SALES of preowned office properties are growing, according to yesterday’s Shenzhen Economic Daily.

    March saw 55 units totaling 7,300 square meters in preowned office buildings sold in Shenzhen, which represented a 25 percent increase in the area compared with February, according to statistics from the research center of Centaline Property.

    The average price of high-end office buildings was 46,264 yuan (US$7,462) per square meter and those close to high end sold for 40,890 yuan per square meter in the first quarter of this year.

    “The sales of top office buildings in central Shenzhen have been active recently,” said Wang Feixiang, who works in the research center.

    Wang added that the recent loosening of monetary policy will push up the prices of office properties as it is doing with the home market. Therefore, it is a good time for many enterprises to buy office properties.

    Guo Liping, CBRE’s associate director of research department in southern China, said the robust demand and supply in office properties in Shenzhen makes it unique in China, because the office market is sluggish in most parts of China.

    An unidentified property agent in central Futian District told the paper that both sales and renting of office property have grown slightly since the beginning of the year. “However, generally speaking, more offices were leased out instead of being sold,” the agent said.

    The average rent of a top-grade office building was 235 yuan per square meter per month in March, rising by 2.7 percent compared with February.

    March was a traditional peak season for companies to look for new offices to rent, according to an estate agent manager in Caiwuwei area of Luohu District, who was only identified as Wang. (Martin Li)