There are several ways you can get involved as an individual investor, including owning property outright and contributing capital to a real estate venture or real estate investment trust (REIT). Each has its advantages and disadvantages, namely when it comes to control over the investment property and opportunities for diversification.
There’s no single correct way to invest in real estate, but there are several factors to consider when selecting an investment opportunity.
United Arab Emirates
The REIT legislation was introduced by Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to promote the development of REIT’s in the UAE by passing The Investment Trust Law No.5 that went into effect on August 6, 2006. This restricts all ‘true’ REIT structures to be domiciled within the DIFC. The first REIT license to be issued will be backed by Dubai Islamic Bank with a REIT named ‘Emirates REIT’ headed up by the dot com entrepreneur, Sylvain Vieujot. The issue is that DIFC domiciled REITs cannot acquire non-Freezone assets within the Emirate of Dubai. The only federally approved Freezone within the UAE is the DIFC itself so therefore any properties outside this zone are purchasable by local Gulf (GCC) passport holders only.
However, through a collaboration with local authorities, Emirates REIT has been able to establish a platform enabling it to purchase properties anywhere in Dubai given a minimum of 51% of local ownership of its shares. This allows the company to diversify its portfolio with an efficient revenue generating mix of properties in the prime locations of Dubai. Emirates REIT is the first REIT established within the United Arab Emirates. It is also the first REIT listed on NASDAQ Dubai and one of the five Shari’a compliant REIT in the world with a focus on Income-producing assets.
Emirates REIT has a portfolio of over US$575.3 million consisting of a total of seven properties primarily focus on commercial and office space as of Dec 2014. It has had substantial growth over the last four years.
Saudi Arabia
Commonly referred to as Real Estate Investment Fund, the regulations were launched in July 2006 by the Saudi Capital Market Authority, The regulation did not allow the funds to be traded in the stock market and force all funds to be structured by a licensed Investment companies by CMA with a presence of a real estate developer and some other key persons.
