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Sydney's an easy sell for the Chinese
Date
December 11, 2013 - 11:41AM
From Sydney Morning Herald
In Shanghai, Domain Prestige Property Reporter Lucy Macken says Australia's a breath of fresh
Residents wearing face masks use their mobile phones on a pedestrian overpass on a hazy day at the Pudong financial area in Shanghai, December 6, 2013. Photo: Aly Song /Reuters.
On the weekend China's air quality records were smashed with pollution at more than eight times the nation's limit, Australia seemed to offer more than just a good education, a decent capital return and lots of waterfront real estate.
"Fresh air is a luxury," said Monika Tu, of Black Diamondz Real Estate.
"No matter how rich you are in China, you still breathe the same air. So if money really can buy anything, who wouldn't want something overseas to go to every now and then?"
For the Sydney agents in town to sell some of our best real estate to the Chinese at the Shanghai Luxury Properties Showcase, the timing couldn't have been better.
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Contrasting against the dense smog over Shanghai, where the new record is now at 602.5 micrograms per cubic metre, are the glossy marketing images of Sydney's prime waterfront real estate, all with clear blue skies.
"We know Australia is very healthy and the environment is protected and that is important to us," said one would-be buyer Jack Yin, head of property development firm Brandmont, based in Hebei.
"This is a serious air pollution problem. It used to just be Beijing and parts of the north west that got this bad, but this sort of pollution is new to Shanghai."
Britta Battogtokh, who is last year's winner of Miss Mongolia and director of international relations at one of Mongolia's largest construction companies ECC Construction, said Mongolia's air pollution problem is just as bad as China's during the winter months, November to March.
Ms Battogtokh is in Shanghai on behalf of the Mongolian Government and a few high net worth clients to look at off-shore investment opportunities that will also specifically offer families a place to retreat to from the pollution in winter.
"These investments aren't for emigration purposes. Our pollution problem is so bad , these clients want to send their family away during winter so they don't get sick."
Lucy Macken flew to Shanghai courtesy of Black Diamondz Real Estate.
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