Analysts said Chinese home prices are likely to fall by more than 10% in 2011, due to the government's prudent monetary policy and other tightening measures.

Mr Nie Meisheng head of the China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce said that home transactions will decrease by 7% in 2011 while sales value may drop 10% as measures to curb excessive rises in home prices have deterred speculative home buying. That may drag property prices down by over 10% in 2011.

Dr Dong Fan, professor at Beijing Normal University, expected a 10% to 15% decrease in property prices in the second half.

Mr Qin Hong, analyst at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, suggested that developers accelerate construction of rental properties to increase housing supply and put a lid on the rapid rise of home prices.

Mr Qin said that "Public rented accommodation should dominate the country's rental industry while the private rented sector is a necessary complement."

He added that construction of rental housing projects requires massive financial inputs and favorable taxation policies.

China's home prices rose in 67 of 70 cities monitored by the government in April from last year. New home prices in Urumqi, capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, posted the biggest gain, up 9.3% in April from a year earlier.

(Sourced from Beijing News)