I have been asked by several people recently to update my info on how to find an apartment in Kuwait. It has now been 2 years since I moved into my place - and let me tell you - from what I hear, not much has changed. It is still a daunting task and I pity anyone who has to go through it.
Most of the realtors that I worked with have moved on. Slapperella found an apartment about a year ago and I had the opportunity to meet her realtor, Zamina Huseynova of Comfort Real Estate (phone 9946-4866). She was pleasant, professional, HONEST, and didn't waste time. I hear she is still helping some of my friends (that I know in real life and also virtual friends).
I have checked into http://www.masahati.com/ which is very cool. They give you a map with pop-up pictures of locations. My friend who owns Q8Realtor tells me that they are eyeing a similar application. However, with no exclusive listings in Kuwait, it kind of opens the door to all the little real estate monkeys to jump in and take a look at what they can show.
Personally, I still believe that there needs to be more Western real estate agents in the market (Q8Realtor - you guys are members of the American Business Council and BBF - maybe you can get working on that).
Regardless, it is going to take a lot of work to find the perfect home in Kuwait. Drive around - look for apartments at night with the shades open and the lights on; then go ask the building guard. If the place isn't what you want, or you feel that you have been just taken for a ride, don't waste your time being pleasant: WALK.
Good luck!
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4 comments:
Dear Desert Girl,
Thank you for mentioning our site masahati.com. We're glad you think its cool and want you to know that we will continue to improve the site's functionality and services in order to ease the stress of finding a home or office in Kuwait. We understand there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the months and years ahead.
What differentiates us from others is that we are not agents and do not take a commission on any real estate transactions. We pride ourselves on being purely an advertising platform that owners and agents alike can use to display their properties. In fact, Comfort Real Estate is one of our many clients. Thanks again for mentioning our site and you can follow our progress by going to our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/masahati
Great blog and keep up the good work!
Can't agree more with your comments about Zamina at Comfort Real Estate.
We moved last month and Zamina was extremely helpful, professional, and even got a reduction in the rental price that was being asked!
Very impressed with her service.
DG, what is your advice on finding employment in Kuwait for US citizens? I read your earlier information on the subject and am curious if you had any additional insight on the subject.
Anonymous 5:27 - please see my post to the right of the screen titled, "DG Info - Kuwait Job Market". it is still the same.
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