Egypt's Future as a Holiday/Residential Destination?

[Peter Mitry]

I agree with you Alan; I should have added that it is equally important to find a good agent as well as a good lawyer!

 

[Derik Clothier]

Peter Mitry?

I have read the emails and it sounds like he was a client as you had an arrangment to be paid. I just don't understand if you can buy and sell property off plan without any stairs, handrail or without a brick being laid why you needed access in this case? If you sell appartments to clients will the clients be expecting a charge later on down the line for finishing of stairs for access?

It is cases like this that give Hurghada Lawyers and property developers a bad name. I have read the comments and can see no point where they have accused you of overcharging. Quiet simply a charge of £980 was made by the deloper for "connection and registration of electricity". This charge came through you and the Law Firm from the developer. I can see nothing wrong with this person asking for an account of this charge. In fact it would be very interesting for me and the rest of respectful people on this forum if you could explain or account for £980 for connection and registration of electricty. Do you think this is a reasonable amount and if you think it is extortionate then why did you not let this person know? Do prospective clients expect the same level of dilagence?

We do of course sell off plan and usually we would only sell finished apartments with full due diligence. The comments you may have read on some forums were written by someone who was not a client of ours but whom we tried to help. However, in that instance the property had restricted access to the fourth floor where the apartments in question were located. This is because the stairs needed completing and there was no handrail; the person in question was required to pay a further £1500 by his Developer to complete this work which would then have allowed us access. The apartments concerned are what is known as 'Egyptian finish' which means that they are not complete inside; they require plastering, windows and tiling.

This person accused us and his lawyers for trying to overcharge him when quite simply we passed on the quotes from his Developer.

The lawyers had already established that this person had no legal claim to any part of the building and yet, using their best endeavor, they persuaded the Developer to assign two top floor apartments. You can imagine that under the circumstances the Developer did not feel under any obligation to quote any cheaper for the work.

At no time has the recipient of these two flats paid any money to our company, nor has he paid the legal fees of the lawyers who helped him to secure the two units, and yet he has continually published negative posts about us on many property related websites. I believe that he has been banned from Property Community.

 

[sharmelsheikh]

Cowboys are about!

We could not agree with you more. It is of paramount importance to appoint a good Real Estate agent and a good lawer. Do you know one in Sharm please! Cowboys can run but they cannot hide.

I agree with you Alan; I should have added that it is equally important to find a good agent as well as a good lawyer!

 

[expatlady]

Hi expat Lady, hopefully governments will advise their airlines that all is OK soon so maybe we will see you in Hurghada?

Hi: big development this last week:

Good news: in the middle of the week our FO (=Foreign office) retracted their their travel warning for Egypt. There is now no travel warning about going to the Red Sea Resorts.

Bad news: most of the travel agencies that cancelled everything until May a few weeks ago, are *not* rebooking for Egypt, as they have already rebooked people (mostly to The Canary Islands or Jordan).
Do not expect "normal" traffic from up here until May.

Good news: Our Foreign Minister, mr. Støre went out yesterday and said that Egypt needed our support in these turbulent times.... especially its tourist industry. He basically advised us all to take a holiday in Egypt, NOW! An excellent advice, which I intend to follow

(Bad news: due to the cancellation of trips...there are very few trips for me to chose from. I have seen one going down on the 4 March, which I will (hopefully) be on.)

 

[Peter Mitry]

Indeed good news! A new cleaner Hurghada is waiting for you.....hundreds of local residents both Egyptians and foreigners have been taking to the streets with brooms and black bags to give everywhere a thorough clean!! Fantastic community spirit...

 

[CMChris]

Indeed good news! A new cleaner Hurghada is waiting for you.....hundreds of local residents both Egyptians and foreigners have been taking to the streets with brooms and black bags to give everywhere a thorough clean!! Fantastic community spirit...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfJNCwWOQE]YouTube - facebook Video's van Anca Rusu Let's clean Hurghada 18 02 2011 HQ 1[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcLisb_pQ6w]YouTube - Hurghada lovers[/ame]


I can't wait to get back out there, tickets booked for April 4 months ago so we're going too )). Well done you people!!!! And I hope any builder caught dumping his rubbish gets hammered by the courts, because most of the rubbish is from them.

 

[Alan Cockayne]

Interesting times ahead

We are reading that all over the tourist resorts, local traders and hoteliers are allowing our guests and investors the most wonderful offers.

Free drinks, parties, half-price accommodation, top class service, clean facilities etc. etc... It's because they want to keep in business through the lean times while Egypt gets back on its feet...... Out of respect for the tourists who stuck with them through their revolution.

I wonder, when it does get back to normal, will that mean "ripping everyone off" leaving rubbish to pile up again and the constant hassle from the less fortunate. Who, from a new found freedom will start targeting the very foreigners who deserve the respect and who they are in business to serve without being too greedy.

I'm very positive about the future. So are my colleagues, but we will certainly need to keep an eye on security in the meantime, as the local police will not find it as easy to feed their egos or line their pockets.

Alan.

 

[Peter Mitry]

If its an indication of things to come Hurghada has been amazing; thousands giving up their free time to clean the streets. Police almost non existent since the beginning of the Revolution and yet no increase in crime and citizens even directing traffic at busy intersections.

Egypt has proven that it is a truly amazing place with even more amazing people; there is a new sense of National pride which can only get stronger as we move towards democracy.

 

[propertywatch1]

Its a shame the Developers have not followed suit and cleaned up their acts.

 

[Peter Mitry]

Egyptian Developers

Its a shame the Developers have not followed suit and cleaned up their acts.

I am really not sure which ones you are referring to? The ones we are working with now are doing a pretty good job with projects ahead of plan and good procedures in place. We all know of the problem Developers from the past and yes, some of them are still here, but we should be focusing on the good guys who just want to build good quality, value for money projects and deliver them on time.

 

[CMChris]

Its a shame the Developers have not followed suit and cleaned up their acts.

More doom and gloom

 

[shilly]

Well I hope the "clean up police" take a trip around the Intercontinental area and see how the rubbish from certain complexes are just dumped ,sometimes burnt when complaints come in.Then have the cheek to say Pest control is being increased due to rats coming from a piece of waste land.If the rubbish was removed in the first place rats would not stay where there is no food!!!
Developers take note

 

[Georgina]

Hepca

HEPCA's next supporters night is on Monday 28th February at 8pm in Papas Bar, Hurghada Marina. They took over the waste management from February 10th and will be discussing this. Papas will be offering 25% discount on food and drinks for the meeting.

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[Peter Mitry]

Well I hope the "clean up police" take a trip around the Intercontinental area and see how the rubbish from certain complexes are just dumped ,sometimes burnt when complaints come in.Then have the cheek to say Pest control is being increased due to rats coming from a piece of waste land.If the rubbish was removed in the first place rats would not stay where there is no food!!!
Developers take note

Shilly this is a very positive contribution; HEPCA and the other members of the public have done a great job in the town centre but this is a reminder that Hurghada covers a big area and this should be a wake up call to those who live in the Intercontinental area.

 

[Alan Cockayne]

Rising oil prices could wipe out airline profitability in 2011 and hinder the industry’s recovery, airline body IATA said earlier this month.

I was concerned that political instability in the Middle East would hit fuel prices this year, as it reported a swing back into profit in 2010.

After all the effort to get back to normal business, will this be another headache in Egypt's tourism recovery?

Alan.

 

[shilly]

Thanks Peter,

Its not the residents who live there that is the problem.They pay high annual maintenance to those who "manage " the complex.The rubbish is put into a wheelie bin and then it is "moved" to the waste land and either left or eventually burnt.The smell from the burning is horrid and its also not a nice site to see stray wild dogs trying to pick out the best bits either.These wild dogs frighten people when they are walking through the unmade roads especially as there are no lights near some of the new builds.

Congrats to all those who have cleaned up the town and may it stay like that.:typical:

 

[danny]

Its a shame the Developers have not followed suit and cleaned up their acts.

In the light of recent unrest in Egypt I believe the local property market will have to realign its pricing strategy to attract buyers back and clean up its act. I've certainly had to re-evaluate the current worth of my property downwards.

Even before the uprising sales looked to be slow due to the bad press that some developers and agents had brought upon the area through overpriced, unfinished properties and total lack of customer service.

Hopefully, with the scarcity of investors, the market will finally learn to respect the people who prop up the local economy.

 

[NeilHollingsworth]

I returned from Egypt last night and I was really impressed with the big clean up, here are some photos I took in the El Kawther area.

 

[smithkline]

forum

Egypt people have suffered a lot during the regime of their Ex-president. The people of this country are really unmatchable. They are thinking about their country first and then they are thinking about themselves. It is a good place to spend the holidays. The people are greeting the tourists warmly. They are trying to uplift their tourism. The lots of people starting their business through the
bridging loans.

 

[Peter Mitry]

Danny is your property for sale? Where are you going this time?