“Across the border in an area called Zhuhai, which is in Guangdong province,” she explained, “is a huge manufacturing area where you can go and pick up things. They probably become branded for export, but they’re nonbranded prior to us buying them.”

Most of the furnishings are available for purchase. Some are antique reproductions, like the “lamp-hanger” dining chairs (so called because lamps can be hung from their backs); a painter’s dining table; a Ming-style coffee table; and a low altar table for the television unit.

The historic Sai Van area — the home of Santa Sancha Palace, the former governor’s residence, and the 17th century Fortress of our Lady of Bom Parto — is adjacent to the tree-covered Penha Hill, one of Macau’s most exclusive residential enclaves. Nearby is the Tennis Civil de Macau, a private tennis club, which has a popular restaurant; another area landmark is a restored hotel called the Pousada de São Tiago, built as a fortress in the early 1600s. The closest markets, which sell meat and fish, are about 10 minutes on foot; supermarkets are 20 minutes away. Macau’s commercial district, San Malo, is also about a 20-minute walk. Casinos are found across the Sai Van Bridge in the Cotai Strip, which is about a 10-minute drive. The unit has street parking, and Macau has a bus system; there is a bus stop right out front. Macau International Airport is about 15 minutes away by car.

MARKET OVERVIEW

Like Hong Kong nearby, Macau is Chinese territory; it has an unusual cultural history, especially from its time as a Portuguese colony. It has also become the gambling center of China, especially since the early 2000s, when the government broke up a monopoly held by a local gambling magnate, Stanley Ho, and allowed foreign investors to build casinos.

Since then there has been a sharp price increase, with the global economic downturn barely making a dent in prices for new housing, agents said. Although there was a drop of 10 to 30 percent, much of that impact was seen in older housing stock like this apartment. Macau is among the most densely populated areas in the world, with nearly 550,000 people in a 12-square-mile area, yet it has continued to add housing, mostly in the form of high-rise condos.