A detailed look at the rationale behind investing in property now amid the pandemic!

HIGHLIGHTS
An article that explains the rationale for investing in property-related assets now, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, or, if you already possess such assets, why holding on to what you have in your portfolio is still recommended by real estate experts as a viable option.
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Dubai: Real estate is an asset class that was beaten down big in the aftermath of the pandemic. Experts now forecast that it will make a comeback but with a slight lag. But what does this mean for investors and buyers?
With the current pandemic backdrop, it has been widely recommended that those who are looking to enter the market for the first time should have slightly longer-term outlook as various macro factors are in the play such as availability of funding, banks’ risk appetite to lend, and revival of the job markets.

Pandemic-related property flux ease
However, with wider pandemic-related uncertainty dissipating globally with multiple developments around a potential vaccine, an economic rebound is in sight – which results in recovery in all facets of an economy. This is excellent news for real estate investors in the UAE, particularly the real estate segment – that makes up nearly 40 percent of economic growth.
However, before we elaborate on the current prospects surrounding investing in real estate funds and related stock market assets, let’s first discuss an integral part to investing in them. As investing in market-traded assets are highly-dependent on how the UAE property market is currently performing, it is vital to first gauge how investor-friendly the sector is right now.
UAE property now more attractive
The UAE’s real estate industry last week registered improvements in global property consultant and investment manager JLL’s 2020 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI).

JLL’s GRETI 2020 provides a reliable measure of real estate market transparency and is a useful indicator of a city’s overall ‘real estate investment health’. In this year’s edition, the index reveals the increasing attractiveness of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as global investment hubs within the region.
Why is it a buyer’s market now?
Here are the factors that are currently making UAE real estate sector a buyer’s market:
- • Low mortgage interest rates
- • Higher loan to value ratio available
- • Affordable property sales prices
- • Reduced service charges
- • Attractive price valuations
- • Developer incentives such as service fee waivers, free appliances, etc