Beijing is raising the minimum down-payment for home-buyers. This is one of the measures China is taking to cool the housing market.

The minimum down-payment for people buying a single home to live in is now 35 percent. And people who buy a second property must now make a minimum down-payment of 50 percent. It's the latest effort to cool the real estate market which has seen prices soar in the past year.

Beijing's biggest satellite town is Tongzhou District. Over a hundred real estate projects are being built here. Prices are now above fifty thousand yuan, or about 800 dollars per square meter, but that's not stopping buyers. All the apartments in many of these projects were sold before the National Day holiday.

"Most people are buying for self-use and the city is attracting more people. But many people buy houses as an investment, because the interest rate is low for savings," Property agent from Beijing's Tongzhou District, said.

Beijing's new housing policy also calls for an increase in the supply of medium- and low-priced housing for people who are buying an apartment to live in, rather than as an investment. Details of the policy are still not clear. And as it is the first day of National Day holiday, fewer people are looking at new houses.

"I'm buying a home to live in so I don’t think the new policy will affect me much. The down payment for a first home has only gone up by five percent. I think it will only affect to investors," Customer from Beijing Tongzhou District, said.

The scale of housing loans and mortgage leverage are now at a record high level.

Property prices have doubled here in the past year, and they're still rising. The new policy aims to put a brake on the housing market because the risk of a housing bubble is higher than its ever been.