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Investing, Market Updates

Alford Hughes Announces Second Edition of Global Investor Guide in Collaboration with Qatari Artist Abdulaziz Yousef  

Posted on March 21, 2024

Alford Hughes, Qatar’s only prime international real estate office, has announced the release of the second edition of the Global Investor Guide in collaboration with Qatari Artist Abdulaziz Yousef, popularly known as ‘Temsa7’. Building on the success of its previous collaboration with Qatari artist, Bouthayna Al Muftah, for the inaugural edition, Alford Hughes continues to support local artists, providing them with an outlet to showcase their creativity and bolster their growth.  

The Global Investor Guide is available exclusively to the Alford Hughes Investor Network in Qatar. It offers insights and investment guidance into prime real estate opportunities from across the world and showcases a portfolio of luxury properties exclusively available for sale through Alford Hughes for investors from Qatar. The guide aims to serve as a valuable resource for investors, providing expert advice to make informed decision-making in the complex and ever-changing world of international real estate investments. The latest edition highlights hotspot destinations, including Paris, Istanbul, London, Manchester, Dublin, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon, chosen for their vibrant culture, lifestyle, and promising investment prospects. 

Mohammed Al Baker, CEO of Alford Hughes, expressed, “We take pride in championing the local art scene by providing a platform to local artists to express their creativity.  With the Global Investor Guide, we bring unparalleled investment advice and opportunities to our investor network in Qatar.” As an art investor himself, Al Baker, added, “We also hope our investors cherish this guide as a limited-edition art collectible.”  
“I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our investors to the newly launched Alford Hughes Lounge, at 6 La Croisette, Porto Arabia, The Pearl Island. This VIP lounge is truly one of a kind in the Qatar market and provides our investors with a boutique luxury setting so that our team of international real estate experts can guide you on investing internationally, locally”, Al Baker, added.   

Mohammed Al Baker, Managing Director of Bin Yousef and Founder of Alford Hughes 

Investing, Market Updates

Qatar’s Exclusive Real Estate Investment Firm Alford Hughes Launches Art Initiative to Support Qatari Artists

Posted on July 19, 2022

The initiative follows a previous collaboration with Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah whose prominent works include the official poster for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to support the launch of the Global Investor Guide.

Alford Hughes, Qatar’s most exclusive network for international real estate invest and asset management has announced a special art initiative that aims to support Qatari artists.

Mohammed Al-Baker

This Summer will see the launch of Alford Hughes’s ‘Invest Internationally, Locally’ campaign where the company has collaborated with two local artists to create digital artistic interpretations of Qatari culture across famous landmarks from Alford Hughes’ key markets. The initiative will promote and support the local artists, providing them with a challenge and an outlet to exhibit their creativity and bolster their growth, while also showcasing the company’s property portfolio in key cities around the world.

Mohammed Al Baker, CEO of Alford Hughes commented on the initiative saying: “As an art investor myself and an active advocate for the local art community, I have taken great pride in sponsoring local artists through my private businesses. The assets that Alford Hughes promotes to its investor network are architecturally brilliant, financially enticing and situated in prime real estate markets that are famous for their cultural aesthetics”.

This ongoing support to local artists comes on back of the resounding success of a previous similar initiative in which the company collaborated with Qatari artist Bothayna al Muftah in the design and production of the Global Investor Guide which was gifted exclusively to 250 local investors.

Al Baker continued, “Alford Hughes is a unique premium service unlike anything else in Qatar Real Estate Industry, and I have found that partnering with local artists complements what we do brilliantly and provides a refined touch to our exclusive services and property portfolio”.

Since its inception, Alford Hughes has kept the welfare of Qatari investors and Qatari society at the top of its priorities. The company strives to create initiatives that will support local talent and drive development in the market whilst also making the troublesome process of investing overseas as a Qatari national as seamless as possible

Since its establishment in 2020, Alford Hughes has grown its asset portfolio offering to over 27 billion riyals across the world. The appetite for International Prime Real Estate has never been stronger in Doha and being an exclusive office to simply investing Internationally, Locally – Alford Hughes has positioned itself as the go-to company in Qatar.

Investing, London, Market Updates

London’s Lizzie Line Opens- Why this is important for Property Investors

Posted on May 30, 2022

The ‘Elizabeth line,’ or ‘Lizzie line,’ as it has already been dubbed, is Europe’s largest building project and London’s largest infrastructure project in 20 years.

The new route will revitalize London transit, making commuting easier and will continue to provide an opportunity for property investors.

40 stations will provide direct links to formerly unconnected routes, reducing travel times and greatly alleviating congestion. The 100-kilometer project will connect London’s Docklands, City, and West End to Heathrow Airport, Berkshire, and Essex, and will include ten new stations.

Even though some regions have already seen tremendous growth because of the Elizabeth Line’s announcement, astute investors can still uncover value near the now better-connected stations. Although investors typically have the foresight to invest in future projects, owner occupier buyers and tenants have a more short-term perspective and need to see such projects up and running before committing to buy or rent, which is likely to drive growth in sales and rental prices in these areas in the coming years.

Hanwell in the London Borough of Ealing, which Alford Hughes has identified as being primed to benefit, will see the largest reduction in journey times along the new line, with services from Hanwell Station to Heathrow Airport taking 11 minutes, down from 40 minutes currently, and commuting to Bond Street taking 17 minutes, down from 45 minutes.

Investing, London, Market Updates

London Properties Owned by Qatari Individuals Increased by Almost 50% Between 2018 and 2021

Posted on April 11, 2022

Qataris have always been drawn to the UK property market, both as investment opportunities and second residences, and is one of the top 20 countries in terms of individual property ownership in the United Kingdom.

According to an analysis by Alford Hughes Qatar, the number of properties owned by Qatari individuals in London climbed by nearly 50% between 2018 and 2021.

Qatari buyers primarily choose to invest in Prime Central London’s golden postcodes- Westminster being the most popular region, accounting for 21.5% of all London properties held by Qatari buyers. Westminster City Council, which stretches from the Thames in the south to Regent’s Park in the north, encompasses some of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods, including Mayfair, Marylebone, St James’s, Bayswater, Whitehall, and sections of Belgravia and Knightsbridge.

The borough of Wandsworth is the second most popular place, with 12.4%. The multi-billion-pound makeover of Nine Elms, which includes the rebuilding of the Battersea Power Station, the new US Embassy, and two new tube stations, has sparked enormous interest in the area.

In the recent years, it has become part of a broader trend among Qatari purchasers to expand their search outside typical central locales in search of places with both growth potential and easy access to important central London destinations. Between 2018 and 2021, the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham witnessed the biggest increase in Qatar ownership, with a 76.5 percent increase. Parts of Earls Court, Fulham, and Shepherd’s Bush have also been popular among Qatari purchasers lately, thanks to this trend and large-scale regeneration across West London.

The analysis, which represents the number of homes owned by Qatari individuals, does not take into consideration purchases made by companies. Purchasing properties through a limited company has become more popular in recent years, particularly among Qatari investors who see various advantages to doing so.

“Over the next 12 months, we expect purchase rates to rise as travel restrictions ease and Qatari purchasers see a buying opportunity.” Our local investor network is taking advantage of a central London market that appears to be undervalued compared to historical values and has shown growth in the last two quarters.” – Ryan Dougan, Lead Consultant – Investment Advisory, Alford Hughes Qatar.

Market Updates

Global Prime Capital to Grow 4.3% in 2022

Posted on January 25, 2022

Following the momentum set in motion by the first waves of the pandemic, 28 out of 30 cities are expected to experience price increase for prime residential properties in 2022. It is expected to show an average prime capital growth of 4.3%, the second highest in 5 years just behind 2021.

Low stock levels, the desire for bigger spaces ideal for permanent or long-term hybrid working conditions and relatively low interest rates resulting in affordable mortgages were some reasons behind the value increase in 2021. However, openness of the borders for cities that rely on international demand, and the market cooling measures, prevalent especially in Asia, could be the determining factors of the prime residential outlook in 2022.

Building on the 21% growth in 2021, Miami is forecasted to be the best performing US city, anticipating a growth of 10% due to Florida’s low-taxes, Miami’s competitive prices and the added the appeal of coastal living. New York, on the other hand, is expected to grow between 4 and 5.9%.    

CityForecast 2022 Growth
Berlin10% or higher
Miami10% or higher
Moscow+8 to 9.9%
Seoul+8 to 9.9%
London +6 to 7.9%
Singapore +6 to 7.9%
Amsterdam+4 to 5.9%
Geneva +4 to 5.9%
Los Angeles +4 to 5.9%
Madrid +4 to 5.9%
Milan +4 to 5.9%
New York +4 to 5.9%
San Francisco +4 to 5.9%
Sydney +4 to 5.9%
Prime Capital Growth Forecast of Top 15 Cities in 2022

Berlin is forecasted to the be the standout among the European cities and are expected to grow by at least 10% in 2022. New, prime developments are bringing quality stock to the market, supported by strong domestic and international purchaser demand.

Prime Central London is another standout, with growth of 8% forecast. Paris is the only European city where there is no growth forecast. Prices are expected to stabilize this year after several years of catch up.

Seoul may see the strongest growth of any Asian city in 2022 with an anticipated growth between 8 and 9.9% over the 12% recorded in 2021. A government scheme to curb speculative buying by imposing higher taxes on owners of multiple properties has pushed purchasers to spend more on individual homes and resulted in boosting the prime markets. Other strong performers expected in 2022 are Singapore (6% to 7.9%) and Sydney (4% to 5.9%), though growing at slower rates than in 2021, with additional lending restrictions for foreign buyers.

Market Updates

UK Residential Forecasts 2022 – 2026

Posted on January 13, 2022

UK house price growth over the past 12 months has been the highest since before the Global Financial Crisis.

There will continue to be strong price growth across all major markets, albeit at a slower rate of growth to reflect the removal of the stamp duty holiday, removal of furlough and some current uncertainty and disruption around fuel, deliveries, and inflation.

Price growth will be driven by mortgaged mid-life stage households who have seen strong wage growth, have built up some equity over the past decade and can access 5-year fixed mortgages at record low rates.

Cities will bounce back more strongly in terms of price growth and rental growth than rural areas as there continues to be a renewed desire to return to more ‘normal life’. This bounce will particularly be
felt in 2022 and 2023.

Price and rental growth is expected to cool in 2024 after an extended period of strong growth. This cooling will also reflect uncertainty heading towards the UK General Election, which is currently scheduled for May 2024. However, the election could be held earlier, which in turn would signal a quicker cooling of price growth, if the UK Government’s proposals to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act come to fruition.

City / RegionProjected Change 2022 – 2026
London23.5%
Birmingham24.5%
Manchester23.5%
Liverpool19.5%
Edinburgh24.0%
Source: JLL
Investing, London, Market Updates

Demand returns to the prime London rental market

Posted on September 22, 2021

Over the last six weeks, a tenant’s market has become a landlord’s market in prime London as supply has fallen and demand has hit record highs.

Supply has been curtailed as would-be landlords have sold to capitalise on surging demand in the sales market and as staycation rules have been relaxed a number of investors have returned their properties to the short-term rental market.

In addition, the return of overseas students and the re-opening of offices has driven the demand side of the equation.

These factors have contributed to upward pressure on prices, with average rents in prime central London rising by 1.2% in the three months to August, the biggest such increase since July 2018. In prime outer London, the quarterly gain of 0.9% was the largest since June 2018.

As shown in the below chart, of the properties rented, the areas around London’s two main financial districts (the City and Canary Wharf) showed the greater activity with 28% of listings rented in August in comparison to 22.5% for Greater London, a figure that was at 13% at the start of the year for both groups. This divergence shows the clear trend that the re-opening of offices has been driving lettings activity.

Office re-opening drives lettings activity

Market Updates

Global Prime Values Saw 8.2% Annual Growth In The Second Quarter, With Toronto Leading

Posted on August 16, 2021

So far the pandemic has driven house prices in the mainstream housing market, but the prime sector is now surging ahead.

Price growth for luxury homes across 46 cities increased at an average rate of 8.2% in the year, up from 4.6% in the first quarter according to the Prime Global Cities Index by Knight Frank. In comparison, mainstream prices increased by 7.3% on average.

Toronto leads this quarter’s results recording annual prime price growth of 27%, driven by strong buyer appetite and
low inventory levels. Despite a recent cooling measures, the next three rankings are occupied by key Asian cities – Shanghai (21%), Guangzhou (20%) and Seoul (20%). Miami (19%) completes the top five.

An easing of travel rules in some markets, a surge in safe haven purchases by domestic buyers, a flurry of activity ahead of the tapering of stamp duty holidays, and an overall reassessment of lifestyles and commuting patterns, all set
against a backdrop of low interest rates have been causing the price increases.

Although not one of the top performing markets London registered a 0.7% uptick in prime prices, but it was the first time that prices saw positive growth since May 2016 and along with Paris and New York, these cities are forecast to increase in the rankings, as travel restrictions ease and international buyers start to recognise the relative value in these cities.

Top Five Prime Global Cities Q2 2021

City12 Month Change3 Month Change
Toronto27.0%15.5%
Shanghai21.4%5.5%
Guangzhou19.8%1.8%
Seoul19.6%4.2%
Miami18.7%8.6%
Market Updates

European Prime Property in Short Supply as Demand Increases

Posted on June 7, 2021

Evidence of prime stock shortages in European residential markets is growing, owing to an increase in pandemic-induced sales.

In Europe, the resort, coastal, rural, and alpine markets are feeling the pinch, and this is expected to worsen in the coming months.

The strong sales rates we’ve seen in the last 12 months have been driven almost entirely by domestic buyers, once borders reopen and cross border transactions normalise, it is expected that stock levels will reduce further.

Strong demand, along with sellers’ reluctance to list their home until they know what they want to do next, has resulted in fewer listings in recent months.

With listings declining, existing inventory being absorbed and construction rates lagging, stock levels are becoming increasingly constrained, and inevitably it is the best-in-class properties that are selling fastest.

“European cities are also back on the radar of second home buyers and investors.”

What Next?

Prices are expected to increase across most European markets in 2021, with Lisbon, London, Geneva, Berlin and Paris to be amongst the frontrunners.

“The big question is will prices accelerate or will sales slow as a stand-off emerges between buyer and seller”

In the short-term prices look likely to track higher. Knight Frank’s latest Prime Global Cities Index which tracks the movement in luxury prices across 56 cities confirmed that 11 recorded double-digit price growth in the year to March 2021, up from just one a year earlier.


Where in Europe are the stock shortages?

CountryLocationPrice Band
FranceParis€3m-€7m
 Chamonix€1m-€3.5m
 Megeve€2m-€6m
 Val d’Isere€1.5m-€4m
 The Three Valleys€1m-€4m
 Provence: Saint Remy, Uzes, Vaison la Romaine€800,000-€2.5m
 Inland Cannes (Mougins, Grasse)€3m-€6m
 SwitzerlandVerbierApartments  CHF2m-5m
 VillarChalets CHF2m-4m
 GenevaHouses & apartments in the CHF3-10m
 ZurichHouses CHF10m+
PortugalWestern AlgarveVillas between €750,000-€2m
ItalyLake Como€1m-€4m (Turnkey projects)
 Chianti/Siena€3m-€6m
 SardiniaCosta Smeralda
 MilanLarge apartments €4m+
SpainSW Mallorca€2m-€5m
 MarbellaNew developments
Source: Knight Frank
Investing, London, Market Updates

What’s next for the UK’s prime property market?

Posted on May 20, 2021

Eight factors shaping the top end of the UK’s property market


The UK’s prime real estate markets are set to continue to increase for the rest of this year at least, according to Savills research. Country houses and regional locations are likely to continue to be in high demand as lockdown lessons stay fresh in buyers’ minds, while London and city markets are due for a resurgence as hospitality re-opens and international buyers enter the market as travel resumes.


  1. We anticipate the lifestyle drivers that have influenced the prime markets since they reopened a year ago will continue to do so through the remainder of 2021.
  2. Lifestyle drivers will result in continued price growth across the prime markets beyond London, especially in the country house and coastal markets where there is the greatest imbalance in supply and demand.
  3. The continued relaxation of social distancing measures and the rollout of the vaccination programme in the UK will underpin a return to price growth in the prime London markets during the second half of 2021.
  4. Markets that have traditionally been dominated by those living and working in the capital’s financial and business districts, such as Canary Wharf, will begin to see demand increase more as workers start to return to the office.
  5. As international travel gradually resumes, we expect to see a more pronounced recovery in prime central London prices from 2022 onwards, in a market that looks good value in both a historical and international context.
  6. In more domestic markets, an increased requirement for space will continue to underpin demand in 2022, though we expect to see some rebalancing between London and the country as changes in buyer preferences, sparked by the pandemic, become less of a driver.
  7. Longer-term price growth across all markets will be underpinned by a low interest rate environment, though this will be tempered by the prospect of higher taxes as the government seeks to restore public finances.
  8. As has occurred in the past, a general election will slow the market in 2024. That could interrupt the pace of recovery in central London, which is most exposed to the risk of higher taxation in the event of a change in government.


Prime Residential Forecasts

202120222023202420255 Year
Prime Central London3%7%4%2%4%21.6%
Outer Prime London2%5%3%2%2%14.8%
All Prime London2.5%6%3.5%2%3%18.1%
Suburbs5%3.5%3%2%3%17.6%
Inner Commute5%3.5%3%2.5%3%18.2%
Outer Commute5%3.5%3%2.5%3.5%18.7%
Source: Savills Research

Prime Rental Forecasts

202120222023202420255 Year
Prime London3%7%4%2%4%21.6%
Prime Commuter Zone2%5%3%2%2%14.8%
Source: Savills Research