Fears of more curbs scare 'haunted' flat out of market

If ghosts were not bad enough, a flat was spooked out of the market by rumours of policy changes.

A "haunted flat" in Kowloon Bay has become the latest victim of the buzz over cooling measures, with the owner withdrawing it from a private auction yesterday because of poor response.

CS Group, which was in charge of the auction, said the owner received only one bid, of HK$3 million. The sale was withdrawn as the price was below the minimum set by the owner.

The poor response contrasts the recent, strong buying sentiment for flats with similarly spooky antecedents.

The flat is a 556 sq ft unit in Telford Gardens, where three women and two girls died in 1998 after drinking "holy water" offered by a fung shui master. The "holy water" contained cyanide.

"Home-seekers have become more cautious amid rumours the government will soon announce more property curbs," said Patrick Chow Moon-kit, the research head at Ricacorp Properties.

Demand for "haunted homes" increased last month as home-seekers went bargain hunting in anticipation of a rise in property prices.