Financing for Foreigners
在纽约买房，外国人也能享按揭

The foreigners streaming into New York to buy housing often pay in cash, but with interest rates low, more have been seeking to finance their purchases.

源源不断的海外买主正前往纽约购置房产。他们通常会用现金全额支付，但鉴于目前的按揭利率较低，有更多人试图通过融资购房。

During the financial crisis, risk-wary lenders were less likely to extend financing to foreigners. The pool of lenders offering such financing is still limited, but their foreign loan business is up.

在金融危机期间，贷款方对风险充满了警惕，为海外买主提供融资服务的可能性也比较小；而目前，尽管提供这种对外融资服务的贷款人数量仍有限，但这一业务的规模却在上升。

HSBC, the multinational bank based in London, reports that its volume of home loans extended to foreign borrowers in the United States has tripled since 2010. “It’s just the ability to get that money at such a low interest rate that is really driving all these applications,” said Joe D’Alessio, an HSBC mortgage consultant who works with high-net-worth clients.

总部设在伦敦的跨国银行汇丰银行(HSBC)表示，自2010年以来，其美国分部为海外买主提供的住房贷款规模已增加了两倍。“外国人可以享受非常 低的贷款利率，仅这一条，就切实推动了这项业务的发展，”乔·德阿莱西(Joe D’Alessio)说。他是汇丰银行的一名按揭贷款顾问，负责为高净值客户服务。

With a presence in 81 countries and territories, HSBC has a big appetite for foreign customers and offers some of the most attractive mortgage terms. Financing is available for up to 70 percent of the purchase price, up to a maximum of $3 million.

汇丰银行在81个国家和地区开展业务，故而十分渴望招揽外国客户，并愿意为其提供极具吸引力的按揭条款。该银行的按揭比例可达房款的70%，上限为300万美元。

Interest rates tend to be slightly higher on loans to foreigners, Mr. D’Alessio said, but the rate on a five-year adjustable mortgage is still in the mid-2 percent range.

德阿莱西说，针对外国客户的贷款利率，比美国人的略高一些，但五年期可调整按揭贷款利率仍在2.5%左右。

HSBC’s terms are stiffer on apartments in buildings that are nonwarrantable (meaning they don’t meet Fannie Mae’s financing guidelines). In these cases, the bank may require 50 percent down.

对位于不可担保（也即不符合房利美[Fannie Mae]融资要求的那些）建筑中的公寓，汇丰银行的按揭贷款条件要更加严格一些，海外买主可能需要首付50%的房款。

“But that doesn’t seem to deter buyers,” said Mr. D’Alessio, who has worked with clients from Britain, Hong Kong, Turkey, Japan and Brazil. “They are usually coming and looking for all-cash deals. Then they find out they can borrow, and so they take advantage of it.”

“但这似乎并没有吓退购房者，”德阿莱西说，他曾与来自英国、香港、土耳其、日本和巴西的客户打过交道。“他们来我们这通常是打算全款购房的。当他们发现自己也可以贷款后，就会利用这个机会。”

Borrowing also gives foreigners more buying power. Some choose to “buy a larger property that might have a higher rate of return in the next few years,” he said.

贷款也提高了海外买家们的购买力。他说，有些人会转而“购买一处更大的房产，一处有可能在未来几年内获得更高回报率的房产”。

Foreign interest in investing in New York is driven in part by the perception that property here is a bargain compared with that in other global cities, said Ace Watanasuparp, the president of DE Capital Mortgage, an affiliate of Wells Fargo.

DE资本抵押贷款(DE Capital Mortgage)是富国银行(Wells Fargo)的分支机构，其总裁艾斯·瓦塔纳萨帕普(Ace Watanasuparp)说，海外购房者对投资纽约房产感兴趣，部分原因是他们觉得跟世界其他城市相比，纽约的房价还算便宜。

A recent report by Knight Frank ranked New York the eighth-most-expensive city for residential property. Going by average price per square foot, New York has an edge over Monaco, Hong Kong, London, Geneva, Paris, Singapore and Moscow. The report notes that growth in high-quality housing in New York is also a draw.

物业顾问公司莱坊国际(Knight Frank)最近发布了一份报告，把纽约排在“住房价格最昂贵的城市”的第八位。以每平方英尺的均价来看，纽约的房价还低于摩纳哥、香港、伦敦、日内瓦、 巴黎、香港、伦敦、新加坡和莫斯科。该报告指出，纽约不断提升的高品质住房条件，是它另一个吸引人的地方。

Through Wells, DE Capital offers financing for foreign buyers, but the program is “not an aggressive one,” Mr. Watanasuparp said. Loan amounts are capped at $1 million, and borrowers must put at least 40 percent down.

DE资本通过富国银行，为海外买主提供融资服务。但瓦塔纳萨帕普说，这个项目“并不激进”，贷款额度的上限为100万美元，首付至少需达到40%。

First Choice Loan Services, a subsidiary of First Choice Bank, has seen an “uptick” in inquiries from foreign nationals in the last few months, according to Jason Auerbach, a divisional manager. The company will lend foreigners up to 65 percent of the purchase price. But such loans are carefully scrutinized by the bank before approval.

富侨贷款服务(First Choice Loan Services)是富侨银行(First Choice Bank)的子公司，它的一名部门经理贾森·奥尔巴赫(Jason Auerbach)说，过去几个月来，该公司收到的外籍购房者的问询量在“上扬”。海外买主可在该公司最多贷到购房款的65%。但富侨银行在批准这种贷款 之前会仔细审查。

“We will also generally ask them to keep a small escrow account with us so we feel that we are definitely protected,” Mr. Auerbach said.

“我们一般也会要求海外买主在我行设立一个小额的托管账户，这样我们就会觉得有十足的保障，”奥尔巴赫说。

Other lenders that work with foreigners include the Bank of Internet and Apple Bank.

其他可向海外买主提供按揭贷款的银行，还包括互联网银行(Bank of Internet)和苹果银行(Apple Bank)。

Still, currency remains king for many foreign buyers. Alen Moshkovich, a sales agent with Douglas Elliman Real Estate, says the vast majority of the foreigners he works with — most recently buyers from Brazil, Russia, China, Venezuela and Israel — continue to pay in cash.

尽管如此，很多海外买主仍会采取现金方式支付房款。阿伦·莫什科维奇(Alen Moshkovich)是Douglas Elliman房地产公司(Douglas Elliman Real Estate)的一名销售代理。他说自己接触过的绝大多数海外购房者——最近来自巴西、俄罗斯、中国、委内瑞拉和以色列的客户——仍会用现金支付房款。

For the superwealthy, any savings obtainable from financing is insignificant, Mr. Moshkovich said. More important, he said, “cash gives them more purchasing power, in terms of negotiating deals, and a quicker closing.”

莫什科维奇说，对于那些超级富豪而言，通过融资节约下来的钱可谓微不足道。更重要的是，“从交易谈判的角度而言，全额支付可以提高购房者的议价力，也可以使交易更快完成，”他说