A recent survey by China's central bank shows that more Chinese residents are likely to buy homes in the fourth quarter of the year.

According to the results of the survey, some 53.7 percent of respondents believe that current home prices are "high and hard to accept," compared with 42.9 percent who find them "acceptable." Regarding home prices in next quarter, 23.1 percent of people surveyed predicted they would rise, with 11.9 percent expecting a decrease. Nevertheless, the ratio of residents who were prepared to buy a house within the next three months increased 1.3 percent from the third quarter to reach 16.3 percent.