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Building a prefab home

Liumingke1234 (3297 posts) • 0

I think it's ridiculous to built a prefab house with all the cost involved not to mention the 'red' tape. Just by a condo and be done with it. How much is the prefab home anyway compared to buying a house or condo here?

Liumingke1234 (3297 posts) • 0

Why does it have to be a 'prefab' house? Yes we know why people built houses but different countries have rules and regulations on what kind of houses you can built. Many have building codes that you must abide by or face heavy fines. It might be easy to built one is Switzerland but I doubt you will be able to build one here. Good luck with that and let us know how you do.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

My advice to the OP. Be very careful, trust no one. In my wife's home town the government sold off land. Many people who bought the land built on it. Now the government decide that they did not have permission to build on the land.
It would be controversial to tell those who have already built and established businesses that they have to tear them down. In fact it could not happen. But those who have part built have had to stop. They have been told that they will not have to tear down, but they have not been given permission to continue; and it has been almost a year now.
In the past a bribe could have fixed this, but now people are not taking bribes. Nobody (incl. gov) knows what to do and so nothing is happening.
If any of these structures were pre-fab (and seen as temporary structure) the situation would be even more uncertain. There are many pre-fab structures in China, most are temporary, like construction workers on-site accommodation.

Further note. This may be your dream. Unless you are an 'old China hand', you may want to leave China after a year, many people do.

Long-Dragon (390 posts) • 0

First, you have to trust some local Yunnan knowledgeable persons. It probably will take up to two years. You must have a substantial budget. Why the city of Kunming? Or is it someplace in Yunnan. Your China and Yunnan experience? There are a few English speaking and knowledgeable national Chinese legal firms in Kunming you will need to use. Your builders or contracts for construction will require regular supervision for quality and getting what you want.

JanJal (1243 posts) • 0

Common approach with regulations in China (and why not elsewhere too), is "law is as it is interpreted, not as it is written".

In today's China, I would argue the opposite. It is better to study the relevant laws yourself and do your best to follow them as they are written (when it is obvious), even if you occasionally have to go against the wind with local authorities and consultants.

Local government may give you permission to do something, and take it away next day.

China is trying to improve rule of law, which in this context means going from varying local implementations and practices towards the written state law.

In this environment, following the written law is a safer bet, especially for long term investments.

Liumingke1234 (3297 posts) • 0

There are thousands of condos of all sizes ready to be bought. I would go with that since you are a 'foreigner' and don't really know how the 'wind' is going to blow with China still discovering how to deal with us. Go with what is already established and easy to deal with here. Just my 2 cents.

Anonymous Coward (329 posts) • 0

There are about 1.4 billion people living in China. I believe Yunnan province alone is 40M. Most of it is covered in mountains. Population density in China is high. There is a lot of demand for land. Infact, everyone here would prefer to have their own detached house if the land was available and affordable. The Chinese government wants to keep urban sprawl to a minimum in order to have enough farm land to maintain food security. Villages are constantly being demolished, and the residents moved into high rise buildings.
It is possible to buy detached homes however. In Dali for example, you can get one for about 3 million RMB. It would be part of a gated community though.

Some people "buy" land and houses from farmers, but they don't actually have legal ownership, as they lack the red ownership book. Some people are just sitting on these properties hoping the laws will be revised, giving them a path to proper ownership. I for one am not willing to take the risk.

I considered buying a villa recently, but I suspect that when the annual property taxes come into effect (I've heard 2017) the government will tax the hell out of it.

rejected_goods (349 posts) • 0

if you marry a village girl whose family has a family pot assigned by the commune after Mr. Deng's land reform then you could easily build whatever on top of the family pot provided the girl holds a pot of land on her own, separate and subdivided from the family pot. I know that is the case in guangxi. so fall in love with a village girl. hahah :-)

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