(Source: "China Economic Times"-China Economic News Network December 8, 2025)

Face recognition access control, whole-house intelligent control, smart communities... In the past, they were only configurations of high-end residential areas, but now they are becoming standard features of "good houses".

With the fundamental change in the supply and demand relationship in my country's real estate market, residents' housing needs have leapt from "owning a house to live" to "living in a good house". The real estate industry is entering a new stage of development with quality improvement and people's livelihood security as the core. The deployment of "promoting high-quality development of real estate" in the "Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereinafter referred to as the "Recommendations") is being transformed through market changes into a tangible high-quality living experience for the people.

Demand-driven housing quality will usher in a revolutionary improvement

“In the past, location and price were the main considerations when buying a house; now, more attention is paid to the sound insulation effect, lighting and ventilation of the house, as well as the green environment of the community and the quality of property services.” Liu Min, who works in Beijing, has recently started to replace her house. The change in her house purchase needs reflects the upgrading of residents’ living concepts.

The "Recommendations" propose: "Build safe, comfortable, green and smart 'good houses', and implement housing quality improvement projects and property service quality improvement actions." "Establish a full life cycle safety management system for houses." This is a positive response to the upgrading of residents' housing needs.

Liu Zhengshan, deputy secretary-general of the China Urban Development Research Association, said in an interview with a reporter from China Economic Times that in the future, housing quality will usher in a revolutionary improvement. At present, the per capita housing construction area in my country's cities and towns exceeds 40 square meters, and the home ownership rate exceeds 70%. The issue of housing is no longer "have it", but has turned to "is it good or not". In the future, green buildings, smart homes, and healthy communities will become standard equipment, and housing quality will become the core competitiveness.

Zhang Yuansuo, director of the Habitat Research Center of Beijing Union University, also told a reporter from China Economic Times that the housing quality improvement project will promote the development of housing construction in a safe, comfortable, green, and smart direction. Newly built houses will pay more attention to energy conservation, environmental protection, intelligent supporting facilities, and living experience to improve residents' quality of life.

Wu Yingjie, a researcher at the Japan Research Center of the w88 casino, said that from "have or not" to "good or bad", it promotes the transformation of residents' housing needs from "adequate" to "useful", and from solving basic housing to pursuing new changes in quality life needs and expectations. “Basic health indicators such as sound insulation, ventilation, and lighting have become urgent needs, and the demand for livable communities that are safe, comfortable, and complete with complete supporting facilities is increasingly obvious.”

It is worth mentioning that property services, as the "last mile" of residential quality, are accelerating the transformation from "basic management" to "smart services", improving service response efficiency through smart security systems, online repair reporting platforms, community e-commerce services, etc.

Wu Yingjie told a China Economic Times reporter that the improvement of property service quality will extend the real estate value chain from front-end development to back-end services. Property services will be directly related to the preservation and appreciation of real estate value and living happiness, driving the transformation of real estate companies from "developer" to "service provider".

Liu Zhengshan suggested that the level of housing consumption services should be improved. Improve the quality of property services, promote the transformation and upgrading of property companies, transform from basic cleaning and security to a full life cycle service provider, provide value-added services such as elderly care, childcare, and health to meet residents' expectations for a better life.

"The "Recommendations" include real estate in the overall arrangement of people's livelihood security, which marks the transformation of the positioning of real estate from a simple economic pillar to the dual functions of people's livelihood security and economic development." Liu Zhengshan emphasized that in the future, the people's livelihood security function of housing will be further strengthened.

Precisely implement policies to build a new pattern of "guaranteeing safety + quality improvement"

Structural differences on the demand side call for precise policies. The "Recommendations" put forward, "Optimize the supply of affordable housing to meet the basic housing needs of urban working-class groups and various families in need." "Invest urban-based policies to increase the supply of improved housing."

The optimization of the supply of affordable housing has given urban working-class groups and various families in need a greater sense of gain. Data show that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, more than 11 million units (rooms) of various types of affordable housing, urban villages, and urban dilapidated housing renovations were constructed and raised, benefiting more than 30 million people. In Shanghai, efforts are being made to create a multi-level affordable rental housing supply system of "one bed, one room, one suite" to meet the diverse housing needs of new citizens, young people, frontline workers and other groups. In Xi'an, public rental housing applications have been processed "online with one click", which not only shortens the waiting time, but also reduces service costs. These measures make affordable housing truly a "safe house."

For the demand for improved housing, the policy toolbox in various places is constantly enriched. Beijing has launched a "serial purchase" business to avoid the risk of "missing the mark"; Hangzhou provides deed tax exemptions for families with multiple children purchasing improved housing; Suzhou uses the "old-for-new" model to help owners of old communities easily exchange for new homes. These policies accurately hit the pain points of "difficulty in selling an old house and expensive replacement of a house".

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, in order to better meet the differentiated housing needs of residents, Zhang Yuansuo suggested that first, increase the supply of affordable housing. Increase financial investment, improve the construction, distribution, management and other policies of affordable housing, expand the coverage of affordable housing, improve the construction quality and supporting facilities of affordable housing, and ensure that low- and middle-income groups can have a place to live. The second is to support the demand for improved housing. By optimizing tax policies, credit policies and other measures, we will reduce the transaction costs of improved housing, encourage residents to w88 small for larger, old for new, promote the development of the improved housing market, and improve residents' living conditions. The third is to improve housing-related legislation, protect the rights and interests of relevant entities, provide residents with stable housing services, and meet the housing needs of different groups.

Liu Zhengshan proposed that in accordance with the three-level demand system of "basic-improvement-high-end", city-specific policies should be implemented to increase the supply of improved and high-quality housing. For groups with basic needs, focus on ensuring functional housing needs; for improvement groups, provide diversified and high-quality product choices; for high-end demand groups, adjust through market mechanisms to avoid misallocation of resources.

In Wu Yingjie’s view, the core of real estate reform driven from the demand side is to guide the transformation and upgrading of housing consumption patterns through systematic and refined institutional design, so that it can adapt to the new stage of urbanization, new characteristics of the population structure and the goal of common prosperity.

He suggested building a step-by-step consumption model of “rent first and then purchase, and both rent and purchase”. Change the consumption concept and market structure of “buy more than rent”. The first is to optimize the supply of affordable housing, focusing on expanding the coverage and quality of affordable rental housing, so that it not only serves "difficult families", but also becomes a common choice for new citizens and young people to live in dignity. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate professional and institutional market-oriented long-term rental institutions, improve the standardization and quality of rental housing, and give tenants more stable rights of residence, so that rental can truly become a long-term and feasible living option. The second is to promote the upgrade of housing consumption from "physical space" to "comprehensive life experience". As the middle-income group expands and consumption upgrades, home buyers’ focus has shifted from basic attributes such as area and location to comprehensive experiences such as building quality, green performance, smart technology, community facilities and property services. In the era of housing stock, demand-side requirements have shifted to quality improvement and value-added services.

From the "guarantee" of affordable housing to the "quality improvement" of improved housing, from the "escort" of housing safety to the "upgrade" of property services, the reform of the real estate industry is advancing steadily in the direction of "people-centered", injecting lasting power into the improvement of people's livelihood and economic growth. (Our reporter Li Xiaohong)

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