Who is still buying in a frozen housing market? Three Taipei-area hotspots buck the trend

Taiwan’s cooling presale housing market has not stopped buyers everywhere. In Yonghe, New Taipei City, transactions more than doubled in the first half of 2026 from the same period in 2024, making the district the country’s strongest performer.

Yonghe recorded 249 presale transactions, an increase of 137.1%, according to a review by Yungching Real Estate Group. The overall market remained subdued, however. Mortgage restrictions, the central bank’s seventh round of credit controls and a wait-and-see mood have cooled presale demand since 2025, with no broad recovery visible in the first half of this year.

The growth instead appeared in selected mature communities. Wenshan district in Taipei saw transactions rise 92.5% from the same period in 2024, while Beitou, Songshan and Kaohsiung’s Lingya district posted increases of roughly 10% to 20%. The four districts with the largest increases were all in the Taipei metropolitan area.

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The presale market as a whole has still not shown a clear recovery this year, but transaction volumes in some districts have grown from the same period in 2024, with particularly sharp increases.

Yungching researcher Chen Chin-ping said the results showed that buyers had not left the market entirely. Demand has shifted toward areas with established services, convenient transportation and relatively limited supply. Yonghe combines dense population, complete amenities and proximity to Taipei, supporting long-standing commuter and owner-occupier demand. Its limited supply of new presale projects has also helped sustain purchases as the wider market cooled.

One project, Hanhuang River Sky, accounted for more than 70% of Yonghe’s presale transactions in the first half, making it a major contributor to the district’s rise. In Taipei, Wenshan benefits from transit, schools and comparatively lower prices than the city’s core areas. Beitou combines transit, amenities and its natural environment, as well as the development theme surrounding the Beitou-Shilin Science Park. Songshan offers mature commercial and transport infrastructure, but limited land keeps the supply of new projects low. Chen said future buyer decisions would depend on policy and financing conditions, along with each project’s transport access, amenities, supply and total price burden.

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The market has shifted from broad-based activity in 2024 to being driven by regional fundamentals and actual owner-occupier demand.