Afghanistan’s KABUL (AP) A man named Omidullah is trying to find paydirt in a town that has seen it all and is struggling to recover.
A white-and-gold home in the Afghan capital with nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms is up for sale, according to the real estate agent in Kabul. Glistening Arabic calligraphy on the roof’s gable entices purchasers and brokers with the phrase “mashallah,” which means “God has willed it.”
In a nation where the majority of Afghans lack bank accounts, mortgages are uncommon, and over half of the population depends on humanitarian help to exist, the $450,000 quoted price of the villa is shocking. The offers, however, are coming in.
According to Omidullah, the idea that Afghans lack financial resources is untrue. Some of our most successful businesspeople have large companies overseas. Millions of dollars’ worth of homes can be found here.
The upscale real estate market in Kabul is being fueled by an odd development. Property prices appear to be rising as a result of peace.
A lot of people are returning home.
After decades of conflict, devastation, and deteriorating infrastructure, people who have lived and worked elsewhere are eager to come home and benefit from the nation’s significantly increased security and stability. Afghans who are fleeing deportation campaigns in Iran and Pakistan and taking their money with them are among them.
Because banks lack the deposits necessary to support lending, mortgages are uncommon. Afghans either pay cash or use the geerawi option, which is when a person gives a landlord a set amount in exchange for residing on his land and remaining there until the landlord reimburses them.
Another real estate agent, Ghulam Mohammed Haqdoost, claims that prior to the Taliban takeover, many were hesitant to invest in Kabul. However, the nation’s leaders have improved the real estate market in a number of ways.
Although armored vehicles, checkpoints, and armed compounds are still frequently seen, the city is less violent now that the Taliban have moved from insurgency to power and international soldiers have left.
The Taliban, sticklers for an intricate bureaucracy, have pledged to stamp out corruption and regulate legal and commercial matters. That means no more dealing with warlords or bribing local officials for land purchases or construction projects.
Haqdoost is pleased with the new administration’s ease and speed of task completion.
House prices have risen by almost 40%, he said. We have sold nearly 400 properties in the past three years. It wasn t like that before.
For builders, times are good
Haqdoost, who has 200 employees in administration, including women who only interact with female clients, and another 1,000 in his company’s construction division, are doing well financially.
According to him, the majority of clients attend viewings with their spouses. That s because it s women who call the shots when it comes to real estate purchases even in a nation thatcritics sayoppresses and disempowers women. The power and authority of the house is in the hands of the women, Haqdoost said. They decide whether to buy the house or not.
Omidullah and Haqdoost said their clients want a garden, gym, sauna, swimming pool, guest quarters and at least one kitchen. Hospitality is a major part of Afghan culture and this tradition is built into housing. Afghans typically accommodate and host visiting friends or family in their homes, rather than in hotels or restaurants.
Haqdoost s client base is mostly overseas, and their international tastes are influencing interiors. They want novelties like dining tables and beds. In Afghanistan, it s the norm for people to sleep and eat on the floor. It s also the diaspora seeking out purpose-built apartment blocks offering amenities like central heating, double-pane windows and elevators.
To make the city more attractive and livable, the municipal authority is busy building and repairing roads, installing streetlights, planting trees and removing trash. It s also developing plans to promote affordable housing and encourage home ownership.
It needs to. Kabul s population was around 500,000 at the start of the millennium. Now it is more than 5 million. Some neighborhoods remain congested and noisy as a result, despite the municipality s best beautification efforts.
An oasis outside the Afghan capital?
Those who can afford it head just outside the city. There, on the edge of Qargha Reservoir, sit some of Kabul s most elaborate and expensive homes.
One resembles an ornate mosque. Another evokes a Bond villain s lair with its stark design and protrusion from the hills. Locals say it belongs to a wealthy Turkish magnate who comes and goes. They don t give his name.
This cluster of landscaped gardens and decorative terraces looks out onto the lake, one of the capital s best-loved beauty spots. Since the Taliban came to power, it s mostly a men-only area. Women stop for breaks with their families, but they tend not to linger becauseVice and Virtue Ministryofficials staff one of the checkpoints that encircle the body of water.
Arash Asad is trying to sell his uncle s property, which sits on around 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of land. It has unobstructed views across the reservoir and to the Paghman Mountains at the foot of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. The asking price: $800,000.
There are outbuildings to one side and a living area in the center of the plot topped off with a bright blue roof. The property is mostly rows of flowers and cherry trees. There are some cranes. The birds are included.
Gardens are very important to Afghans, Asad said. Many of them come from villages. When they move to cities, they want to have that reminder of their past because it stays with them. Inside the glass-walled living area sits his uncle, gazing out at the water.
Asad s family would prefer to have the property turned into a business rather than sell it. But the real estate broker fields numerous calls and messages during the 30-minute drive from central Kabul. Pictures of the property on social media have sparked a lot of interest.
People think this country has no jobs and no economy, Asad said. Outside the car, the sun dips over the reservoir and cars full of men head to the lakeside. But Afghans have made their money, illegally or legally, over the years. You wouldn t believe it.
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