Tony Wong in Hengqin
Macau Urban Renewal Limited (MUR) said yesterday that over 1,000 Macau residents have already bought a flat in the Macau New Neighbourhood (MNN) residential estate on Zhuhai’s Hengqin island since home sales started in late November last year.
Chan Ion Kei, the MNN project chief, made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the MNN estate after a ceremony where MUR top executives handed symbolic keys to the first seven homebuyers.
The ceremony also marked yesterday’s launch of a new “one-stop” service that enables MNN buyers to complete their online real-estate registration, tax payment, application for real-estate ownership certificate, and notarial entrustment on the same day.
The seven homebuyers also received their real-estate ownership certificates during yesterday’s ceremony held at the MNN sales centres located on Clubhouse Level 1 of Tower 4 of the MNN estate.
MNN home sales started on November 28. The MNN project, which got off the ground in 2021, is developed by MUR, which is owned by the Macau government.
The MNN neighbourhood consists of 27 residential towers with 19 to 26 floors each. The 27 MNN towers have a total of 4,279 flats, comprising about 4,000 units for purchase and around 200 units earmarked for highly-qualified professionals for rent only.
Macau residents aged 18 or over who do not own any residential property in Zhuhai nor own more than one residential unit in Macau are eligible to buy an MNN flat.
The MNN flats are sold at an average price of 30,000 yuan per square metre. MNN buyers are required to pay an initial deposit of 100,000 yuan (113,495 patacas).
Delivering a speech during yesterday’s ceremony, Liu Weidong, deputy director of the Zhuhai Real Estate Registration Centre, said that MNN buyers who have paid their initial deposit can now complete all necessary formalities such as online real-estate registration and tax payment at the same time, after which they can then receive their real-estate ownership certificates and the keys to their flat.
The MNN keys are Siemens smart e-keys.
Liu said that newly developed kiosks that can read both Macau ID cards and Home Return Permits have been set up in the MNN neighbourhood, enabling potential MNN buyers to apply and then obtain an official document proving that they do not own any residential property in Zhuhai.
A Home Return Permit is a card for Macau residents who are Chinese nationals to travel to and from the mainland.
After delivering his speech, Liu handed real-estate ownership certificates to the seven MNN buyers, after which MUR Chairman Peter Lam Kam Seng and Vice Chairman Leong Keng Seng as well as Tam Chi Wai, a MUR board member, handed symbolic keys to the seven homebuyers.
After the ceremony, lion dances were held outside Tower 4.
When asked by reporters how many MNN flats have been sold, Chan said that a “four-digit” number of Macau residents have committed to buying an MNN flat, i.e., having paid the 100,000-yuan initial deposit. After reporters pushed him for a more exact number, Chan said that between more than 1,000 and less than 2,000 Macau residents have already committed to buying an MNN flat.
Chan also underlined that so far no-one has given up buying their MNN flat after paying the initial deposit.
In addition to the first seven homebuyers, Chan noted that starting from yesterday all other MNN buyers will benefit from the new “one-stop” service.
The MNN flats are fitted-out units equipped with major household appliances, such as hot-and-cold air conditioners, a water heater, a tableware steriliser, gas hobs, and a kitchen hood.
According to the MNN website, 13 of the estate’s 27 residential towers have seven flats on each floor, while the other 14 towers have eight flats on each floor.
Some 80 percent of the MNN residential units are two-bedroom flats, while the remaining 20 percent are three-bedroom flats. The two-bedroom flats have a gross floor area of about 88 square metres, while the three-bedroom flats have a gross floor area of about 118 square metres.
The two-bedroom flats are being sold for between 2.41 million and 2.63 million yuan, while the three-bedroom flats are being sold for between 3.53 million and 3.71 million yuan.
The MNN neighbourhood will have a school, a health station, a service centre for senior citizens, and a family service centre. The school will provide kindergarten and primary school education.
A new building earmarked for a secondary school will be constructed in the MNN neighbourhood.
The MNN commercial space will comprise around 40 shop units.
The MNN estate is located at the junction of Gang’ao Dadao (avenue) and Tianyu Dao (road) in Hengqin. “Gang’ao” means “Hong Kong-Macau”. “Tianyu” means “Heavenly Feather”.
MUR has underlined that the MNN neighbourhood is just around a six-minute drive from the Hengqin-Macau joint border checkpoint.
Zhuhai Real Estate Registration Centre Deputy Director Liu Weidong (left) poses for photos with the first seven MNN buyers (the man third from left and the woman next to him are a couple) with their real-estate ownership certificates on Clubhouse Level 1 of the MNN estate’s Tower 4. – Photo: Tony Wong
