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“There is an across-the-board fall in rents caused by the availability of a large number of new buildings and a fall in the number of expatriates in the country,” said Nasser al Farsi, a real estate broker.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that real estate market in the Sultanate continues to recover, with sales showing a robust growth in the first quarter of 2018, compared with the same period of last year.
According to National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total value of property transactions in the Sultanate during Januarymarch of 2018 increased by 6.8 per cent to RO 776.3 million, from RO 726.8 million in the same period of last year.
Cluttons’ Muscat Spring 2018 Property Market Outlook report indicated the government’s strong push to boost overall economic growth has resulted in a number of encouraging developments for the property market such as the much-anticipated decision to allow creation of a real estate investment fund (REIF).
“This will pave the way for investments in large-scale real estate projects at significantly lower price points and with far greater liquidity, in comparison to the traditional real estate investment,” points out the report.
Faisal Durrani, head of research at Cluttons, said: “The increased ability of institutions and individuals to invest in income-generating real estate assets has the potential to provide a significant boost to the real estate sector in Oman, particularly since the regulations require that at least 75 per cent of REIF’S assets to be invested in Oman.”
According to the report, rental rates in Muscat appear to have stabilised, with a marginal 1.1 per cent decline in average rates in the first three months of this year.
The largest drop in rental values during the first quarter was seen in Athaiba, North Ghubra, Muscat Hills and Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, while Bausher, Shatti Al Qurum and Qurum registered a rise.
There is an acrossthe-board fall in rents caused by the availability of a large number of new buildings and a fall in the number of expatriates in the country NASSER AL FARSI Real estate broker