Originally Posted by Sveta and Sergio

hello,
we are new here. we are looking at buying a holiday home in hurghada we met with a couple developers about two moths ago. one asked of the companies asked us to send the deposit to the united kingdom. we asked a attourney that we met with in hurghada about this, and he said this is against egyptian law for a developer have money sent out of the country for a property being biult in egypt, and that the egyptian govermnent is starting to investigate anyone doping this, and to take all there property. has anyone else been asked to send any of there payments out of egypt. can anyone recomend a good honest develper company?
Thank you.
svetlana and sergio and two cats

Originally Posted by realestatemart

Dear Steve and Sergio and sure the 2 cats

If you navigate through this forum you will know exactly which developments are good and which ones have problems, so we can't say who is bad and who is good because everyone of us have a different point of view, but what i recommend you is don't biu before you visit our Beautiful city Hurghada, visit the site location, visit the Developer office, and gather as much info as you can then you will have enough information and real life experience about different developments and then decision will be much easier and more safe for you
Regards
George

Originally Posted by Sveta and Sergio

hi mr george,

my husband and i went to hurghada for two weeks a couple months back. we like it very much. we saw many develpments. we are trying to get more informatiam on more places.
thank you
svetlana and sergio

Originally Posted by wghosh

I believe we have purchased through a very good agent. our idea of a good agent is based on the following critera

1. empathic and understanding of our situation
2. acting in our best interest
3. acts honestly, dilligently
4. keeps us informed
6. answers our questions
7. doesnt give the hard sell

he has exceeded our expectation and i would wholeheartedly recommend him..

i have receive contact from agents who have tried spin, been agressive, criticised our our purchase and bluntly refused to give information..
more fool them..


shame the good ones are often tarred with the same brush

Originally Posted by lovesquadsue

Hi wanderlust!
have you been to hurghada before or are you just looking to invest without having been? Before deciding on an agent I would defo say its worth you taking a trip to Hurghada and looking round the many developments on offer and speaking with the many agents! That way you can get a feel for each development and agent and its quite possible you could strike a deal directly with a developer and save yourself the commission an agent may charge.... We made the mistake of buying something off plan that we hadnt seen through an agent in the UK - we ended up canx the purchase and lost quite a lot of money - we then went out to Hurghada and looked around for ourselves and decided on a development while we were out there! We bought a 2 bed on the British Resort (we liked this one as its nearly finished and the build quality and internal finishing we thought was excellent)... but its each to their own and everyone likes different developments for their own reasons!
We are going over on 10th June ish so if you are planning a trip and will be there around that time give me a shout and we can meet up!!!
If you need any more help/advice give me a shout!

sUE X

Originally Posted by Janoulaki

One of the most important elements of buying abroad is to ensure that the estate agent or developer that you're buying from runs a reputable and honest establishment.

Often buyers get caught up in the excitement of the purchase and fail to do the necessary homework. My in-laws decided that since their developer was German, he was an efficient and trustworthy builder. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

If they had simply asked around or even done a search on the Internet, they would have found complaint after complaint about this man. And with a bit more digging they would have discovered that he's been taken to court on several occasions.

Don't let this happen to you!

Many buyers feel like they are beholden to the developers or agents - this is NOT the case. You should be in control...and to be in control, you'll want to take responsibility and determine if the particular developer or agent is going to service you in the best possible way.
Listed below are ways that you can check up on your developer or estate agent.

1. Enter the developer or agents name into the Google search engine at Sometimes you'll get the best results if you put the name in "quotes" such as "XYZ Developers"
Click through every link that mentions the developer in question. You might come across articles or postings that report problems or issues that other buyers have experienced. On the other hand, you might also find testimonials or good reports.
Within Google, you can also go to Groups and enter 'Greek Property'(substitute country of choice) or check out Yahoo! Group. This is a place where people post information about experiences, questions or issues they've experienced.

Check out any chat rooms, forums or message boards that discuss your location or area of choice.

Bad developers/agents cannot hide when it comes to the Internet...If people are upset, they will go to any lengths to help other people to avoid the same problems.

2. If you're buying on an estate that has people who have moved in already AND you have the ability to visit the estate, why not post little flyers through the door saying:
"Hi! We might be neighbours soon...I'm interested in buying on this estate, however before I make my decision, I am interested to know if you've experienced any problems with the developer or agent.

3. Ask for referrals from your agent and if they don't have any, treat that as a major warning sign.

4. Ask the locals what stories they've heard.
If something bad happens, the word often spreads quickly. Don't be afraid to ask your waiter/waitress or a news agent.
As with everything, take what you hear with a pinch of salt. You might happen to ask a relative of XYZ builder about them and they'll say that they're the best...
Or perhaps you're chatting with someone that considers XYZ Estate Agent to be terrible, however if you dig a bit you'll find that the owner is an ex-boyfriend. Hell hath no fury and all that!

You know what I'm trying to say...so I won't harp on about it. Just keep your wits about you...

I have one reputable developer or lets say agent in UK for Hurghada whom I refer all of my clients interested in Egypt.

If you would like to please send me an email

J

Originally Posted by wghosh

yes you can ask im sure you know but pm me and ill tell u

Originally Posted by lovesquadsue

Hi svetlana and sergio and two cats!!

We have bought a property in Hurghada and attempted to do so without having first visited hurghada - this was a big mistake! We saw a development advertised on the internet and paid a 40% deposit to reserve an apartment on there without ever having been to Hurghada. We then decided to visit Hurghada and realised that we had made a mistake purchasing the apartment on the internet - we subsequently cancelled it and lost a lot of money! We have now purchased on another development that we fell in love with when we were in Hurghada!
Like George says in the previous post the best thing you can do is visit Hurghada and walk around the place looking at different developments - they all have positives and negatives and everyone likes certain developments for different reasons....
You will also get a feel for the developers then too and be able to meet with others who have bought over there all ready!
We are going over early June (10th i think) so if you are going to be in Hurghada around that time let me know and we can meet up for a drink!!!
Sue (and husband Shaun!)