In the business of searching for new homes away from home
Spotting a gap in the overseas property market has led Jill Lin into the business of matching rich Chinese investors with London real estate
Rich Chinese have developed a hunger for overseas properties in recent years. The Annual Report on Chinese International Migration 2014 shows that a growing number of Chinese investors are rushing abroad to buy property and set up permanent residence in places like Europe and North America.
Jill Lin, a Guangzhou native who has lived in London for years, saw great potential for the industry and started a business in her home region, the Pearl River Delta, to help locals snap up pricey real estate in the British capital.
I went to London from Guangzhou to study for a masters degree in 2004. After graduating, I worked in various jobs. In 2008, I worked as an overseas buyer for one of the largest privately own real estate contractors in London who had been actively playing properties in the Greater London area. I have also worked as a contractor for small-scale developers throughout England.
About three years ago, I heard that London real estate agents were keen to recruit Chinese-speaking employees thanks to the growing number of rich Chinese buyers. More Chinese were flocking to buy high-end properties in London for investment purposes as well as for the sake of their children's education. At the same time, in 2013, the Chinese government began tightening the local property investment market. The tougher rules forced wealthy Chinese to look overseas.