National Real Estate Development and Sales in the First Four Months of 2015

1. The completion of real estate investment

The total investment in real estate development in the first four months of the first three months was 2,366.9 billion yuan, a nominal increase of 6.0 percent year-on-year, 2.5 percentage point lower over the first three months. Of which, the investment in residential buildings was 1,587.0 billion yuan, up by 3.7 percent, 2.2 percentage points lower, and accounted for 67.1 percent of real estate development investment.

In the first four months, the real estate investment in eastern region stood at 1,410.9 billion yuan, up by 6.6 percent year-on-year, and the growth rate went down by 2.9 percentage points over the first three months; the central region stood at 451.7 billion yuan, went up by 5.8 percent, and down by 1.1 percentage points; western region stood at 504.3 billion yuan, up by 4.6 percent, and a decrease of 2.9 percentage points.

In the first four months, the floor space under construction by the real estate development enterprises accounted for 5,995.80 million square meters, up by 6.2 percent year-on-year, dropped 0.6 percentage points over the first three months. Of which, the floor space of residential building construction area was 4,184.79 million square meters, up by 3.2 percent. The floor space started this year was 357.56 millions square meters, down by 17.3 percent, and the pace of decline narrowed 1.1 percentage points. Specifically, the floor space of residential buildings started in the year amounted to 250.81 million square meters, down by 19.6 percent. The floor space of buildings completed stood at 212.10 million square meters, went down by 10.5 percent, and the pace of decline expanded 2.3 percentage points. Of which, the floor space completed of residential buildings stood at 155.27 million square meters, went down by 13.2 percent.

In the first four months, the land area purchased by the real estate development enterprises totaled 54.69 million square meters, a year-on-year decrease of 32.7 percent, and the pace of decrease expanded 0.3 percentage points over the first three months. The total transaction of land reached 157.1 billion yuan, decreased 29.1 percent, and the pace of decrease expanded 1.3 percentage points

2. Sales of Commercial Buildings

In the first four months, the floor space of commercial buildings sold stood at 263.85 million square meters, a year-on-year decrease of 4.8 percent over the first three months, and the pace of decrease narrowed 4.4 percentage points over the first three months. Of the total, the floor space of residential buildings decreased 5.0 percent, office building decreased 13.6 percent, and buildings for business use increased 5.2 percent. The sales of commercial buildings amounted to 1,773.9 billion yuan, a decrease of 3.1 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 6.2 percentage points over the first three months. Specifically, the sales of residential buildings went down by 2.2 percent, office buildings down by 13.3 percent, buildings for commercial business increased 0.1 percent.

In the first four months, the sale of floor space of commercial buildings in eastern region amounted to 125.13 million square meters, a year-on-year decrease of 6.2 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 5.7 percentage points over the first three months. The amount of sales stood at 1,065.8 billion yuan, went down by 2.8 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 8.0 percentage points. The sale of floor space of commercial buildings in central region amounted to 68.28 million square meters, decreased 6.4 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 4.5 percentage points. The amount of sales stood at 346.9 billion yuan, decreased 5.1 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 5.3 percentage points. The sale of floor space of commercial buildings in western region amounted to 70.43 million square meters, a decrease of 0.4 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 1.9 percentage points. The amount of sales stood at 361.2 billion yuan, went down by 2.0 percent, and the pace of decrease narrowed 1.9 percentage points.

At the end of April, the floor space of commercial housing for sale reached 656.81 million square meters, increased 6.82 million square meters compared with that at the end of the first three months. Of which, the residential buildings for sale increased 3.30 million square meters, office buildings increased 0.63 million square meters, buildings for business use went up by 2.01 million square meters.

3. Sources of Funds for Real Estate Development Enterprises

In the first four months, the sources of funds for real estate development enterprises reached 3,627.9 billion yuan, down by 2.5 percent year-on-year, and 0.4 percentage points lower over the first three months. Specifically, the domestic loans stood at 734.1 billion yuan, decreased 4.8 percent, foreign investment stood at 10.8 billion yuan, declined 6.8 percent, self-raising funds stood at 1,438.6 billion yuan, up by 0.1 percent, and other sources stood at 1,444.4 billion yuan, down by 3.7 percent. Among the other sources of funds, deposits and advance payments totaled 846.1 billion yuan, decreased 6.2 percent, personal mortgage loans totaled 432.7 billion yuan, up by 2.1 percent.

4. National Real Estate Climate Index

In April, the national real estate climate index was 92.56, decreased 0.55 points month-on-month.

Annotations:

1. Explanation of Indicator

The total investment in real estate development this year: refers to the investment of all construction projects for housing, land development projects, public welfare construction and land acquisition costs in the reporting period. The index is cumulatively statistical data based on the principle of image progress.

Area of commercial buildings sold: refer total areas sold of new commercial buildings in the contract during the reporting period (i.e. area of floor space designated in the formal contract signed by both sides). The indicator is cumulative data.

Value of commercial buildings sold: refers to the total contracted vale of new commercial buildings for sale during the reporting period (i.e. the total value of sales for selling of commercial building as designated in the formal contract signed by both sides). This indicator is cumulative data, as well as the sale of floor space of commercial buildings.

The sources of funds for real estate development enterprises in the year: refers to various currencies and sources of real estate development funds actually available by the real estate development enterprises in the reporting period. Specifically, it includes domestic loans, foreign investment, self-raised funds and other funds. The index is cumulative data.

Floor space of buildings under construction: refers to the total floor space of all buildings by the real estate development enterprises during the reference time. Including floor space newly started in current year, floor space of continued construction of the building from the former period, floor space of stopped or postponed in the previous period but recovered in current year, floor space completed during current year, and newly started floor space in current year but postponed. Floor space under construction of multi-storey buildings refers to the total floor space of all stories.

Floor space of houses newly started: refers to floor space of houses newly started by the real estate development enterprises during the reference time, the unit project as the accounting object. Not including continued construction area of housing which started in the previous period, and restarted construction area in the current year but stopped or postponed in the previous period. Specific due date is subject to starts to housing officially began ground-breaking gouge (ground treatment or permanent piles). Floor space of houses newly started refers to the entire floor spaces of whole building; the calculation can not be separated.

Floor space of buildings completed: refers to housing construction during the reporting period have been completed in accordance with design requirements, achieved to living and conditions of use, acceptance of accreditation standards or to the final acceptance, total building areas could formally handed over to be used.

Land acquisition area: refers to land area by the real estate development enterprises in the year through various ways to obtain land.

Value of land transactions: refers to final amount of transactions of land use rights by the real estate development enterprises. In the primary land market, refers to the final section of land allocation, "auction" price and sale price; the secondary land market, refers to the finalize the contract price on land transfer, lease, mortgage, etc.. Price of land transactions and land acquisition area are the same scope, December calculate the average purchase price of land.

2. Statistics coverage

All real estate development and corporate business units.

3. Survey methods

Collected monthly with complete enumeration (no report in January).

4. Brief description on national real estate climate index

National real estate climate index fluctuations follow by the economic cycle theory, according to the business cycle theory and business cycle analysis, based on the use of time series, multivariate statistical, econometric analysis, use the real estate development and investment as the benchmarks, selected related indicators such as real estate investment, capital, area, sales, conducted by the seasonal factors and random factors, adopting the growth rate cycle method. National real estate index selected year 2000 as the base year, its growth rate set at 100. Typically, the most appropriate level of national real estate climate index is 100, the moderate level is between 95 and 105, the lower level is below 95, and the higher level is above 105.

5. Division on Eastern, Central and Western Regions

Eastern region includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan. Central region includes Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. Western region includes Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang.

6. Calculation on Growth Rate

The growth rate of real estate investment is nominal growth rate, due to the investment in fixed assets price index was calculated on quarterly, in addition to the January-March, January-June January-September, and January-December was calculated on computable real growth rate, the other months only calculated the nominal growth rate.