Though big cities have reportedly seen a sharp drop in housing prices, the cost of living has not changed. It remains very difficult for young people, even in their 30s, to buy a well-built 100-square-meter apartment within Fourth Ring Road.
Some are saving and waiting, and others are dashing for the suburbs, where realizing the dream is much easier. It may be causing extra pressure in the downtown traffic, but suburb life is the best option for many.
Sick of being boxed in by skyscrapers on the east and of greedy landlords conniving to shake you down?
So is everyone. But it takes sacrifices to do something about it.
“Before I bought my place, I relocated at least seven times. Sometimes my landlord booted me out, and other times they demanded more than I could pay,” says Sun Shui, marketing manager for publisher. He recently moved to a new 70-square-meter apartment outside Fourth Ring Road where he pays 3,000 yuan per month on his mortgage.
That’s not easy to bear, because the mortgage is 60 percent of his salary. Tht means he has to get responsible, give up his luxury clothes and weekends at the bar and chain himself to his budget.
Xu Yang, a 32-year-old design editor, also moved three months ago. Her new apartment is a 2000 development in Shunyi District. Before she made the leap, she checked out communities by Guangqu Road in Xuanwu District, Lishuiqiao and other real estate projects in Changping. But a visit to a friend’s apartment changd her mind.
