As the year comes to an end, it seems the US remains firmly as the most popular destination in 2013 for Chinese home buyers keen on property investments abroad, based on Juwai.com data, reports Chen Jia of China Daily USA (3 December 2013). Top cities searched in the US include New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Houston, but the fastest growing in interest are Honolulu, Detroit, Charlotte, Chicago, and Austin. Although it was the top destination, the US was not among the top 5 fastest growing countries of interest from Chinese. This list was topped by New Zealand, followed by Italy, Thailand, France and Portugal. Andrew Taylor, co-CEO of Juwai.com, notes this is attributed to the fact that wealthy Chinese investors focus less on the country, and rather prefer to search based on price and the lifestyle offered. A quarter to half of all Chinese buyers start their property hunt without a set country in mind. With Internet and word of mouth being the 2 most vital channels to reach wealthy Chinese property investors, Taylor cites Juwai's established relationships with Chinese buyers and the international property industry as the company's biggest advantage. "If a home seller can choose between an agent who markets in China, and one who doesn't, of course they will choose the one who does," he said.