“Invest in Real Estate and you’ll never lose” is a statement heard by all, claimed by many, and executed by a few. One thing common among those few is that they have analyzed beyond what was said and deduced that the only way to win in real estate is to have patience and invest on the long-term. This is exactly the case with the Lebanese real estate market in 2022. Ever since things started going downhill for Lebanon back in 2019, the housing sector witnessed a huge decline in real estate prices. However, in 2022, a real estate renaissance phenomenon is being witnessed with the demand curve shifting upwards due to the investments in real estate sector of several Lebanese especially those working in the Gulf Countries.
Let us rewind for a few years backwards. Lebanon, being compared to Switzerland, had one of the best banking sectors in the world due to its nature of operations. This has raised the trust of Lebanese people all over the world and encouraged them to save all their money in Lebanese bank accounts knowing that the return on their investments was phenomenally high. However, major shock alert, the Lebanese dream turned into a nightmare where the depositors now lost all their, what was supposed to be, liquidity cash flows. As a result, a wall of distrust is now built between the Lebanese people and anything related to banks and whatever money is being raised is no longer being saved in Lebanese banks.
Today, Real estate is one of the few sectors that could increase the future return on investment – due to expected capital gains. It is a source of fresh dollar income as well as all rents in Lebanon shifted into fresh $ in 2022. All sellers have adjusted the value of their properties but definitely pricing them in fresh dollars. Buying Real Estate in Lebanon in 2022 means buying at historically low prices and waiting and expecting capital gain in the coming few years – as prices are definitely expected to go up. As a matter of fact, we noticed that property prices are starting already to move upward again in fresh $ in the past few months.
In conclusion, investing nowadays in real estate in Lebanon is seen as a fruitful investment by many Lebanese expats - if you have patience and a long-term vision. Lebanese people are trusting more and more the real estate sector after realizing major losses in the recent crisis.
