Reading Time: 4 minutes Six months into her role as a member of Parliament, Paula Yacoubian has been busy doing what she can in a difficult situation, given that a new government has not yet been formed. While admitting that she alone cannot resolve the major issues facing Lebanon today—such as water shortages and power cuts—Yacoubian details how she…
Pegged urbanization and the (in)stability of Lebanese capitalism
Reading Time: 6 minutes Ten years ago, the massive failure of subprime mortgage holders and lenders in the United States dealt a devastating blow to the world economy. The worst international financial, economic, and social crisis since the Great Depression had its origin in one of the most potent features of the financial turn of capitalism: the ever-intensifying finance-property…
Property management of short-term rentals in Lebanon
Reading Time: 6 minutes Anyone who has rented a room on Airbnb knows the process is simple—you can get a great deal on a cool rental in a city you’re visiting with just a few clicks. Users may think the process on the other end is just as straightforward: someone has an empty apartment or room, they list it…
Outsourcing business maintenance
Reading Time: 6 minutes It is all fun and games until one tenant in the building goes rogue and decides not to pay allotted monthly fees, another wants to butt heads over details, and a third does not show anyone their purchase receipts. Chances are you have been there, or heard the horror stories. In Lebanon, many problems among…
The scramble to sell as Lebanese real estate nears crisis point
Reading Time: 3 minutes Times are very tough for Lebanon’s real estate sector. After years of poor demand in the upper and middle segments of the housing property market, demand for entry level units plunged in 2018 with the news that subsidized home loans were no longer available (although Parliament did legislate a one-year $66 million fix to subsidize…
BDL decision upends plans of prospective first-time homeowners
Reading Time: 8 minutes Just when you thought you could not disappoint teta any further, news that your home loan has been put on ice will surely do the trick. For the first time in nearly two decades, Lebanese citizens can no longer rely on the public sector for support in buying a starter home. For older generations especially,…
Survival of the fittest for Lebanese real estate developers
Reading Time: 7 minutes Coming into 2018, Lebanon’s real estate market was already sputtering. For several years, real estate developers have complained of worrying market conditions—always hoping that the next year will be better, that the political situation in Lebanon will change, and that buyers will come clamoring back. The first wave of concerns was voiced by developers of…