the first 3 months rent in advance, but not always. The agent may expect a finders fee of one months rent (you pay), but this is easily negotiated down.
If you are looking to rent higher end accommodation or a house, there is a shortage of this type of property in Kunming. We tried to find 'middle class' prop of over 150m around Green Lake a few month ago. There were only 2 apartments available. We also looked for houses in the Dianchi area, only about 6, and only two were suitable.
There is a lot of empty prop around Kunming, but most of it not decorated (no kitchen, no bathroom), and of the little that is decorated many are unfurnished.
Up to 1,000 Dali businesses to close in face of new policy
发布者I see on CGTN that the government has just released its 3rd wave of environmental inspectors across the nation, to evaluate local government performance. It looks like they are getting serious this time.
Four years after murder conviction, Yunnan man walks free
发布者Also a good example of why due process, and public defenders are needed. This includes the defense having access to forensic evidence.
This guy was lucky.
Kunming's bike share options: A user guide
发布者@ Peter, people have been jailed for handling stolen rental bikes, there was a news story on local TV a couple of weeks back, and I think people were jailed in 3 separate cases. I think in two cases it was 15 days, I think the cops are targeting this, as the whole bike thing is a government initiative.
There are also grass roots volunteer groups liberating stolen bikes, and reporting stolen bikes. I think people trying would get reported, unusual for china as that is.
These bikes are probably too highly visible and recognizable to just chuck on the back of a sanlun che, and ride them through a scrap metal dealer's gates.
Up to 1,000 Dali businesses to close in face of new policy
发布者I visited Dali, 2-3 years ago, and cycling around the lake I could not believe that they had built hotels/guest houses along the shore side.
One also needs to think about the run off from the construction sites, going into the lake, with local small building firms doing the jobs.
I am glad that they finally jumped on this.
Blackwater founder bringing new security firm to China
发布者A few years ago, someone told me that several thousand Chinese business men, on business trips, just disappear every year. I am sure that shipments of goods disappear at an even more alarming rate. I wonder how many truck drivers are hijacked heading south and west, once they leave China. Probably a very big business opportunity for a logistics security service provider, with experience of this kind of work; which FSG seems to have.