THE Holiday Property Exhibition in the Shanghai Exhibition Centre over the May Day break was the first big real estate show after new policies affecting the industry came into force.

The exhibition attracted more critical interest than previously and observers believe that the new regulations restricting the resale of unfinished properties have reined in Shanghai's overheated real estate market.

One exhibitor said that more than 80 per cent of inquiries had come from people planning to buy houses for their own use.

Non-investment home buyers also tended to be more critical about the quality of life in their new homes rather than just having a roof over their heads. Xie Hengliang, the marketing manager from Royal Garden, said: "Now consumers are becoming more mature as they shift from the choice of designers and materials, to the flexibility and function of living spaces from the generous supply of electrical points to the higher-than-normal power supply provision."