As the government tightens controls on domestic housing purchases, more rich Chinese are shifted their focus overseas, looking to buy up housing and land at bargain prices, the China Business Times reported Friday.

A group of 40 Chinese with personal wealth of over 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million), will travel to the U.S. for an 11-day house-hunting tour in mid-September. Los Angeles will be their first stop.

According to the report, many real estate developments in the U.S. have prepared preferential policies to attract Chinese buyers. Some developers are throwing in Mercedes-Benz C300 sedans and private parking spaces as gifts to foreign homebuyers. These policies work well in attracting Chinese house hunters and can reduce the cost and risk of their investment, the report said.

Local governments in the U.S. have joined with the real estate industry to show their hospitality. Chinese buyers are provided with full service, including information on properties and purchasing procedure and legal assistance. Local real estate agents often have already singled out the most suitable properties for Chinese customers, the report said.

An iFeng.com estimate put Chinese investment in overseas real estate in 2010 at about 5 billion yuan. That figure could be much bigger if direct home purchases are included.

China's business press carried the story above on Friday.