Mainstream house prices tipped to outperform prime again in 2013

Residential property prices throughout most of Asia have risen strongly during the past decade, buoyed by rising incomes and higher wealth. Although some markets saw a correction in the immediate wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, they soon recovered.

But a “startling trend” identified by Knight Frank, a leading London-based global property consultant, is that mainstream markets across Asia excluding Japan have outperformed the prime end of the market, especially during the past two years. The one exception is in Jakarta.

This trend is likely to continue and in contrast to many other regions of the world, according to Nicholas Holt, Asia-Pacific research director, and...