尽管很多人认为全球房地产市场在短期内上升空间有限，中国房地产投资者似乎仍然乐意在澳大利亚、英国和美国等国寻找机会。这一趋势在几年前就开始，随着中国经济增长开始放缓，房地产价格也出现下行。但是，相对于欧洲、澳大利亚和北美，中国房地产市场并不那么“典型”。

中国房地产承压

2015年的前两个月，中国新房销售环比下降17％，反映出市场正在经历困难时期。另据报道，近期对中国70个城市房地产调查显示，66个城市的房价在今年的前两个月出现下滑。值得注意的一点是，房地产占中国国民生产总值（GDP）的16% -25%。从很多方面来说，由于经济疲软，中国房地产市场缩水，正在形成一种“预言自我实现” 的效应。

所谓“预言自我实现”效应，指的是这样一种现象：起初只是一个预言（而不是一个事实），但是由于个体或群体都预期这一预言将会实现，所以他或他们的行为就会显示出某种倾向性，而正是这种倾向性，致使该预言得以实现。

教育至关重要

用那些年总理和总统的话来说，教育是日常生活的重要因素。很显然，许多中国公民仍鼓励自己的孩子出国接受教育，这不仅拓宽他们的思维、也累积他们的经验。结果，使得在澳大利亚购买住宅的趋势日渐增强，这也和海外学生教育规则的调整还尚需时日的状况有关。

不容忽视的是，澳大利亚当局正面临压力，因为有迹象表明海外投资者正将澳洲房价推高至本地人无法承受的水平。一项独立调查发现，与国内投资相比，无论是海外投资的合理控制，还是涌入澳洲房地产的资金额，都显得微乎其微。鉴于澳大利亚的教育设施备受中国家庭追捧，海外投资影响在中短期内是否会加强还有待观察。

美国仍是首选市场

长久以来，美国如磁铁一般吸引了众多海外投资者 ——尤其是那些已在中国挣得钵满体满，转而寻求资产多元化的富豪们。与澳大利亚的案例相似，教育对于传统的中国家庭来说至关重要，而无论是房地产还是教育设施，美国都能满足他们的需求。在一定程度上，这种海外投资资金的流入，对处于困难时期的美国房地产市场，形成了支撑。

中国投资者影响全球

一段时期以来，中国的房地产投资者已经减少了国内投资比例，更倾向类似于澳大利亚、英国和美国之类的市场。正如前面提到的，从某种角度来说，这是一个“预言自我实现” 的效应，中国国内经济放缓，很多中国人减少国内投资份额，导致房地产的进一步下滑，从而对GDP增长造成更大的压力。

毫无疑问，在过去十年，中国投资者的思维和态度已经产生了翻天覆地的变化，而他们对全球市场的影响还会持续。

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Chinese real estate investors looking towards Australia, UK and US
Despite the fact that many people believe the worldwide real estate market has limited upside in the short term it seems as though Chinese real estate investors are still happy to look at the likes of Australia, the UK and the US. This is a trend which began a few years ago as the Chinese economy began to slow down and property prices followed suit. However, the Chinese real estate market is not typical when compared to your European, Australasian or North American markets.

Chinese real estate under pressure

When you consider that sales of new homes across China were down 17% in the first two months of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014, this reflects the ongoing difficulties the market is experiencing. It is also reported that of the 70 cities surveyed in a recent real estate study 66 had seen prices fall during the first two months of 2015. At this point it is worth noting that the Chinese real estate market accounts for, depending who you believe, between 16% and 25% of the country’s GDP. So, in many ways the ongoing reduction in Chinese real estate exposure, because of the weakening economy, is turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Education, education, education

In the words of prime ministers and presidents of years gone by, education is vital factor of everyday life. It is also becoming evident that many Chinese citizens are continuing to encourage their children to enjoy overseas education facilities which not only broaden their minds but also broaden their experiences. As a consequence, there is a growing trend towards acquiring residential property in Australia and due to the tweaking of overseas student education rules this is something which will continue for some time to come.
It is also worth remembering that the Australian authorities recently came under pressure for insinuating that overseas investors were squeezing Australian real estate prices to unaffordable levels. An independent survey found that not only are there adequate controls on overseas investment but the amount of money “pouring” into the Australian real estate market is minimal compared to domestic investment. Whether overseas investor influences will strengthen in the short to medium term, with Australian education facilities much sought after by Chinese families, remains to be seen.

US is still the preferred market

The US has always been an investment magnet for many overseas investors – in particular those who have made their wealth in China and are looking to diversify. Again, in tandem with Australia, education is a very important factor in the life of the traditional Chinese family and the US market seems to tick all the boxes with regards to real estate and overseas student facilities. To a certain extent this overseas investment fund flow has helped to support the US real estate market through what has been a difficult time.

Conclusion

Chinese real estate investors have been reducing their domestic exposure in favour of the likes of Australia, the UK and the US for some time now. As we touched on above, in some ways this is a self-fulfilling prophecy because many have reduced their exposure due to the struggling Chinese economy although further real estate falls place yet more pressure upon GDP. There is no doubt that we have seen a sea change in the minds and attitudes of Chinese real estate investors over the last decade and their influence on overseas markets continues to grow.