Just one thread on the forums this week goes from the extreme of – buy now the property bubble is about to burst – to the other of – sell before prices start going down.
It is a good example of how two people can think in opposites given the same information but it also has a serious point – no one is quite sure what the 'right' price for property is in Dubai at present.
One totallyproperty.com forum member suggests holding onto property and not selling until October when the summer slow down has ended along with Ramadan. 'Come September, you will be selling again. Come October, you will be making a killing,' suggests another member.
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The pessimists go on about oversupply and the cancellation of one project on the Palm Jebel Ali by Damac Properties has caused some to worry that a dip could occur.
There is also mention of bribery scandals, slowing liquidity and the UAE Central Bank trying to rein in loans. Some investors seem to be proceeding with more caution.
Then there is Dubai Cityscape. This annual property fest, the world's larges real estate investment event, is looming. Last year it resulted in large increases in prices as hordes of buyers decided to invest in Dubai, according to one post on the thread.
So the message seems to be to enjoy the rest of the summer and wait for the bonanza in the autumn when the weather cools and deals start kicking in again.
If you think Dubai is a paradox, then what about Spain? Information from people living in an area where you are thinking of investing can be invaluable and one thread on the housepricecrash.co.uk forum does just that in terms of what is happening in Spain.
We are all familiar with the headlines but bargain prices can be an attractive investment. There are buy-to-rent investors who may see tumbling prices in the Spanish Costas as a good bet.
But can they get enough of a rental income? This is a key question and a short but informative rundown of what has been happening this summer from member costalot, who has lived in Spain for the last six years, is revealing.
He says the bars are empty and restaurants are shutting every week. Hotels have okay bookings because they offered cheap all-inclusive packages. The beaches are full of Spanish holidaymakers who have brought their own sunbeds, umbrellas and cool boxes.
Young Spanish people drink on the streets from cheap bottles of supermarket booze rather than pay bar prices. Rent prices are falling because there is on oversupply of rental properties.
Reading on you find the opposite view. Other parts of Spain popular with tourists are booming. Many people say they are happy living in Spain and looking at long term investment rather than short term gain.
It's a bit like the Dubai discussion – either full of doom and gloom or optimistic for the future. One poster sums the debate up by saying that he still wants to buy a holiday home in Spain and is looking for a villa with a pool because he likes the warm seas, closeness to the UK, cheap flights and detests the US.
Reading through the forums often brings up something surprising or unusual. One is a new thread on the totallyproperty.com forum about Cornwall. Very little is moving property wise and bookings in the holiday rental sector are pretty dismal, so no surprises there.
There has even been a special promotion with one developer offering Range Rovers and Mercedes – not that great unless you don't mind paying the new expensive road tax for such vehicles. Another agent has dropped the price of new builds by 40%, it is also reported.
But it does show that Cornwall will always have something going for it and that is a nice place to be. Fistral is mentioned as a stunning location with a limited number of building opportunities and of course Newquay is always popular for its surf. But that means buying for lifestyle reasons and certainly not for short-term gain.
And if you want cheering up them the US forums do just that. Across the Atlantic the owners of BMWs and McMansions (expensive designer homes) are finding it real hard. And it isn't going to get much better according to information on the biggerpockets.com forum. There is a link to an article which likens the current foreclosure crisis in the US to a Tsunami whose giant waves will hit the retail sector, the hospitality sector, jobs, the car industry, and many others.
It predicts that those who have prepared for the storm by not taking on too much debt and not living above their means will ride it out unscathed. Those who built their house on sand will see it swept away.
The question is – how hard will the storm hit Europe and other continents?