Houses are the most important asset of every ordinary household in its life, whether it needs to be bought or kept in its possession, and there is daily concern about rising and falling housing prices and changing housing market policies。
It's always about whether you can buy a house now, whether the price will rise or fall, whether the new house will be bought, and whether the old house will be of no value。
After recent years of continuous restructuring and policy optimization, the market pattern has changed quietly and fundamentally。
In the context of the drafting of the national conference on housing and construction at the end of 2025, the two housing policies of 2026, official data on urban housing prices for march-april 70, and new regulations for the sale of new houses, housing security and urban renewal in various localities, starting in may 2026, the domestic real estate market is likely to undergo four substantial changes, which are no longer the pattern of large-scale increases and drops in the past, and the city is officially entering a new phase of development that is a priority for the well-being, health and well-being of the population, and is linked to the interest of ordinary people in the purchase of housing, housing and the preservation of property。
Change one: small warming in the first and second-line cities is steady, and the three and four lines continue to grow in severing
According to the latest data on the prices of 70 large and medium-sized cities published by the national statistics institute in april 2026, the cold-hot fragmentation of the country's buildings has become apparent, and there is no longer a uniform rise or decline in the country, a pattern that will continue to deepen after may 2026。
In the four largest cities in the north, the price of new and second-hand homes has risen by 0. 6 per cent, the second-hand homes in beijing, 0. 4 per cent in shanghai and shenzhen, 0. 2 per cent in guangzhou, almost 15 months of new-hand-room transactions, more than 30,000 second-hand rooms in shanghai, nearly 20,000 units in beijing, and a significant increase in core demand sources and high-quality new-room exchanges。
The cities of hangzhou, chengdu, wuhan, xi'an and suzhou, which are capital cities, are characterized by a steady influx of people, strong industrial support, loose housing policies, steady release of demand for and improvement in the housing sector, a steady decline in the bargaining space for buildings, a steady recovery in the volume of transactions, a moderate and small warming of housing prices, an overall increase in temperature and control, no surge in fire, and reasonable market repair。
At the heart of the second-line urban warming is the continued concentration of urbanized populations in the core urban areas, the steady release of immediate home-based demand, the lowering of interest rates on mortgages, the optimization of down payment rates, and the easing of the policy of the provident fund, which has lowered the threshold for the purchase of housing by ordinary people, as well as the continuous landing of white listings for financing housing enterprises, more secure house delivery and the restoration of confidence in buying housing。
The authorities have also made it clear that the city's regulations do not stimulate, do not fire, only provide for demand and stabilize the market, so they are only short-term small warming and operate smoothly。
In contrast, the vast majority of cities on the 3rd and 4th lines, the continuing exodus, insufficient local demand for housing, the long-term high cycle of de-inventory of new housing stock, the high level of vacant housing in many sub-districts, and the continuing low prices of housing, make it difficult to follow the rise in the core cities。
Many small cities are not supported by strong industries, young people are employed outside their homes, local demand for improvements is limited, new houses are being built, fewer buyers are being bought, housing prices lack incentives to rise, followed by large-scale rebounds, which remain largely out of reach of stock and stable housing prices。
The future of the city is no longer popular, the city level determines the value of the property, the core parts of the first and second line are resistant to falling, the value of ordinary property on the third and fourth lines continues to be under pressure, and the purchase of houses and cities is far more important than the selection of a building。
Shift two: a significant reduction in the total size of the housing stock, with the sale of existing houses in the mainstream market
The greatest fear of late delivery, end-of-work and non-conformity in the purchase of housing is that many home buyers have had problems over the years. In the context of the new regulations of the ministry of housing and construction, which were officially deployed in 2026, the current system of sale of commercial housing continued to be vigorously promoted throughout the country in 2026 in order to realize what was seen and avoid the risk of being handed over at the source。
As early as december 2025, the national conference on urban and rural housing construction explicitly called for the acceleration of the transformation of the new model of real estate development, the regulation of the pre-sale management of commercial housing, the comprehensive tightening of the approval period and the expansion of existing housing coverage。
In 2026, closed supervision of pre-sale funds continued to be tightened, the appropriation of building block funds was strictly prohibited, the approval of new building blocks for the new period was strictly controlled and the construction of new plots was planned according to current standards。
Since may 2026, most of the country's cities have had new start-up projects, and the current housing ratio will continue to rise significantly. Remote plots and small and medium-sized housing enterprises will largely no longer be licensed for sale. Only large, well-qualified, well-funded and well-documented housing companies will be able to retain a small amount of pre-sold housing for compliance, with funds earmarked for full supervision。
Over the next few years, there will be fewer and more houses on the market, which will disappear completely. The purchaser does not have to worry about drawings, late delivery, uneven quality of the house, after seeing the scenery, the scenery, the light on the floor and the satisfaction of the subdivisions, then hand over the permit and the security of the house is rising。
Housing enterprises must also rely on competition for housing quality, district environment and property services, and no longer rely on early return to revolving business. The whole real estate industry is set aside for high leverage and high turnover patterns, moving towards sound quality development, and the rights and interests of buyers are fully guaranteed。
• transformation iii: commodity house storage and transfer of secure housing, parallel to housing security
The report on the work of the two governments in 2026, the annual programme of work for multi-location construction, clearly states that empty commodity houses are being built as a result of the city's working stock, with local governments and state-owned business platforms buying vacant new houses on the market at a low price, and following a uniform upgrading, they are being converted into public rental housing, guaranteed rental housing, distribution-type secure housing, and talent apartments。
This policy was piloted in early 2026 and extended its coverage after may, and implemented simultaneously in most cities throughout the country。
At present, dozens of cities, including zhengzhou, guangzhou, shanghai, hangzhou, nanjing and chongqing, have officially opened stockhouses, with large numbers of unsold, long-term empty used and new housing stock, which are no longer left unoccupied by falling housing prices, but are integrated into the housing security system。
The pressure on young people to rent housing has been significantly reduced, with new citizens, low-income groups, migrant workers, urban demand and access to decent, quality and well-equipped formal housing without high-cost purchase。
The domestic housing system is formally divided into two clear lines: a market-based commercial housing that meets the needs for improved housing, quality home security, free trade and free pricing; and a secure housing that guarantees the basic living needs of the general population, low rents, low-cost proxies and stable living conditions。
The fact that ordinary people do not have to spend their entire family's savings on forced housing, have secure housing, have just needed low-cost commercial housing, no longer have their family's wealth tied up, rent houses and buy houses freely, both relieves the pressure on the market, stabilizes the price of housing without large fluctuations, and effectively solves the housing problems of the population, accelerates the establishment of long-lasting mechanisms for rent-buying and carrying out housing, and returns the house to its own identity。
Change iv: comprehensive upgrading of old neighbourhoods, old renovations instead of expansion of new commodity houses
In the past, the city had developed new buildings and expanded urban areas, with a large number of old and old sub-districts with aging facilities, no elevators, a dilapidated pipe network, parking difficulties and a chaotic environment。
In 2026, the focus of housing construction in the country was shifted to urban renewal, with no longer a blindly large number of new commodity houses, but rather a major push towards the upgrading of old neighbourhoods, the fine-tuning of urban villages and the upgrading of old houses to replace the disorderly development of new ones。
In 2026, the central government continued to provide special subsidies for the rehabilitation of old and old neighbourhoods, and in guangzhou and henan, financial resources were fully allocated for housing projects. For the old and old sub-districts built up, elevators were added, gas pipes for drainage were renovated, road surfaces were repaired, parking spaces were planned, green spaces were improved, pension packages were upgraded, property services were optimized and old houses were converted into safe, comfortable and convenient housing。
Old and old do not have to tear down reconstruction, do not have to do large-scale demolition and resettlement, and the quality of living has increased significantly after low-cost renovations, and the value of living and circulation has steadily increased。
Instead of simply expanding to build houses outside the city, the city has built up existing housing resources, optimized urban living conditions, reduced land waste and reduced the backlog of new housing stock。
Many of the old neighbourhoods of the city centre are better located, more accessible and easier to transport, and, as a result of their retrofitting, they are worth far more than new houses in the remote suburbs, so that people do not have to go far to buy new houses in the suburbs and the old houses in the city can be renovated to enjoy quality living。
The supply of new commercial housing has continued to tighten, urban housing stock has been fully utilized and the market has moved from an era of incremental development to one of stock optimization。
In the new city, how do ordinary people think about buying a house
After may 2026, the city of the four buildings was transformed and the whole logic of the real estate changed completely, and it was important for ordinary people to set their mind straight。
The first and second-line cities do not need to wait too long, have adequate and stable housing, have access to suitable housing sources, and do not need to panic to pick up; the third and fourth-line cities are careful to purchase their houses, giving priority to existing housing, core sector housing, and empty buildings far from the outskirts。
Families with multiple housing units, third- and fourth-line non-core inactive properties are properly disposed of as soon as possible, and first- and second-line high-quality properties are safe and free from speculation。
People living in rented housing are increasingly provided with adequate housing, with lower rental costs and more stable housing, and are not subject to kidnapping at house prices, and choose suitable housing options based on their own income。
The city will no longer be rich and rich in the past, with flattened housing prices, transparent market regulations, stronger identity, a return to rationality in buying housing, a return to the nature of residence, a smooth and long-term healthy development of real estate, and a more comfortable, more relaxed and more reassuring home。
Have the prices in your city changed recently? Do you think it's time to buy a house or to keep watching? Welcome to the comment area。
