AJMAN // Simple processes, reasonable prices and welcoming locals have given the emirate’s property market a boost, according to homeowners and businesses.
Real estate activity reached a record Dh11 billion in Ajman last year, with activity defined as the buying and selling of land, apartments, towers and villas.
Transactions, deals between two individuals, reached Dh4.5bn last year, up from Dh4bn the previous year.
Palestinian housewife Alia Ebrahim Abed and her husband decided to buy a property last year after living in Ajman for 15 years.
“[Ajman] has less traffic congestion and everything is available, so residents do not need to go to another emirate,” said Ms Abed, who bought a villa in Al Mwaihat 1.
The fact she cannot return to her homeland also pushed the 53-year-old to buy a home in the UAE, as did the ease of being able to buy in Ajman.
“Owning a property here in Ajman is so easy and there are no obstacles. And the citizens treat us [expatriates] in a great way. I have never felt like I’m in a foreign country here,” Ms Abed said.
“Also, the prices are cheaper than other emirates. I asked [about other emirates] before buying and many people who told me the price of their villa said I had bought at a suitable price.”
Majdeldeen Sauboh, 52, is a Palestinian who has owned factories in Ajman for 27 years. He has lived in the UAE for 33 years and said that starting a business in the emirate was simple.
“The ease of possession and doing official papers at government agencies in Ajman has pushed me to open two factories here,” he said.
“My first factory, which opened 27 years ago, has developed in that time because of the growth in the emirate and its infrastructure. In addition, the geographical location of Ajman, which is considered in the middle [of the country] and linked with other emirates, helps businessmen, too.
“I ended up opening a second factory in the emirate two years ago and I have never planned to have a business in another emirate because my whole life is here.”
Mr Sauboh’s first factory produces paper tissues, while the second is an aluminium factory.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, head of the Land and Property Department in Ajman, and chairman of Ajman Real Estate Regulatory Agency, said real estate was booming in the emirate, as investors turned out for a variety of projects.
“The demand on completed buildings in the emirate is growing, thanks to the tireless efforts of the government of Ajman,” he said.
The chairman said that the most popular areas in the emirate were Al Rawda 1 and 2, Al Nuaimia 1 and 2, Al Mwaihat 1 and Industrial Ajman 2.
