From Tragic Past to Hot Bargain: Hong Kong’s Haunted Flat Craze
1. A Tiny Apartment With a Troubling Legacy
- Location & Size: A cramped 325‑square‑foot unit (just 30 sq m) tucked away behind a small, easily sealed window.
- Dark History: Two chilling events marked the space: a self‑imposed charcoal‑burning tragedy and a policewoman’s suicide by hanging.
- Why It’s Cheap: The building’s grim background left the market price tumbling. Ng Goon Lau, a silver‑haired 66‑year‑old, snapped it up for a little over HK$1 million in 2010, roughly 30% below the average rate.
2. The “King of Haunted Flats”
In local gossip circles, Ng earned the nickname “King of Haunted Flats” after consistently spotting and buying properties with a hongza tag.
- What is Hongza? These are homes where untimely deaths or murders occurred.
- Deals: Ng claims he’s managed to get some at up to 40% off market, turning eerie backstories into investment gold.
3. The Rising Tide of Property Prices
Hong Kong’s record‑breaking price rise has flipped many buyer’s eyes. Even with a black‑tape‑laden past, properties like this one are suddenly deemed “too good to miss.”
- Current Value: Ng estimates the apartment’s worth could skyrocket to around HK$4.4 million within eight years.
- Buyer’s Dilemma: Whether to care about a haunting history or grab a bargain is the new hot debate.
4. Inside the Wicked Deal
Ng’s buying strategy combines a love for history–spiced market research and the thrill of flipping spooky properties into profitable investments.
- Heuristic: Scan for past suicides or murders; the more drama, the less price.
- Emotion: Despite the grim stories, he distances himself with a light‑hearted “we’ll just plaster it with fresh paint.”
Ultimately, Hong Kong’s skyscraper skyline now hosts a new class of investors willing to buy… even when the ghostly winds are howling outside. It’s a selling point many will debate, but for investors like Ng, it’s just another chance to turn tragedy into treasure.
Hong Kong’s Haunted Flat: From 30% off to a Tiny 10% Coupon
- Once‑offered price dips were roughly 30 % in 2013.
- Today, the markdown has shrunk to ~10 %.
- That 20 % bang‑down happened in the past year – the fastest drop on record.
“The market is crazy now,” says former shark‑fin salesman Ng, speaking to Reuters. “There’s a flood of demand, and buying an unlucky flat has turned into a practical way to own a house. Competition is fierce.”
Prices That’re Out of Reach
For 18 straight months, housing prices in Hong Kong have skyrocketed, putting the city on the list of the world’s most expensive real‑estate markets.
A skilled service worker would need to keep hustling for 20 years to buy a 650‑sq‑ft apartment near the city centre. A recent UBS report, published in September, ranks the city’s market as the least affordable among 20 global centers.
Ghosts, Gold, and Giggles: Hong Kong’s Housing Hysteria
Picture this: you’re a normal taxpayer bent over a spreadsheet that says “You can only afford an 8‑million‑dollar apartment if you’re on the podium of the afforestation, but? 20% of HK’s 1.85 million tax‑paying citizens can actually make those dreams happen. Knight Frank’s latest scoop has everyone wishing they were on that 20%.
Price Hikes & Macdiarmid Jokes
- 5 analysts think the market will murk up by 8 % to 17 % this year.
- Even the vinyl‑record‑fang father, Ng, freaking out over a potential dream‑sale.
- Rent‑ers, tenants, and ghost‑hunters alike are feeling the heat.
Ng the “Killer” of Haunted Flats
It’s wild! Ng has wrangled at least two dozen “a‑haunted” units since the ’90s and flipped most for a tidy profit. Yet, a double whammy of soaring prices and a heavy tax on i‑th‑time buyers has kept him on the sidelines for six long years. He says he could only resist the “pearls and treasures” that his current portfolio boasts.
Public Housing: “The Long Wait” & Spotty Express List
- Waiting for a new public apartment? 5 years on average in HK’s skyscraping snugness.
- Those who want to earn a shortcut push in for the “express” queue for the less‑glamorous flats—labelled “involved in unpleasant incidents” on the Housing Authority website.
- Last September alone: 80,000 dreams applied for 576 quir‑quir horror units.
The Superstitiously Wired Avenues of Property Trading
It’s not just a number crunch; it’s a full‑blown psychological hurdle. Hong Kong’s housing craze collides with a population that clings to feng shui and ancient wisdom, kiting itself for all sorts of mystical balance in the concrete jungle.
A single haunted unit can drag down its neighbours’ rent snow‑covered, spreading creepy vibes to the whole floor—both above and below. Property agents swear it’s like an invisible clique of price‑dragging ghosts.
Bottom line: if you’re hunting for a home in Hong Kong, remember you’re not just buying bricks and mortar; you’re buying a dose of superstition, a lifestyle, and perhaps – if you’re lucky – a haunted story to chuckle about later.
Haunted Homes Sell Like Houses on a Discount Stash
People in Hong Kong fear that the spirits of murder victims might drift through living spaces, nursing their wounds and whistling for unfinished business.
The Story of a Tragic Apartment
Only a few doors away from the luxury pad where ex‑British banker Rurik Jutting took the lives of two women in 2014, a neighboring flat changed hands last year. The new owner paid a price that was about 6 % lower than the 2011 value, even though the city’s real‑estate market had rocketed by more than 80 % in that span.
Why Some Buyers Gird Their Worms
- “We’re a traditional Chinese society,” a discreet agent sniffed, “so the idea of an unlucky loft puts some people on edge.”
- Banks are wary too: Centaline Mortgage Broker MD Ivy Wong cautions that a property rumored to be haunted might be a nightmare for lenders if a mortgage defaults.
- Back in the day, banks outright barred loans for “hongza” flats—those rumored to be haunted. The rule has loosened, so more buyers are willing to commit.
- HSBC even let someone buy a notorious Tsuen Wan apartment where a man shot to death six relatives in a gas‑filled tragedy back in ’96.
The Dark Archive of “Haunted” Listings
There are a host of unofficial websites cataloguing thousands of alleged haunted houses across Hong Kong. The same idea lives in Taiwan, Japan, and even a Canadian page that tracks spooky or murder‑laden homes across North America.
Do Agents Tell The Tale?
Property brokers aren’t legally required to mention a flat’s haunted reputation, but the Hong Kong Estate Agents Authority‘s code of ethics says otherwise—bye-bye questionable listings are a thing of the past.
From 2014 till now, the Authority has received 28 complaints about haunted flats—small numbers, but enough to keep a vigilant eye.
Feels like “I’m Not Dying, Just Moving In”
Some residents stroll right past the ghostly rumors. “I was never afraid,” says Jenny Yuen, who once rented a purportedly haunted flat shortly after landing in Hong Kong from the mainland. “Everybody dies, it’s another part of life.”
