Real Estate

With up to as many as 16m Egyptians estimated to lack adequate housing, the government in Egypt has taken steps to ease access to home loans for low-income groups, while at the same time looking at options for spurring private sector developers to build low-cost residential units.

Faced with rising power consumption and a grid under pressure, Dubai is stepping up its efforts to improve energy efficiency, while boosting the role played by renewable resources in meeting demand. Long term, a broad range of initiatives, supported by a new regulatory framework announced last year, should help bring energy costs under control.

Recent regulatory changes are giving an added boost to Abu Dhabi’s real estate market, which appears on track to a recovery. While there has been some speculation that the new rules could help fuel a property bubble, these concerns are likely unfounded given the recent pickup in the rate of handovers.

A move to relax the criteria that prospective homebuyers in Oman must meet to qualify for interest-free loans has provided low-income earners with an entry-point into the Sultanate’s real estate market.

As property prices in Dubai continue their rise, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has issued new mortgage regulations designed to limit speculation and help ensure the long-term stability of the investment environment. However, it appears some rules may affect only a small portion of potential buyers.

The Malaysian government has taken steps to cool speculation in the property market by imposing a capital gains levy on real estate sales, tightening up regulations governing developers and raising the price bar for foreign investors, moves that have won mixed reviews from analysts.