The thread started with an interesting inquiry on members’ forecast on the future property prices in Jumeirah Village, Dubai Sports City, and City of Arabia–all of which are some of Dubai’s newly accomplished and most anticipated property developments. Also included in the thread are the predicted property prices on some of the city’s currently successful and much sought-after properties, of which includes The Greens, Old Town, and Dubai Marina.

The predicted values that resulted in the thread were based on the mixed views of the members on the direction that these prices would take in the following years. Some commentators purport that by the end of the, decade the supply and demand ratio would level up, consequently slightly decreasing the property prices. Others take on a more positive view, stating that in spite of a tendency to become a buyer’s market and a subsequent slight decrease in prices, overall rates wouldn’t fall as it would take some time before the supply finally crosses the demand. In addition, the ever increasing costs of constructing new buildings would also add up to the property prices.

To read more about Dubai property prices in 2010 see the Dubai forum.

This question has received as much varied answers as there are as much varied choices of property developments found all over Egypt. As a whole, members chose to buy their properties in the resort areas of the country, near the area of the Red Sea where in the properties afford spectacular oceanviews and quick access to the sea. The most common locations chosen by members included Hurghada, El Gouna, and Sharm El Sheikh. Their particular property development choices included Sahl Hasheesh, Hania Beach, regency beach, Desert Pearl, Lotus, Hurghada Dreams, Suleder, regency towers, Oasis Resort, Palm Beach Piazza, and El Andalous.

Yet as much as members gave varied choices in their purchases, there seemed to be a major consensus amongst members on their reasons for purchasing a property in Egypt. These locations were chosen based on capital investment, followed by the potential for rental returns, personal use, either as a holiday or retirement home, and most certainly, the allotted budget for the purchase. Preferences, such as the overall feel of the location, available amenities, and proximity to other premiere locations were generally secondary in the process of selecting a property. Continue reading ‘Why Buy In Egypt?’ »

In recent months, there has been much discussion and mounting interest on Hania Beach, which is a beachfront property development found at Al Ahyaa in Central Hurghada. This five-star luxury off plan development, which sits along the main road between Hurghada and El Gouna, is seen by many members as a fine investment even during at its pre-launch stage. Some of the points made by members regarding its investment potential are the innate attractiveness of its location, project handled by a reputable UK developer, assets will be held in Escrow, mortgage will be written into contract with a large international bank, and its anticipated status as a luxury development incomparable with other local developments.

However, there is a circulating concern amongst members that the apartments in Hania Beach may not have stayed true to its pre-launch value of 750 pounds per square meter. Members are awaiting clarification on the issue that the units’ prices are not based on the area of the apartment alone, such that the common areas like stairwells and corridors would be added up to the area that would be paid by the buyer. Members agreed on an imminent mass cancellation of reservations should this issue prove to be true, since an increase of its price from 750 pounds to 900 pounds per square meter is quite expensive even for such a development. Continue reading ‘Hania Beach – Hurghada – Egypt’ »

The Regency Towers is an apartment complex located within the El Kawser area in Hurghada. Built by one of Egypt’s top architects, the Regency Towers structure is uniquely nestled by roads on all four sides. In addition to this apparent accessibility, the apartment complex is also located within 10 minutes from the Hurghada International Airport.

It features 72 exclusive apartment units that range from 1 to 2-bedroom apartments. Some of its attractive features include a private beach for all owners and tenants, heated pools for adults and children, satellite television, high-speed internet access in all apartments as well as a common area that features a Jacuzzi and a barbecue area.

From an investor’s point of view, buying a property in a new developmental project such as the Regency Towers has several advantages over investing in older and much established properties. One advantage is that the property is relatively undermined and maintenance free. It also has an enormous potential for capital growth if bought early on during the development. This is aside from providing a substantial potential for high rental yields because of its status as a new development. The combination of the Regency Towers’ status as a much anticipated property development and its location in the resort area of Hurghada most certainly paves more potential in investing in this exclusive apartment complex. Thus, this will also provide more than enough potential in offering substantial capital appreciation.

There are 2 spectacular property developments found north of Hurghada, which are set to be world-class residential tourism oasis. First of these is Gamsha Bay, which is envisioned to be the region’s largest township. It measures a vast 320 million square feet. Once complete, it will offer its residents an open scenic environment with 39 kilometers of coastline and 25 kilometers of beaches. It will also offer a wide array of housing options as well as educational facilities, entertainment venues, and recreational facilities such as an adventure theme park, spa centers, a golf course, and a marina village. It will be divided into nine distinct areas:

• Gamsha Bay
• Gamsha Marina
• Creek Retreat
• Marina Park
• Sea View Crescent
• Downtown Gamsha
• Coral Golf Course
• Peninsula Luxury Villas
• and Extreme Sports World Theme Park.

The township of Gamsha Bay will be completed in five phases within 10 years, with the primary components of the first phase completed within the next five years. Continue reading ‘Pre-Launch Developments in Hurghada’ »

The area has one of the most luxurious property developments in the Red Sea Riviera region. Located about 18 kilometers from the Hurghada international airport, Sahl Hasheesh is a world-class exclusive resort community that primarily caters to the dynamic leisure interests of its guests.

It boasts of a historical concept seen with the architectural design of all the structures found in the area, which are also included in the master plan of the entire resort. Some of its major features include over 15 various different themed hotels, 300 private villas and apartments, a 36-hole golf course where in half of its holes are found under water while the other half is found on the hillside, a marina and a yacht club, a miniature Venice complete with canals and gondolas that thread on endearing boutiques by the water, and a “sunken city” that is historically based on a pharonic city. Thus, it is once part of the Sahl Hasheesh area, which reportedly sunk millions of years ago. Some of the hotels belonging to its cluster of hotels are the Oberoi -Sahl Hasheesh and the Pyramisa Sahl Hasheesh.

Most members from the United Kingdom have reported that the flights to Hurghada have been hard to get, almost always fully booked, and quite expensive. Average plane fares from Gatwick Airport in London, as experienced by several members, are equal or a little less than £280. This is with different airlines offering different rates and add-ons. Flights from the Manchester Airport are reported to generally have higher rates, but may have a few airline operators offering prices close to the average rates in Gatwick.

There is much anticipation to be seen in the reduction of these rates and the increase in the availability of flights to Hurghada from the United Kingdom. The acquisition of EasyJet of GB Airways may offer some solution to this dilemma, but there is no concrete evidence yet to prove so. Currently, flights from Eastern Europe are much more affordable than the flights in the United Kingdom to Hurghada and vice versa.

Discuss low cost flights to Egypt in more detail on our Egypt discussion forum.

In anticipation of Egypt’s impending rise as a choice tourist destination, several rental property developments are expected to rise so as to tap into the demand of tourists coming into Egypt’s major resort areas. The completion of hotels and apartments in Hurghada, particularly those found in Hurghada town and along the road leading to el goun, have raised concerns among the members on the eventual outstripping of supply against demand. The completion of the Sahl Hasheesh resort community and the competitive all-inclusive packages offered by the hotels within the area has also added up to the available rental accommodations.

Most members, however, are positive that there would be no excessive slack in the supply of such properties since Egypt’s tropical climate and beaches would continue to draw tourists to its resort areas. Adding to this confidence is the fact that flights from Germany and in Eastern Europe in general are quite inexpensive and more accessible than in other traditional European holiday destinations such as the Canaries. This is evident with the arrivals of Europeans from the said area. Continue reading ‘Rental Market in Hurghada’ »

There has been a lot of discussions among the members about the increasing exposure and good publicity that the Egyptian resort properties have been receiving from the print media. The most recent of these is a story covered by the Daily Mail on the British boxer, Joe Calzaghe, who had bought a property at the Regency Towers. There is a general consensus among the members that the continued publicity would further put the Egyptian property market into the mainstream, thereby further promoting it as a premiere tourist destination and diverting public attention from some of the country’s trouble spots.

The bombing of the wall between Gaza and Egypt by militant groups, the war between Israel and Palestine, and the bombing of Sharm in 2005 have raised concerns from some members on the viability of investing in Egyptian properties. Most members, however, are staunch believers on the inherent appeal of the Egyptian property market to holiday makers and home buyers. This is further supported by the fact that the Gaza strip is far from Hurghada and Sharm, and the conflict in Israel and Palestine is 500 miles away from the major resort areas. Security has been tight in Sharm ever since the bombing, whereby the government greatly invested in security equipment and police visibility in the area.

Read more on the Media Watch thread in the Egypt Forum.