【英语国际】全球房地产热点城市盘点：伦敦

LONDON

According to Liam Bailey, head of residential research at real-estate agent Knight Frank, London's ratio of international to domestic buyers for prime real estate is the highest of any major city in the world. According to his report last month, 64% of buyers of central London homes priced over $8.1 million (GBP 5 million) are foreign -- 'the highest of any major city, without a doubt' -- and probably the highest it's ever been, Mr. Bailey says.
The number of nationalities represented has also swelled; 61 nationalities purchased homes in London last year, up from 46 in 2009, with Russian, Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern buyers seeing the biggest growth, according to Knight Frank.

For many, the U.K.'s steady political environment and stable economy make London a safe haven for wealth. Sterling's decline against the dollar -- around 20% since 2008 -- makes property even more enticing. But currency arbitrage and safe-haven status aside, different nationalities are drawn by different aspects.

For U.S. buyers, it's London's leafy Hampstead Village, according to Marcus Oliver, associate director at real-estate agent Chesterton Humbert's Hampstead office. He said 80% of foreign buyers in Hampstead over the past three months have been from the U.S. 'Americans are attracted to the quintessentially 'London village' feel of Hampstead, with its quaint Victorian houses and the rolling Heath. It matches up with the cliched impression of London.'

Meanwhile, the status and bright lights of a pad in central Knightsbridge are luring the newly monied Eastern Europeans and Middle Eastern buyers, says Roarie Scarisbrick of HSBC-owned buying agent Property Vision. 'Knightsbridge property is the ultimate status symbol for the new settlers of Eastern Europe with their newly amassed fortunes.'

Properties like the Knightsbridge, One Hyde Park and the Lancasters, where residents enjoy 24-hour security and amenities ranging from golf simulators to private movie theaters, are attracting some of the world's wealthiest oligarchs and sheiks.

One such buyer is Ukranian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, who in January closed on two apartments in the Candy Brothers' new One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge for a reported $222.5 million (136.6 million) to combine into a triplex penthouse. Mr. Akhmatov's press secretary Olena Dovzhenko confirmed the property was purchased as investment through the oligarch's company, SCM Capital Management.

In neighboring Kensington, with its proximity to museums and coffee shops, the typical buyer is French, Swiss or Italian, says independent search agent Charles McDowell. He recently found a home for 38-year-old Parisian Michelle Dellion, in South Kensington. The five-bedroom townhouse on Mulberry Walk cost $16.3 million (10 million) and has 5,000 square feet of living space. 'We had to be in London for my husband's job. Kensington is near the Lycee [Francais Charles de Gaulle] and the park -- with our three children it was the best area for us,' said Ms. Dellion, a stay-at-home mom whose husband works in finance.

Mindful of this tendency to flock together, developers have launched targeted marketing drives. Within the last six months, luxury London developments The Heron, Bramah Chelsea, Wellington House and Neo Bankside have held marketing exhibitions in Singapore and Hong Kong. Last September, Bramah hosted a successful exhibition at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong. 'We sold 50 apartments off plan over two weekends,' says sales executive Matt Shenton.

据房地产经纪公司莱坊(Knight Frank)住宅研究部负责人贝利(Liam Bailey)表示，在伦敦购买豪华住宅的国际买家相对国内买家的比率是全世界所有大城市中最高的。他上个月的报告显示，那些购买810万美元(合500万英镑)以上、位于伦敦市中心的豪宅的人，有64%都是外国人。贝利说，这个比例无疑是所有大城市中最高的，可能也是伦敦有史以来的最高比例。

有越来越多国家的人到伦敦购买豪宅。据莱坊公司的统计，去年，有来自61个国家的人到伦敦买房，2009年这一数字为41个，其中俄罗斯、中国、印度和中东买家在人数上增长最大。

对很多人来说，英国政治环境和经济形势都较为稳定，伦敦因此成了有钱人的安全港。英镑兑美元下滑也让英国的房地产市场更具吸引力。英镑兑美元自2008年以来已累计下跌了20%左右。但除了套汇和避险这两个有利条件外，吸引不同国家的人来伦敦买房的原因各不相同。

One Hyde Park luxury residences in London海德公园一号(One Hyde Park)据房地产经纪公司Chesterton Humberts汉普斯特德办事处的副经理奥利弗(Marcus Oliver)透露，对美国买家来说，吸引他们的是郁郁葱葱的汉普斯特德村(Hampstead Village)。他说，过去三个月在汉普斯特德买房的外国人中，80%来自美国，他们被汉普斯特德所具有的典型“伦敦乡村”的感觉所吸引，这里有古色古香的维多利亚式房屋和连绵起伏的荒野，这正好符合他们对伦敦古老的印象。

此外，汇丰银行(HSBC)旗下购房咨询公司Property Vision的斯卡里斯布里克(Roarie Scarisbrick)说，东欧和中欧的新晋富豪则喜欢伦敦市中心骑士桥(Knightsbridge)一带的公寓，那里地理位置优越，还有五光十色的都市生活，对于刚刚聚敛了巨额财富的东欧新移民来说，拥有骑士桥的房产是一种终极地位的象征。

像骑士桥、海德公园一号(One Hyde Park)和兰开斯特(Lancaster)等地的房子得到了世界各地最富有的寡头和酋长等人的喜爱，在这里他们可享受24小时保安以及电子模拟高尔夫球场和私家影院等高级配套设施。

乌克兰亿万富翁阿赫梅托夫(Rinat Akhmetov)就是这样一位买家。今年1月，他一举买下了由坎迪兄弟(Candy Brothers)开发、位于骑士桥的新项目“海德公园一号”(One Hyde Park)的两套公寓，据说共花费2.225亿美元(合1.366亿英镑)，两套公寓打通后可成为一个三层的复式豪宅。阿赫梅托夫的新闻秘书多夫任科(Olena Dovzhenko)证实说，这两处房产是这位寡头旗下的公司SCM Capital Management作为投资购买的。

独立的地产中介人麦克道尔(Charles McDowell)说，与骑士桥毗邻的肯辛顿(Kensington)由于离博物馆和咖啡店都很近，所以到这一带来买房的基本都是法国人、瑞士人或意大利人。他前不久给38岁的巴黎人德林(Michelle Dellion)在南肯辛顿(South Kensington)找到了一所房子。这是一个带五间卧室的联排别墅，位于Mulberry Walk，售价1,630万美元(合1,000万英镑)，居住面积5,000平方英尺(约合464.5平方米)。德林是一位全职母亲，丈夫是金融业人士。她说，我们定居伦敦都是为了我丈夫的工作，肯辛顿附近有戴高乐法语学校(Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle)，还有公园，对我们三个孩子来说，这是个绝佳的地方。

鉴于全球富豪蜂拥来伦敦买房，开发商展开了有针对性的营销活动。过去六个月里，The Heron、Bramah Chelsea、Wellington House和Neo Bankside等豪宅项目在新加坡和香港举办了营销展会。去年9月，Bramah项目在香港文华东方酒店(Mandarin Oriental hotel)成功举办了一场展会。销售主管申顿(Matt Shenton)说，我们用两个周末的时间卖出了50套还没有竣工的公寓。(在接下来的系列文章中，我们将为您介绍美国迈阿密的房地产市场，敬请关注。)