Residential Tower Apartment Rentals Lead Saudi Real Estate Activity

The Rental Index recorded over 340,000 leasing transactions in August alone (SPA)
The Rental Index recorded over 340,000 leasing transactions in August alone (SPA)
TT

Residential Tower Apartment Rentals Lead Saudi Real Estate Activity

The Rental Index recorded over 340,000 leasing transactions in August alone (SPA)
The Rental Index recorded over 340,000 leasing transactions in August alone (SPA)

Due to their market value, apartment rentals in high-rise towers are leading Saudi Arabia’s residential real estate sector as the most profitable of real estate branches.

According to experts, apartment rentals’ annual revenues exceed 12% of their total price.

Apartment rental activity in residential towers has surpassed all other real estate activities in the local rental sector, said experts, revealing that the rent for these apartments can reach up to SAR 270,000 annually.

Market data suggests that a return on investment ranging from 8% to 12% annually is considered the most successful percentage to measure the profitability of real estate investments.

The sizes of these residential tower apartments range from 45 square meters to 200 square meters, with prices starting from SAR 1.3 million and reaching up to SAR 3 million.

Prices vary depending on the city, size, location, age of the property, amenities, and proximity to public services and major roads.
Abdullah Al-Obaid, a certified real estate broker with the “Ejar” network, highlights the Saudi real estate market’s ability to diversify its activities and promote various real estate branches from time to time.

This strategy allows it to adapt to the dynamic economic sector with growth, diversity, and competitiveness. He explains that liquidity flows up and down to shift towards the most in-demand branch based on market trends.

Obaid further noted that residential apartment rentals in high-rise towers have dominated the overall activity in the Saudi real estate market, overshadowing the office space rental sector, which experienced significant growth from 2020 until the beginning of 2023.

This shift is attributed to the societal culture and preference for residential apartments, especially in major metropolitan areas, due to limited supply and the changing perception of community living.

Abdulmalik Abdullah, an investor in the high-rise apartment sector, further clarified that there is a higher demand for smaller apartments, with furnished ones being in the greatest demand.

The higher the floor, the greater the demand, he added.

Abdullah also pointed out that shorter lease durations increase the unit’s value, as annual rentals yield less compared to monthly, weekly, and daily rental rates.

 

 



Record-Breaking Bitcoin Surges Towards $90,000 on Trump Boost

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)
TT

Record-Breaking Bitcoin Surges Towards $90,000 on Trump Boost

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP)

Bitcoin rallied to the verge of $90,000 on Tuesday, riding a wave of euphoria since the election of Donald Trump as US president on expectations his administration will be crypto friendly.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency has become one of the most eye-catching movers in the week since the election and touched $89,982 - a gain of around 30% since Nov. 5. It was last down 1.4% at $86,730.

Bitcoin is surging along with Elon Musk's automaker Tesla, which is up nearly 40% since voting results rolled in, as investors figure Trump's friends and interests will do well while he is in office.

"The crypto enthusiasts think they have a like-minded incoming president," said Alvin Tan, head of Asia FX strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

"The thing about bitcoin at the end of the day is that there is no valuation anchor to it, it's hard to get a grip on fair value. So when sentiment is very positive, it does get carried away a lot more than other asset classes."

Trump embraced digital assets during his campaign, promising to make the United States the "crypto capital of the planet" and to accumulate a national stockpile of bitcoin.

It is not clear how or when that could happen, but the possibility drove a speculative surge in crypto mining and trading stocks.

"I think it increases the chances that other nation states buy bitcoin in a bid to front run the US," said Matthew Dibb, chief investment officer at cryptocurrency asset manager Astronaut Capital.

"Additionally, I think it would be a crazy catalyst for the US listed bitcoin miners ... given possibilities of such entities getting nationalized."

Crypto miner Riot Platforms jumped nearly 17% on Wall Street on Monday. Fellow miners MARA Holdings and CleanSpark leapt nearly 30%.

Software company and investor in bitcoin MicroStrategy announced it had spent about $2 billion buying bitcoin between Oct. 31 and Nov. 10. Shares rose 26% on Monday.

"Obviously (it's) a clear Trump trade as he is so supportive of the industry, and this can only mean more demand both for crypto stocks as well as the currencies themselves," Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at ATFX Global in Sydney, said of the bitcoin rally.

"The fact that bitcoin was trading near all-time highs when the election result came through meant that it had clean sky above."

The euphoria extended across the crypto landscape with smaller tokens such as ether and dogecoin surging, although they dipped on Tuesday morning in Europe.

Crypto investors see an end to increased scrutiny under US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler whom Trump has said he will replace. Trump also unveiled a new crypto business, World Liberty Financial, in September.

"What we're seeing isn't just a price milestone; it's a signal that the market is warming to the idea of bitcoin as a more stable, even politically favored, asset," said Justin D'Anethan, head of Asia-Pacific business development at digital assets market maker Keyrock.