A room for two

    The demand for medium-to-small apartments in Beirut and its suburbs is on the rise. This is particularly true in the more affordable suburbs such as Yarze, Fanar and Dbayeh on the outskirts of town and the more central neighbour hoods of Ras El Nabaa and Barbour. The process of looking for a home of realistic size and amenities confirms the Lebanese proverb: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know and how hard can you twist their arm.” In this report, Executive takes the hypothetical example of a young, professional couple looking for a home to start their new family. Even for the well-to-do, finding a decent place to live in Beirut’s pricey market can be arduous; we assume our couple together brings in $6,000 a month — placing them in the top five percentile of household income earners — and then look at the options they