[hk20000]

^ As you have mentioned the amount of rent you can gather from the price you have to pay to buy in is ridiculous in some areas of town, such as your own example a 3mil home rented for 3500 a month...

but then some people are in it to "park" their money because if the money is still in China / 3rd world country / wherever not so safe the money is likely to just vanish anyway.

so 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing applies in some market transactions. Where the price is ridiculously high and one would just buy wherever the new owner can park his new found wealth even if he is prosecuted / murdered overseas his heirs could retain the majority of the wealth.

On the flip side, if you are buying into apartments in downtown it still isn't a bad proposition for rent-out in its rent / cost to buy ratio. A dumpy little apartment in DT that went for 350k or thereabouts could rent for $1500 + parking lease if you choose it right. So you are in for some ROI if you put 30% down initially.