Latest Real Estate News
|
Jul 29 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s real estate market has continued to slide with prices down 8 per cent on average since June 2014, the Q2 report from consultancy JLL has found.
Apartment sale prices dropped 9 per cent year-on-year in Q2 and were down 1 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Meanwhile villa prices fell 2 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter...
More..
|
Jul 29 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Rents in Abu Dhabi increased at the slowest pace in more than two years during the second quarter amid concerns over the long-term impact of lower oil prices.
CBRE’s Abu Dhabi Marketview reported a quarterly increase in rents of just 1 per cent, although on a year-on-year basis rents have climbed by 10 per cent in the...
More..
|
Jul 29 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The number of completed property deals in Dubai has tumbled by more than two-thirds, according to JLL.
In its Dubai Q2 Market Report, the firm’s Mena head of research Craig Plumb said Dubai Land Department figures show a 69 per cent drop in residential transactions during the first half of the year, with 7,400 deals c...
More..
|
Jul 29 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
We are purchasing a Dubai property which is tenanted until next month. So far no vacating letter has been sent to the tenant. So upon completing the transfer, the seller has issued a vacating notice via the courts – this means the tenant will have to vacate after 12 months. The tenant is paying Dh115,000 – well below the marke...
More..
|
Jul 29 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Union Properties has begun construction on the third phase of its Green Community project in Dubai Investments Park.
Contractor Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast has begun laying foundations at the site, which spreads over 138,000 square metres. It will contain 226 properties - 210 villas and 16 duplex apartments - and some retail...
More..
|
Jul 28 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai-based property agency S&K Estate Agents, which traded as Smith & Ken, has confirmed that it has filed for bankruptcy.
In a statement, the company said that all 80 staff within the company in both its Dubai and LA offices have lost their jobs and that a liquidator has been appointed to handle the firm’s a...
More..
|
Jul 27 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Abu Dhabi’s property market is at a “tipping point” because of an increase in the cost of living and a reduction in demand.
According to JLL’s Abu Dhabi Real Estate Market Overview for the second quarter of the year, demand growth in the capital is weakening, with rentals and sales flat during the pe...
More..
|
Jul 27 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The Dubai-based fit-out contractor Depa signed new deals worth Dh719 million during the first half of this year – Dh444m of which were agreed to in the second quarter.
The company yesterday said that the new work included contracts to fit out public areas at the new Dubai Opera House by Emaar Properties in the Downtow...
More..
|
Jul 27 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
About 6,750 new residential units were added to Dubai’s property market over the past three months, bringing the total stock to 479,000 properties, according to a new report.
The ADIB / MPM Properties report states that most of the new units were delivered along the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road corridor, with new ho...
More..
|
Jul 27 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai-based contracting company Drake & Scull has been awarded a Dh218m contract to deliver a package of works for a “major education institution” in Kuwait.
The company will carry out mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works at the project, which is due to complete in 2018. This will include construc...
More..
|
Jul 27 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
DUBAI // A leading estate agent and property management company in Dubai has gone out of business with the loss of dozens of jobs.
S&K Estate Agents, which was also known as Smith & Ken, ceased trading last Tuesday without warning to most of its 70 employees.
The glass door to the company’s offi...
More..
|
Jul 26 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The hypermarkets operator Lulu Group International has paid £110 million (Dh626.6m) for Great Scotland Yard in London as the company expands into hotel development.
It plans to turn the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Police (between 1829 and 1890) into a luxury hotel.
The deal includes an adjoi...
More..
|
Jul 26 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The UAE has been named as one of the top 10 markets for green building space by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
The USGBC, a not-for profit organisation, oversees the Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system.
It says that the UAE has the eighth-largest stock of ...
More..
|
Jul 25 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s Emaar Properties said on Thursday it was committed to its projects in India through its joint venture Emaar MGF Land, and that India was a key market for Emaar.
Its statement followed a report in India’s Economic Times which quoted unnamed sources as saying Emaar was close to ending its decade-old joint ...
More..
|
Jul 23 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Property developers are slashing deposits and offering deferred-payment plans to attract buyers amid fierce competition for investors as demand weakens.
The decline in property prices is encouraging developers to offer payment plans that require smaller upfront sums, with the bulk then being hand...
More..
|
Jul 22 ,2015, city : Sharjah
|
The increased availability of affordable housing in Dubai is reversing a recent trend of people moving to Sharjah and Ajman for cheaper rents.
According to Asteco’s second-quarter report for the Northern Emirates, rents in Sharjah and Ajman fell 3 per cent from the previous quarter as vacancy levels rose because of ne...
More..
|
Jul 22 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
I have a query on the 12-month notary notice that needs to be issued for the tenant to vacate. I issued such a notice and Dubai courts used a courier company to deliver the notice to the tenant. They have sent me the report and it indicates that since the tenant was unavailable, the notice was left at the door. Is there anything more that...
More..
|
Jul 21 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Aldar Properties says it is adopting a new accounting system that will allow it to book revenues from the sales of off-plan developments at an earlier stage.
It has adopted IFRS 15, the newest set of reporting standards introduced by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
IFRS 15 allows develope...
More..
|
Jul 21 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Emaar Properties is in talks with its Indian partner MGF Development about winding down its 10-year-old joint venture in the country.
India’s Economic Times reported that both sides were thrashing out a deal to separate assets owned by the joint venture, which was set up in February 2005 with an investment of about US...
More..
|
Jul 20 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Damac Properties says its international arm, in which it holds a 20 per cent stake, is planning “more than one” project in London, where the Dubai-listed firm yesterday launched its first development outside the Middle East.
Hussain Sajwani, Damac’s founder and chairman, said he was meeting planning offici...
More..
|
Jul 16 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Muscat may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of luxury living, but the people at Barr Al Jissah are doing their best to change that.
Located on the outskirts of the city in a concealed cove surrounded by craggy clifftops, Barr Al Jissah was one of Oman’s first integrated tourism complexes (ITC),...
More..
|
Jul 16 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s property market is likely to bounce back from a slowdown in the first half of this year, thanks to the increasing size of the market and the emirate’s significance as a business and leisure hub.
The real estate website Bayut said in its 2015 first half UAE market report that &...
More..
|
Jul 16 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Waterfront living on Palm Jumeirah with views of the Dubai Marina skyline and the Burj Al Arab are always a draw for property investors in Dubai.
That is why the Dream Palm Residence has all the classic selling points with a price to match. To afford an unfurnished, five-bedroom town house here, you will need to shell out D...
More..
|
Jul 15 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
High-end residential locations in Dubai such as Palm Jumeirah and Jumeirah Beach Residences have seen rents drop between 6 to 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2015, a new report shows.
According to the latest report by Asteco, apartment rents saw the biggest quarter-on-quarter decline in Sheikh Zayed Road and Jumeirah ...
More..
|
Jul 15 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s largest listed developer, said on Tuesday it had generated sales worth Dhs 1.9bn ($517.3m) in the first half of the year across three new developments.
The sales constituted land plots on Nareel Island and its Al Merief developments, as well as unit sales at Meera at Shams Abu Dhabi, it...
More..
|
Jul 15 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
I am the landlord of an Abu Dhabi villa and the annual contract with my tenant – who has lived there for the past three years – has expired. I had given them notice for renewal, but the tenant sent me an email saying he wanted to leave. Then I found out that only the wife ...
More..
|
Jul 15 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
RAK Properties, the developer backed by the Ras Al Khaimah government, yesterday posted a 56 per cent drop in profits for the first half of the year on the back of lower sales.
The company reported a profit of Dh22.7 million, compared with Dh51.6m for the same period last year. Revenues also declined by 38 per cent to Dh9...
More..
|
Jul 14 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Apartment rents in Abu Dhabi increased by an average of 6 per cent in the second quarter of the year, compared to Q1, according to the latest market report by Asteco.
The majority of prime, high and mid-quality developments increased by 4 – 6 per cent upon contract renewal while new leases were, on average, 8 per cent...
More..
|
Jul 13 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Rents have been falling recently, or so a number of real estate agencies say, yet your landlord has just told you that he’s going to increase your rent upon renewal next month. Of course, moving out is the ne...
More..
|
Jul 12 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Abu Dhabi: Rental rates in Abu Dhabi are on the rise following a slow start to the year, with a six per cent rise in the last quarter compared to the first, according to the latest Asteco market report that was issued on Sunday.
The majority of prime, high and mid-quality developments saw price increases between four and si...
More..
|
Jul 12 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has begun to form a group of specialised federal property management committees across each federal entity in a bid to monitor the performance of property rental committees and present its reports to the Cabinet.
The move comes after the Cabinet’s decision to implement the Po...
More..
|
Jul 12 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s property market is rarely out of the news. Be it booming or in the middle of a bust. In the last six months, the market has been fairly stable with prices remaining steady throughout the emirate.
What has picked up momentum in the industry, however, is a focus on affordability. Several new launches, billed as ...
More..
|
Jul 12 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Rents in Abu Dhabi jumped by 6 per cent in the second quarter of this year from the first on a lack of new supply, according to a report by Asteco.
The property consultant said new leases were being agreed on rates that were typically about 8 per cent higher than previous deals, but renewals on prime, high and mid-quality a...
More..
|
Jul 11 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The Egyptian real estate firm Amer Group is setting up a company in the UAE as part of plans to expand its footprint in the Middle East and the North Africa region.
Porto International Group Investment will be set up in the Jebel Ali free zone, the Cairo-based compnay said in a statement to the Egyptian stock exchange yeste...
More..
|
Jul 11 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Viktor Udzenija was supposed to be the first to officially open offices in the new Dubai Design District, but he says he let his architectural instincts get the better of him.
“The entry door to the office was too near the toilets. I didn’t want clients to have to see someone zipping up their pants as they came ...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Apartment rents in Dubai are expected to see a steady decline of 3 to 4 per cent this year while villa rents are set to fall marginally by 1 to 2 per cent, according to a new report by real estate firm Core Savillis.
Dubai’s apartment rents fell 0.3 per cent per month during the last six months but villa rents remai...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Abu Dhabi introduced its rent cap in 2006, when the emirate was undergoing ambitious expansion fuelled by an unprecedented development programme.
The sudden influx of expatriate workers and their families vastly outstripped the available housing supply, causing rents to increase by double or more.
Following t...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Abu Dhabi
|
Proposals for a new rental index in Abu Dhabi to replace the cap that was abolished in November 2013 should help to relieve spiralling housing costs, which nudged inflation in the city to a six-year high of 5.3 per cent in April.
The index, which is being drawn up by the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA), could be intro...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
London // How did Monica afford such a cool Manhattan apartment in the hit comedy series Friends?
The chances are that while Monica, a chef, was (illegally) sub-letting her grandmother’s apartment, it was also subject to rent controls.
Rent controls are one economic instrument that divides opinion the w...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Real estate prices fell in Dubai along with growth rates in business activity and new orders during the second quarter.
About half of the 70 property agents in Dubai polled by Emirates NBD and Markit reported a drop in average sale prices during the second quarter.
This coincided with fewer new buyer inquirie...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
London’s Soho is an area that has undergone a remarkable transformation in the course of the past 30 years.
Once considered downmarket and seedy, it has gentrified at such a pace that there are now campaigns fretting that it is losing its character.
Its revival has been credited to the fact it became a ...
More..
|
Jul 9 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Activity in the residential real estate market slowed in the three months to June, with both prices and volumes lower than in the previous survey according to the latest Emirates NBD Dubai Real Estate Tracker survey.
The Real Estate Tracker comprises two surveys: one for estate agents and one for consumers, with ques...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Shares of Arabtec fell yesterday to their lowest level in a month after the contractor announced that several senior staff were leaving the firm as part of a new round of restructuring.
Arabtec closed 2.7 per cent lower at Dh2.48 in Dubai.
The company said the chief financial officer Iyad Abdul Rahim, the hum...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Commercial property owners in the Business Bay area of Dubai should brace themselves for a fall in the value of their properties after a bull market in recent years, according to Core Savills.
Property prices and rents in the area have rebounded over the past three years, gaining from its proximity to the central business d...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
After reading a recent column of yours advising a landlord, I was intrigued by one sentence: “Please remember to serve the eviction notice upon expiry of the tenancy agreement as per law 33 of 2008, article 25, section 2”. In my case, the landlord asked for an increase of 25 per cent last year, which I refused by referencing t...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Emaar Misr for Development, which started trading on Sunday, offered to buy back 90 million shares through a fund after the stock plummeted on its second trading day, according to the state-run Mena news agency.
Mena reported the planned purchase without identifying the fund or the stock exchange official it cited. The shar...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Investors who bought into Dubai’s residential property market after the property crash and who are looking for an exit should consider doing so now, according to Core Savills’ chief executive, David Godchaux.
Its latest report states that average prices for apartments and villas reached their highest point in th...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: After steep double-digit increases in each of the last three years, average apartment rents in Dubai may have dipped — but only by a marginal 0.3 per cent a month in the first-half of the year.
This contrasts quite markedly with the rental gains of 17 per cent, 26 per cent and 15 per cent annually during 2012-1...
More..
|
Jul 8 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Whether it’s a first-time buyer or a seasoned investor, the astute property buyer will look for areas that have it all — an attractive built environment, solid infrastructure, reliable transport links and a likely return on investment.
Some investors try to identify up and coming locations where they can ...
More..
|
Jul 7 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group (IMG) has signed a deal that marks the Dubai-based conglomerate’s entry into the food and beverage sector.
IMG plans to open the first international outlet of Spain’s Asador de Aranda Group in the first quarter of next year, and expects to open 12 more in the Middle East in t...
More..
|
Jul 7 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Azizi Developments has announced that it has launched two new residential projects in the Al Furjan area of Dubai.
The two new towers, Daisy and Freesia, will each have a ground floor and 11 upper floors and will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments as well as swimming pools, a gym and parking.
The...
More..
|
Jul 7 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s property market is unlikely to face another 2008-style plunge, according to the London Business School.
The institution carried out a survey of more than 200 business executives to gauge their views on the market, which is predicted to face price drops of up to 20 per cent in some areas, according to the ratin...
More..
|
Jul 6 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Damac Properties has released more details of its first project in London.
According to the Dubai-based developer, it has a 20 per cent share in a joint venture that is developing a 50-storey tower at Nine Elms.
The area is part of the Vauxhall district of London on the south bank of the River Thames. The tow...
More..
|
Jul 6 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai mid-market hotels are coping better with falling room rates than their upmarket rivals, new research shows.
The emirate is shifting towards the development of more mid-market hotels as the profile of visitors changes, according to the property consultancy Knight Frank.
Its latest Dubai Hospitality Repor...
More..
|
Jul 7 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai’s property market is unlikely to see a severe correction similar to the one in 2008, a market intelligence survey by London Business School showed.
The study, which polled more than 200 business executives, examined the possibility of another real estate bubble in the emirate’s property sector.
More..
|
Jul 6 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The fall in residential prices in Dubai which has been taking place over the past three quarters looks set to continue for the second half of this year and the early part of 2016.
The underlying problem appears to be that builders keep outpacing buyers – although at least one developer is wondering if local consultanc...
More..
|
Jul 6 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Almost half of the respondents in the London Business School poll reckoned they would invest in the Dubai property market, citing the emirate’s economic outlook and the available rental yields as reasons.
“Roughly half of the executives surveyed recognise the risk that the supply of new properties will in...
More..
|
Jul 6 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: With Dubai’s property prices in cool-off mode, prospective buyers are in no hurry to seal the deal in the secondary market. The average time taken these days now average anywhere up to five to six months from the time an investor decides to buy to actually signing the papers for the purchase.
“The transac...
More..
|
Jul 5 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Looking for a place to rent that doesn’t cost you your whole year’s salary? Stay away from Monaco.
One of the smallest sovereign states in the world, Monaco tops the list of places with most expensive apartments for rent.
According to the Mid-Year Cost of Living Index by comparison we...
More..
|
Jul 5 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Cayan Group, the developer of the twisted Cayan Tower in Dubai Marina, has broken ground on a 100 million Saudi riyal (Dh97.9m) office tower project in Riyadh.
The 14-storey CMC Tower on King Fahd Road in the Saudi capital is being developed in partnership with Saudi financial services company Mefic Capital. Both firms will...
More..
|
Jul 5 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The developer behind the US$1 billion Reem Mall yesterday said that the project was on target to start this year after Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) granted approval for its concept plan.
“The UPC approval represents a major milestone in the development of Reem Mall, allowing the project to move closer to the...
More..
|
Jul 5 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Emaar Misr shares rose by as much as 7.4 per cent on their first day of trading on the Egyptian Exchange on Sunday, in the country’s largest initial public offering in eight years.
However, the shares’ performance fell well short of analyst predictions, with investor sentiment subdued by recent violence in Egypt...
More..
|
Jul 4 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai Sports City is in talks with financiers about funding for the site of a proposed 60,000-seat football stadium.
The developer’s chief financial officer, Vijay Sajjanhar, said that, although its focus is the development of a canal zone running through the centre of the site, the main outdoor stadium was “on ...
More..
|
Jul 4 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Apart from a chance to pick up cheap assets that could have long term — very long term — upside possibilities, there could be other reasons why Greece realty holds value for overseas investors.
“If you want to retire or have a long term (plan) in place to stay in Greece, the coming period could offe...
More..
|
Jul 4 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Some UAE and Gulf travellers are drawing up plans for short visits to Greece this summer, but not necessarily to catch the scenery or the sun. Instead, they will be on the lookout to pick up choice real estate assets on the cheap.
Valuations on Greek realty are down to “10 cents to the dollar” from their ...
More..
|
Jul 3 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: “Negative premium” is starting to show up in Dubai’s property market, with fairly steep discounts — 5-8 per cent off on the original price — starting to be offered in the secondary market on recent off-plan launch units.
This is most apparent for high-end properties, located at both esta...
More..
|
Jul 2 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Mohamed Alabbar, the Emaar Properties founder and chairman, is setting up a non-profit institute to providing high-level training to senior managers and professionals in the real estate industry.
The institute will offer programmes that will cover theoretical and practical study of the property market and will draw on case ...
More..
|
Jul 2 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Emaar chairman, Mohammad Al Abbar, has confirmed plans for a not-for-profit institute for the real estate sector in the UAE. The mandate is to develop a “talented pool” of senior managers and professionals for the sector. It will be wholly funded by Al Abbar, Emaar said in statement on Thursday.
“Th...
More..
|
Jul 1 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Last year I received an eviction notice and the landlord mentioned that she wants to move in herself. Since then I have moved into a new house for Dh70,000, but now my previous landlord has informed me that she can renew the contract for Dh65,000. I believe that under last year’s market conditions she thought she could rent the hous...
More..
|
Jul 1 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
The developer of the 300-hectare Town Square housing project in Dubailand has appointed a main contractor to build its first two apartment blocks.
Nshama has awarded contracts for the Zahra and Safi apartment blocks to Dubai-based United Engineering Co (Unec), marking the first stage of construction of the Town Square proje...
More..
|
Jul 1 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai: Be it plots, villas or upscale apartments, more Sharjah developers are opening their doors to buyers of all nationalities, but with UAE resident visas. The widening list of options that Sharjah now offers — and even extending to offices and commercial real estate assets — has helped “maintain” transactional ...
More..
|
Jul 1 ,2015, city : Dubai
|
Dubai-based developer Nakheel has awarded a deal worth Dhs 550m to marine engineering contractor Van Oord to complete coastal works on its Deira Islands project.
Under the contract, Van Oord will construct 23.5km of coastline and breakwaters at Deira Islands, a new 15.3 sq km waterfront development.
The first...
More..