In response to increasing local interest by Chinese homebuyers and investors, Houlihan Lawrence has launched a Traditional Chinese-language version of its website.
The site offers a seamless browsing experience for Chinese viewers by pairing a curated selection of properties with deep links to its premier listings translated on LuxuryPortfolio.com.
“We are proud to extend our capabilities to meet the needs of this premium market,” says Chris Meyers, Managing Principal of Houlihan Lawrence. “It is important for us to evolve our tools for international home buyers in order for all clients to have an easy, accessible experience.”
This new feature is a result of Houlihan Lawrence’s growing demand from Chinese users. Traffic from China to HoulihanLawrence.com more than doubled in 2015 as compared to 2014, and inbound web leads from Chinese buyers have increased significantly since last year.
Houlihan Lawrence has been steadily attracting Mandarin and Cantonese speaking agents to the company, with a dozen native speakers dispersed among its offices. The agents have been reporting a growing demand from Asian investors for better digital home buying tools and a desire to correspond primarily through popular messaging platform WeChat.
Elizabeth Nunan, Vice President of Global Business Development explains, “By featuring our luxury properties in Traditional Chinese, Houlihan Lawrence and our sellers will benefit from an increased global presence among this ever-important audience as Chinese are now the biggest foreign buyers of U.S. housing.”
According to a survey by the National Association of Realtors, in the 12 months ending March 2014, Chinese investors spent $22 billion on real estate in the United States, or nearly one quarter of all international sales. Roughly 51% of the deals were in New York. In 2015, they poured $28.6 billion into properties in the U.S.
The northern New York City suburbs are considered a prime opportunity among Chinese buyers. “Trophy” homes in close proximity to the city make for an attractive investment in times of China’s economic uncertainty and dwindling living space.
Top-tier schools, better health care and refreshing green space only amplify the draw.
