Property Investment Opportunities in the Middle East

A recent survey conducted this past September (2008) showed that property investment opportunities in the Middle East are expected to outnumber and outperform all other property markets for the next 2 to 3 years. According to the Jones, Lang, and LaSalle survey, the market will remain bullish on Middle Eastern property investments with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates being the top performers.

Interestingly enough, there is not a consensus of opinion and some market analysts do not share the survey firm’s enthusiasm. Additionally, these “naysayers” have urged the short term investor to sit still for the time being and hold on to their investment capital. Over 50% of the developers, property investors, and sovereign wealth funds that were actively involved in the survey believe that the strongest global real estate market for the next two years [at least] will be in the Middle East Gulf region.

Dubai continues to be the “hot spot” despite the fact that villa prices in the city are rising much more rapidly than apartment and condominium values. As it stands at the present time, roughly 50% of the survey participants feel that Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi will be the top four money-makers, and that Abu Dhabi will eventually surpass Dubai for growth and property value increase.

The strong international value of the region is due to active investors realizing strong capital growth in their current investments and the consensus of opinion is that the current global economic slowdown will have little or no effect on the above-mentioned Gulf regions. Less than 20% of the survey’s participants felt that there was any noticeable effect from this economic downswing. However, according to the “experts”, it will be 2011 or possibly 2012 before we see any recognizable recovery from the global economic dilemma.

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