Capital: Doha
Language(s): Arabic, English
Population: 841,000
Total Area: 11,000 km²
GDP (in million USD): 126,518
Qatar is a sovereign Arab state, located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula.
After two years of house price falls, property prices in Qatar have been stable during 2011, according to property consultant, Asteco.
Qatar issues permanent residence visas to foreigners buying freehold properties, under Law No. 17 of 2004, which permitted foreign freehold property ownership for the first time. A property boom followed, fuelled by Qatari purchasing power and by an influx of expatriates, triggering a property price surge from mid-2000s to early-2008.
Qatar rentals have tripled in the past six years. Yields are now excellent. "A landlord who has just bought a new five bedroom house for QAR1.8 million (US$494,105), a good quality house, is renting it out at QAR18, 000 (US$4,941) per month," says Parry. This rental translates into an annual gross yield of 12%.