TAIPEI, Taiwan - An upscale Xinyi District apartment unit that formerly belonged to local singer Chang Hui-mei was sold for a total of NT$345.2 million (S$14.6 million), the highest since the government launched its real-value home registration website, the United Evening News reported yesterday.<p>
The unit has changed hands three times. Chang, more famously known as A-Mei, sold it in July 2010 for NT$240 million to the chairman of a technology firm, who then sold it to someone else.<p>
This time, the buyer is Chuang Wen-yang, a well-known China-based Taiwan businessman who runs the cosmetics brand “T-Joy” on the other side of the strait.<p>
Over the past two years and a half, the property's value rose by about NT$100 million, or NT$600,000 a ping, a margin of 43.8 percent. Each ping is 3.3 square meters.<p>
Since the real-value registration system was implemented, the real transaction prices of various prime properties have been revealed. Recently two apartment units were sold for NT$340 million each, one in Shengyang Kuopao in Xinyi and the other in Fubon Jiuchuang in Dazhi, Chungshan District.<p>
The apartment in question was sold in November last year and was registered in January this year. The price was revealed after the Lunar New Year break.<p>
According to the information on the website, the unit in question has total area of 171.9 pings, plus three parking spaces that totaled 56.8 ping and sold for NT$5 million apiece. Without factoring in the parking spaces, the apartment unit was sold for NT$1.9198 million a ping.<p>