lara al barazi - cityscape global · the uae is the most appealing country for real estate...

Lara Al BaraziHead of Real Estate Research

An online study of attitudes towards real

estate investment in the GCC and Egypt

A YouGov Cityscape collaboration

4.2 MILLIONNUMBER OF PEOPLE ON YOUGOV RESEARCH PANELS GLOBALLY

>500,000NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON YOUGOV’S RESEARCH PANEL IN MENA, INDIA AND PAKISTAN

6NUMBER OF OFFICES IN MENA

>500NUMBER OF RESEARCH PROJECTS SERVED IN MENA IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR

NUMBER OF YEARS OPERATING IN MENA

112000 YOUGOV FOUNDED

IN THE UK

NUMBER OF CLIENTS IN MENA IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR

Y O U G O V B Y N U M B E R S

>185 NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN WHICH WE HAVE PANELS IN MENA, INDIA & PAKISTAN

21 60THE SIZE OF OUR RESEARCH TEAM IN MENA

Who did we speak to?

Investors Home buyers

*All respondents currently own a property or are willing to buy a property in the next year.

Real estate is the most attractive investment category.

54

13

11

10

6

3

3

Real estate

Stocks

Precious metals

Fixed deposits

Currencies

Non-metal commodities

Bonds

Attractive investment categories (%)

The UAE is the most appealing country for real estate investment in the GCC and Egypt.

UAE

65%

11% 10%Saudi ArabiaEgypt

Dubai is the most appealing city for real estate investment in the GCC & Egypt.

DubaiMecca & Riyadh

Abu Dhabi

Capital appreciation

Return on investment

Investor protection

74% 73% 68% 66%

Availability of multiple options

Capital appreciation & return on investment are the biggest drivers of real estate investment appeal.

State ofeconomy in

your market ofinterest

State of theglobal

economy

Currencyfluctuations

Lack of trust inbrokers,and/or

developers

Falling oilprices

73% 70%

However, macro-economic factors emerge as elements of concern when investing in real estate.

71% 70% 68%

46%

Sales price are expected to rise in

Egypt

51%Kuwait

GCC respondents expect residential property sales prices to decline in the year to come.

47%UAE

45%Saudi Arabia

35%

Saudi Arabia

36%

Qatar

36%

UAE

The market outlook is optimistic for the next year with expected growth, especially in Egypt.

46%

Egypt

Value for money and property quality are the most important factors when buying a residential property.

Value for money Property quality Easy highway access

87% 85%73%

Being in close proximity to educational & healthcare facilities are high on the agenda.

41%Educational

facilities

39%Healthcare

facilities

34%Place of work/

business

30%Place of worship

In the UAE, being in close proximity to grocery stores is more important.

41%Grocery stores

36%Healthcare

facilities

34%Public transport

32%Leisure &

entertainment

Stand alone residential properties in the city center/ Downtown are the most sought-after.

33%Stand alone residential

properties in downtown/ city center

Especially in Saudi Arabia (44%) 28%

Gated communities in the city that host

commercial and retail spaces

Especially in the UAE (35%)

Two and three bedroom apartments are the most popular type of property.

34%3 bedroom apartment

22%2 bedroom apartment

In the GCC and Egypt

28%2 bedroom apartment

19%4 bedroom

villa

In the UAE

Affordable housing is the biggest gap in the real estate industry.

More affordable

housing

Lack of access to reliable

brokers

Availability of smart or energy

efficient properties

The future of real estate special feature: Home automation.

61%House

security

50%Automatic Air conditioning/

heating

44%Fire/flooding

security

Associations with home automation

The concept of home automation is highly popular across the region.

79%Consider home

automation appealing

69%Would consider

buying it for their current/next

residential property

61%Are willing to pay

between 5-15% extra as a premium on the price of a property

Questions?