Hong Kong and Macau residents purchased a rising share of homes across mainland Greater Bay Area cities during the first half of this year, driven by improving transport links, familiar living environments, and lower costs. In Zhongshan alone, 23.2 per cent of commercial housing transactions between January and June were made by cross-border buyers.
Regional integration across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area is reshaping property markets, lifestyle choices, and professional mobility. While transport infrastructure and community services draw thousands of new residents across borders, parallel regulatory changes are permanently expanding where legal professionals can practice.
Cross-Border Homebuying Surges in Zhongshan, Huizhou, and Zhuhai
Property markets in mainland cities within the Greater Bay Area saw an increasing influx of buyers from Hong Kong and Macau through the first half of this year. According to the Zhongshan housing and urban-rural development bureau, the city recorded 9,308 commercial housing transactions between January and June, with 23.2 per cent of those purchases made by buyers from Hong Kong and Macau. That figure marks a continuation of a steady upward trend; earlier official data showed the demographic accounted for more than 18 per cent of Zhongshan housing purchases in the first two months of 2025, exceeding 20 per cent by the first 10 months of that year.
A similar pattern emerged in Huizhou, where Hong Kong and Macau residents bought an average of 4,865 homes a year over the past three years, accounting for 5 to 6 per cent of the city’s total residential transactions, according to data cited by Huizhou Daily. In Jiangmen, housing authority figures showed that Hong Kong residents purchased 760 homes in the first half of this year, building on a total of more than 2,200 home purchases made in the city since 2025.
Purchasing patterns are also shifting. Local media reported that second-hand home purchases by Hong Kong and Macau residents overtook new home purchases for the first time in 2024, a trend that persisted through 2025 and the first half of 2026 with a widening gap between the two categories.
Li Yujia, chief researcher at the residential policy research center of the Guangdong planning institute, attributed the trend to improved transport connectivity, deeper regional integration, and a favourable living environment.
Li Yujia, chief researcher at the residential policy research center of the Guangdong planning institute, stated that connections between Hong Kong and other mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area had become more convenient, while infrastructure, community facilities, and the coordination of social services across the region had also improved.
Li added that mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area offer a familiar linguistic, cultural, and climatic environment while providing more living space at a comparatively lower cost, particularly for middle-aged and elderly residents.
Developer Strategies and Buyer Budgets Across the Region
Property developers are tailoring their projects to meet the specific demands of cross-border buyers. A Zhuhai-based property developer reported that Hong Kong and Macau residents accounted for more than 30 per cent of total buyers in its Zhuhai projects in the first half of this year, up from 18 per cent in 2025. Lin Genghao, sales director of the Zhonghai Huanyu Tianxia residential project in Zhuhai, noted that frequent cross-boundary travel and changing consumption patterns helped drive the increase.
Lin Genghao, sales director of the Zhonghai Huanyu Tianxia residential project in Zhuhai, noted that most of their demand was for homes used for part-time residence or retirement.
For Hong Kong buyers ranging from their 30s to around 65, Lin observed that three-bedroom homes of around 100 square meters and smaller two-bedroom units spanning 60 to 70 square meters are the most common choices. Buyers with stronger purchasing power frequently prioritize views. Budgets span a wide range: ordinary buyers seeking retirement properties generally look for units priced between 1 million yuan and 1.5 million yuan (US$149,000 to US$223,000), whereas wealthier purchasers target luxury projects ranging from 3 million yuan to 15 million yuan.
Permanent Practice Rights for Hong Kong Lawyers in Guangdong
Alongside residential integration, professional cooperation across the Greater Bay Area reached a new milestone as mainland authorities finalized permanent status for a pilot scheme enabling lawyers to practice in Greater Bay Area cities. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed amendments to the Lawyers Law, scheduled to take effect on September 1, replacing a trial program originally launched in 2020 and extended in 2023.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok noted that the legislative change will accelerate regional development under the national 15th five-year plan outline, which covers economic and social development between 2026 and 2030. According to the Department of Justice, more than 650 Hong Kong and Macau lawyers have already obtained licenses to provide specified civil and commercial legal services subject to mainland laws across the nine Guangdong cities. The Bar Association welcomed the statutory amendment, predicting continued growth in qualifying members as regional integration deepens.
