Ancient Sands - Investor's thoughts ...

[Sanchez]

LOL .... Ok guys lets get back on track with constructive / positive opinions etc.
I think Jeremy was trying to indicate that El Gouna is more expensive and will probably attract a different type of investor / owner.....lets leave it at that.

[Jeremy Sturgess]

Originally Posted by crombiestone

Ok so now your last sentence is insulting or is it condescending or perhaps both , The use of the word class in my post was incorrect . Thanks for pointing that out .

See below for the Wikipedia definition of Elite ?

Elite (also spelled Élite) is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect". In sociology as in general usage, the élite is a relatively small dominant group within a large society, which enjoys a privileged status envied by individuals of lower social status.

Reading it again you are right it was rude and condescending. Apologies.

Thanks for the elite definition. I would say that this is exactly the kind of Egyptian customer that Gouna has at present as I pointed out in my first post.

[Sanchez]

[QUOTE=ThomasCurtains;64769]

Originally Posted by Sanchez

Hi all,
TC .. great to hear from another AS purchaser. Congrats !!
Which unit?

Hi Sanchez, Unit 14 building 2 - only a studio but it's really a 1-bed. Views should be spectacular! Like the location of the development as well on the most northern part of El Gouna. Didn't want to chance the hire car going onto the site but had a good walk around instead. Seems flat from a distance but it has loads of little hills and valleys and the spot for the hilltop village is really high.

Nice one. Should get some cool views from there ......
I've got unit 4 in building two .... so we'll be neighbours : - )

[brook]

Hi Georgina,

I absolutely agree with your comments, and fail to see the validity of the cheap
sarcastic and un necessary remarks made to you personally... interesting the same
old names appear all over the forums... 'key board kings' of nothing better to do.

Brook B

[Sanchez]

Originally Posted by Organics1

Sanchez...Thanks for the advice on where I should "stick my money". I had never thought of that

Good luck with your investment

Sorry Organics. I think you may have been playing "devils advocate" a little in some of your posts, to see people's reactions and develope feedback.
I do it myself sometimes, and it is always good to look at the good with the bad.

As you know no investment is perfect. If you look hard enough at any investment it has negatives ....... as you know it's all about risk vrs reward, and you reduce your risk with research.
I haven't done any research outside of Egypt / UK, but if you're looking to buy something on the Red Sea, in my opinion, I don't think you'll find a better investment then AS presently. You'll find cheaper ..... but not better.

I also wish you well with your investing ....

Dave

[ThomasCurtains]

[QUOTE=Sanchez;64956]

Originally Posted by ThomasCurtains

Nice one. Should get some cool views from there ......
I've got unit 4 in building two .... so we'll be neighbours : - )

Sanchez,
a very nice unit, you will get tremendous views from your terraces. Will be nice to meet in the piazza for a shisha one day. On a more serious note you make good points in your last post; at the end of the day we are all supporting Gouna which is the important thing. Cheers TC

[CarolineF]

Originally Posted by Organics1

Hi All,

I too have been waiting a while and really looking forward to see Ancient Sands (Along with numerous other investor friends) and have recently received the E-Brochure for it. I totally agree with everyone here it does look great but 125,000 GBP for a one bed apartment (inc. Furniture) on pre launch is taking the ****. Especially considering the two blocks that have been released. I was FULLY expecting these to be a lot higher than your average Hurghada apartment but God only knows how much the fairways apartments will be! oh and three years is only for the first phase completion, so you'll be living on a build site for a few years after that too.

I 100% agree with Neil. Why have 50,000 GBP tied up in this for three years (40% of 125,000 GBP) when for the same money or less you can buy in EL Gouna with an already established track record, not only with foreign investors but with Egyptians alike. I would have fully expected these to be somewhere between the prices of Sahl and EL Gouna. Making them comparable in price to EL Gouna is not a good investment in my mind and if anyone on here does think it's a good idea list your reasons, maybe I'm in cuckoo land!

Why not start earning on your money straight away both from rental income and capital appreciation and buy Across the road.

Then there's the "offer" of the management scheme! So not only is the 14% "anticipated" you then are deducted 4% for maintenance and then you receive 50% of that. Hmmm

Actually I could go on with loads of other reasons but to be honest I think I've said enough.

I look forward to hearing the "real" reasons why people think this a "great" investment instead of what else is available and not just about how great the resort will look. I am more than happy if I have stated anything incorrect to be corrected and if there is a good enough argument I may still be swayed. But at this stage it has to be some argument.

Regards

I have been examining my options for buying in Egypt and it seems to me that this project is one of the few that clearly expresses the ins and outs of how you buy, what costs will apply and how it all works. It actually seems to me that they are quite honest. The only place I have found honest advise so far has been this forum and the Ancient Sands website seems to also provide a lot of information that has been helpful.

The only reason I comment is because I have brought properties before where the rental return is shown as gross with no information to qualify this and I have ended up with high utility bills, maintainence fees and other management charges that suddenly appear on the bill. But in the case of the Ancient Sands website they have shown exactly what it includes so you can calculate a realistic net figure with no hidden added extras.

I know that Organic's 1 seems to feel that the deducttion from the income is excessive and indeed it is quite high, but you can rent it yourself as well according to this thread. At least it seems if you rent through the 'management scheme' it looks like most of your costs are covered even if the market is not so strong. I am sure they could have simply quoted a net figure and no-one would have made any comment, but I prefer to know what is included and how it all works. I am now looking at this option, despite the high prices, as I think that there will not be any horrors hidden around the corner.

Only time will tell!!

Caroline F

[Sanchez]

[QUOTE=ThomasCurtains;65028]

Originally Posted by Sanchez

Sanchez,
a very nice unit, you will get tremendous views from your terraces. Will be nice to meet in the piazza for a shisha one day. On a more serious note you make good points in your last post; at the end of the day we are all supporting Gouna which is the important thing. Cheers TC

Definately, it's a date!
I think most of the units will have pretty cool views, but I fancied unit 4 (townhouse) the most.
I think sometimes, expressing one self in "text" can be difficult as tone etc cannot be added. I think sometimes people take posts differently to how they are meant. but hey ho ... life goes on

[Sanchez]

Originally Posted by CarolineF

I have been examining my options for buying in Egypt and it seems to me that this project is one of the few that clearly expresses the ins and outs of how you buy, what costs will apply and how it all works. It actually seems to me that they are quite honest. The only place I have found honest advise so far has been this forum and the Ancient Sands website seems to also provide a lot of information that has been helpful.

The only reason I comment is because I have brought properties before where the rental return is shown as gross with no information to qualify this and I have ended up with high utility bills, maintainence fees and other management charges that suddenly appear on the bill. But in the case of the Ancient Sands website they have shown exactly what it includes so you can calculate a realistic net figure with no hidden added extras.

I know that Organic's 1 seems to feel that the deducttion from the income is excessive and indeed it is quite high, but you can rent it yourself as well according to this thread. At least it seems if you rent through the 'management scheme' it looks like most of your costs are covered even if the market is not so strong. I am sure they could have simply quoted a net figure and no-one would have made any comment, but I prefer to know what is included and how it all works. I am now looking at this option, despite the high prices, as I think that there will not be any horrors hidden around the corner.

Only time will tell!!

Caroline F

Hi Caroline. I'm glad this thread / site has provided some useful info for you.
I think having a British based developer in partnership with an Egyptian developer can have quite a few benefits. I think it's fair to say that the British side of things brings a little more structure and clearer documentation. Especially for people like me who can't read or write arabic. I am thinking of studying arabic at the El Gouna Uni at some point ..........

[ThomasCurtains]

[QUOTE=Sanchez;65038]

Originally Posted by ThomasCurtains

Definately, it's a date!
I think most of the units will have pretty cool views, but I fancied unit 4 (townhouse) the most.
I think sometimes, expressing one self in "text" can be difficult as tone etc cannot be added. I think sometimes people take posts differently to how they are meant. but hey ho ... life goes on

Agreed on both counts. Caroline also makes a good point - one thing that put me off on the other stuff I looked at was the documentation which left more questions than answers. They have made it easy here even though there was loads of paperwork to wade through. It is obvious that there are Brits involved and I'm happy about that. Cheers TC