Real Estate

As an exercise in getting a large-scale infrastructure project – and a massive industrial development – off the ground, it is probably unparalleled. An appeal to the Egyptian people to fund the widening and deepening of the Suez Canal was met with such enthusiasm that it took just eight working days to raise LE64bn ($9.1bn) – around LE4bn ($568m) more than was being sought....

In light of recent political and macroeconomic instability, housing has once again risen to the top of the policy agenda in many countries of North Africa and the Levant. Although the dynamics of local real estate markets and regulatory environments vary widely between Morocco in the west and Jordan in the east, persistent housing deficits, an affordability gap and under-...

The contention that nothing is certain except for death and taxes has been given further credence as property taxes have finally become an established part of Egyptian life. A law to impose these levies was first introduced six years ago, but was never enforced in the face of strong opposition from property owners, and demands that the threshold and criteria be changed.

Thanks to privatisation and a growing population, the construction industry in Egypt flourished in the years up to 2010 and many of the cement producers doubled their capacity in order to supply the demand. This changed drastically, however, after the January 25 revolution in 2011 partly, but not wholly, because of the revolution itself. Certainly there was a squeeze on...

Signs that price movement, which appear to be driven by underlying demand with little evidence of speculative activity, are instilling confidence in South Africa’s property sector. Despite a sluggish local economy, residential and commercial prices are appreciating at a pace higher than GDP but are comfortably on par with lending rates, while financing for the sector has...