The State of Qatar on the Persian Gulf has become a more frequent international assignment destination in recent years. With large reserves of oil and natural gas, the country and its capital Doha are expanding at a rapid rate, with significant new construction and infrastructure projects under way as the country prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In my role as Cartus’ Emerging Markets specialist in the EMEA region, I visited Qatar last week and found that the increased volume of assignees moving into Doha has put pressure on the housing market, limiting choice and availability. There is a [...] Read More
Every month it seems property market figures either stay the same or decline, but recently, experts have been suggesting that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In their 30 May monthly report, Nationwide Building Society declared that the market is ‘gradually gaining momentum’, reporting a 1.1% annual increase in property prices—the fastest annual rise reported since November, 2011.
As we slowly start to see signs of recovery, has the economic downturn had a long-term impact on buyer behaviour?
Price vs. Quality
Property portal Rightmove (20/05) recently suggested that buyers have dramatically altered their priorities since the recession. Price and quality [...] Read More
Cartus and P&G in Asia once again lifted the coveted Human Resources Outsourcing Association (HROA) Customer Relationship of the Year Award, at the HRO Today Asia Forum held on May 23 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore. Rocky Esguerra, HR Services & Solutions (HRSS) Leader for P&G Asia and I accepted the award on behalf of the P&G Asia HRSS and Cartus P&G account teams.
The HROA Awards recognize and promote the HROA vision of improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of outsourcing as part of an overall HR service delivery strategy. The APAC Customer Relationship of the Year award [...] Read More
The Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee put the beauty and rich heritage of the United Kingdom on full display in 2012. With a stable economy and day-to-day living considered favorable by many assignees, the United Kingdom continues to be the second most frequent destination country for Cartus relocations.
Country Spotlight: United Kingdom
British society is highly diverse, and the UK sees itself as very distinct from the rest of Europe. A good number of second- and third-generation immigrants compose a sizeable chunk of the population, and these ethnic minorities have a strong voice in their communities. Despite a high standard [...] Read More
Mortgage appraisals … no matter how much a buyer loves a house and feels confident in their selection, the mortgage appraisal process often creates that moment of anticipation and concern while waiting for those important results. Will the appraisal confirm the offer amount? Will the buyer have to bring additional money to the closing table? Will everything work out as the buyer hopes?
As a whole, the real estate market is improving throughout the U.S., which may make this important step in the purchase process a critical issue. Cartus Home Loans explores the potential appraiser shortage and impact of inventory on [...] Read More
