(Yicai) April 15 -- The property market in Beijing has picked up since the end of last month, with some new housing projects nearly selling out.

About half of the 13 projects that were launched or saw new units added after March 20 sold out at over 40 percent, with some at more than 80 percent, according to figures from leading industry data provider China Real Estate Information Corporation. Homes were mostly priced between CNY4.5 million and CNY5.5 million (USD660,050 and USD806,740).

Future City · Star Universe Era and Guoxianfu PARK projects, which opened in Changping district on March 29, sold 91 percent and 83 percent of available homes, respectively, by April 12. Achieving such high sales rates within less than half a month is relatively rare at new projects.

"Since the end of March, almost all newly launched projects in Beijing have sold very well," an insider from the local new home sales market told Yicai. Projects with lower-priced houses, smaller shared areas, and higher design standards are the most popular among buyers, the person added.

The number of new homes sold in Beijing topped 3,711 this month as of April 13, compared with 3,552 units in March, according to data from the website of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The new house sales data for April has been distorted to some extent by the concentrated signing of recent relocation housing projects, so actual transactions must be fewer, Guo Yi, chief analyst at Heshuo Institution, said to Yicai.

Relocation housing refers to new homes built by the government or developers in the original location or nearby places to relocate displaced households after their old houses were demolished during urban renovation and reconstruction.

Some new housing projects entering the market after the Chinese New Year holiday in February have seen strong demand among ordinary buyers thanks to unique advantages, including convenient rail transit, mature surrounding facilities, and reasonable pricing, Guo noted.

The recently popular new projects in Beijing offer prices within the reach of ordinary homebuyers, with some homes selling at around CNY4 million, said Fan Yijie, a senior analyst at the China Index Academy. Many also sit in communities with mature commercial facilities or in areas with rapid development plans, while builders offer various discounts, helping to attract buyers, Fan added.

Most new houses priced from CNY4 million to CNY6 million used to be located in relatively remote areas with incomplete supporting facilities, but similar projects launched this year sit in significantly better locations, stimulating homebuyers' demand to improve their housing conditions, Ding Zuyu, co-chair of CRIC, said on WeChat.

The positive impact of Beijing's new real estate market policies released in December has remained, CRIC's city branch noted. Under the combined effect of more "good housing" projects entering the market and the arrival of the traditional peak season, new home sales will likely further recover this quarter, it added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev