Buying and selling property in Jeddah — questions we are asked

Yes, within designated geographic zones. The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis entered into force on 22 January 2026, and Jeddah is one of the cities it covers. Ownership is permitted inside zones approved by the Council of Ministers, not everywhere in the city.

Whether one particular home qualifies depends on where its title deed sits on the official zone map, so the honest answer for any specific property is "let us check the deed". REGA runs the official platform for this at saudiproperties.rega.gov.sa, and the zone map is the only authority that matters — press coverage and agent summaries, including this page, are not.

Makkah and Madinah are treated differently from the rest of the Kingdom and carry their own restrictions on who may own there. Send us the listing reference on WhatsApp and we will confirm the zone status before you spend time on a viewing.

Yes. Bona holds REGA brokerage licence (FAL) number 1100313556 and is based in Al Rawdah District, Jeddah. You can verify any Saudi brokerage licence yourself on the Real Estate General Authority's register at rega.gov.sa.

Separately from the brokerage licence, every real-estate advertisement in Saudi Arabia must carry its own advertising licence number tied to the property's deed and to the broker. If you see a listing anywhere without one, that is a reason to ask questions before you go further.

The main statutory cost is the Real Estate Transaction Tax (RETT), charged at 5% of the transaction value. Its law took effect on 10 April 2025 and it is administered by ZATCA. In most sales the seller bears it, though the parties can agree otherwise in the contract — so treat who pays as a term to be negotiated and written down, not an assumption.

Brokerage commission is separate, is agreed in writing in the brokerage contract before any work begins, and is subject to VAT. Deed transfer itself is done through the Ministry of Justice's Najiz platform.

We put every figure that applies to your specific purchase in writing before you commit. Nothing on this site should be read as a tax opinion — for a binding answer on RETT, ZATCA is the authority.

No, and no licensed broker should. Property valuation in Saudi Arabia is a separate regulated profession under TAQEEM, the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers. A brokerage is not a valuer.

What we will do is tell you what comparable homes in your district have actually been marketed and transacted at, introduce you to an accredited valuer when you need a formal valuation, and give you a candid view on where a home is likely to find its buyer. Every price shown on this site is the seller's asking price, never our estimate.

Our portfolio concentrates on Jeddah's established northern and waterfront districts: Al Shati, Al Khalidiyah, Al Rawdah, Al Salamah, Al Nahda, Al Nuzhah, Al Zahra, Al Basateen, Al Murjan, North Obhur and Durrat Al Arous.

We also represent homes in Riyadh, and an international portfolio in Dubai, Muscat, the Côte d'Azur and the Costa del Sol, sourced through partner brokerages.

You send us the listing reference on WhatsApp, we confirm the home is still available and agree a time with the owner, and one of us meets you there — not a junior nobody has briefed. Viewings are by appointment, Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 19:00.

For homes with a 3D tour you can walk the whole property first and decide whether it is worth your afternoon. Several sellers on our books ask that their home is shown only to buyers whose position we already understand, so we may ask a few questions before confirming.

Send us the address and the deed details on WhatsApp. We visit, agree an asking price with you, sign a brokerage contract that states our fee in writing, obtain the advertising licence the property needs, and then market it — publicly, or quietly to a shortlist of buyers we already know, if you would rather the market not see it.

Discreet marketing is not a lesser service and it is the reason a number of our sellers come to us. Photography, floor plans and a 3D tour are arranged by us.

Off-plan sales in Saudi Arabia are regulated under the Wafi programme, which licenses the project and requires buyer payments to go into a supervised escrow account tied to construction progress rather than straight to the developer.

So the first question about any off-plan home is whether the project is Wafi-licensed, and the second is what the payment schedule is tied to. We will show you the licence for any off-plan project we represent. If a project cannot produce one, that tells you what you need to know.

Residential and commercial leases in Saudi Arabia are registered on Ejar, the Ministry of Housing's network. A registered Ejar contract is what makes the tenancy enforceable and is what utilities, schools and visa processes will ask you for.

Every rental we arrange is documented on Ejar. If a landlord anywhere offers you a lease outside it, that is not a shortcut in your favour.

Much of the process can be done remotely. You can tour a home in 3D, receive floor plans, deed details and the advertising licence by WhatsApp, and have us walk the property on a live video call, asking whatever you would ask in person.

Signing and deed transfer happen through the Ministry of Justice's Najiz platform, and what that requires of you depends on your nationality, residency and whether you are buying personally or through a company. Tell us your situation and we will set out the steps for it specifically.

Some do. Where a home has one, it is a Matterport 3D tour you can walk room by room on a phone or a laptop, and it is linked from that home's page and gathered on our tours page.

We add tours to homes as we photograph them, so a listing without one today may have one next month. Ask us for the reference and we will tell you what exists.

WhatsApp is fastest: +966 59 329 6933. We answer Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 19:00 Saudi time, in Arabic or English, and enquiries are handled by the principal rather than passed down a call centre.

Send the listing reference with your message and you will get a straight answer about that home rather than a brochure.