Real Estate Market Creates Positive Momentum in Saudi Market

Real estate in Makkah, western Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Real estate in Makkah, western Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Real Estate Market Creates Positive Momentum in Saudi Market

Real estate in Makkah, western Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Real estate in Makkah, western Saudi Arabia (SPA)

In its first year, the Saudi real estate exchange recorded approximately 619,000 real estate transactions valued at over $273 billion (SAR 1.025 trillion), covering a total area of more than 5.4 billion square meters. Around 2.1 million beneficiaries have taken advantage of these transactions, according to the Saudi Ministry of Justice.

Real estate experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the real estate exchange has had a positive impact on the behavior of all market participants.

The market has allowed buyers and investors to make purchase decisions with greater confidence, security, and speed. The exchange has also played a key role in simplifying and streamlining real estate procedures and enhancing transparency, which constituted major challenges in the past.

The experts recommended further steps to boost its effectiveness, including providing detailed and specialized real estate indicators, offering accurate analytical reports on market trends throughout the year, expanding property evaluations to cover all regions of the Kingdom, and leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to analyze real estate data.

Real Estate Expert Eng. Ahmed Al-Faqih told Asharq Al-Awsat that the real estate exchange has created a positive shift and significant impact on the behavior of all market participants, including sellers, buyers, investors, regulators, and market observers. He noted that the platform is characterized by transparency and governance, and its launch coincided with the digital transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Regarding the additional services proposed for the market, Al-Faqih said he believes it lacks detailed and specialized real estate indicators. He also noted that the platform still needs property classifications for certain types of real estate and improvements in search filters to provide more precise results.

For his part, Real estate expert Saqr Al-Zahrani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the real estate exchange has brought a significant transformation in the management of real estate during its first year of operation.

It has had a clear positive impact on the market by streamlining procedures and enhancing transparency, he underlined, noting that the exchange has allowed both buyers and investors to make decisions with greater confidence.

Al-Zahrani suggested enhancing the exchange by adding more services, including providing detailed analytical reports on market trends throughout the year. He also recommended expanding property evaluations to cover all regions of the Kingdom more comprehensively and accurately.



Oil Slips on Higher US Crude Stocks, Easing Mideast Tensions

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Stena forth drill rig for Springfield Group, the first independent African energy company to discover oil in deep sea, is pictured at the sea near Takoradi, Ghana November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kweku Obeng/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Stena forth drill rig for Springfield Group, the first independent African energy company to discover oil in deep sea, is pictured at the sea near Takoradi, Ghana November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kweku Obeng/File Photo
TT

Oil Slips on Higher US Crude Stocks, Easing Mideast Tensions

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Stena forth drill rig for Springfield Group, the first independent African energy company to discover oil in deep sea, is pictured at the sea near Takoradi, Ghana November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kweku Obeng/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Stena forth drill rig for Springfield Group, the first independent African energy company to discover oil in deep sea, is pictured at the sea near Takoradi, Ghana November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kweku Obeng/File Photo

Oil prices slipped on Wednesday on estimates showing swelling US crude inventories and expectations that tensions in the Middle East were easing following a tour of the region by mediators.
Brent crude futures fell 11 cents, or 0.1%, to $77.09 a barrel by 0630 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $73.03, Reuters reported.
US crude oil stocks were seen rising last week by 347,000 barrels, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Gasoline and distillate stocks, however, fell by 1.043 million barrels and 2.247 million barrels respectively, according to the sources.
The United States is the world's biggest producer and consumer of oil, and growing inventories point to oversupply that could pressure prices.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a trip to the Middle East intended to help broker a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have raised hopes for a US "bridging proposal," which could shrink the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-old war.
"Hopes of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have weighed on oil, along with lingering demand concerns," ING commodities strategists said.
"While weaker Chinese demand has been well reported, refinery margins around the globe have been under pressure for much of August, suggesting that these demand concerns are not isolated to just China," they said.
The economic struggles in top crude importer China have continued to hobble the market, as weak processing margins and low fuel demand curbed operations at state-run and independent refineries.
Imports of crude oil from top supplier Russia fell in July by 7.4% from a year ago, while fuel oil imports retreated for a third straight month, customs data showed this week.