Money laundering.
Much of China homes bought from criminal money of Generals. Your foreign neighbor brings blood money to your neighborhood.
One down the street from us was bought by a middle eastern guy named Mohammed. I didn’t find out until after he moved but it seems he may have been using it as some sort of safe house or something else scary. He’d drive up with a couple of younger middle eastern looking guys with backpacks and caps on their heads. They’d go in and he’d leave shortly after. The guys wouldn’t been seen again until Mohammed would come back a few days later, go inside and bring them out. Rinse and repeat every few days. Now, mind you, this is a tourist area and the house is on the water but none of the “guests” ever grilled outside, ever went swimming or fishing, ever went out on the boat, ever poked their heads out. So, what’s up with that?