Trump Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The branding question, which is the same everywhere

A recognisable brand on a tower in a newly opening market does two things: it reassures international buyers who know nothing about local developers, and it commands a premium.

The first is genuinely useful. The second should be interrogated: establish whether the brand is operating the building or licensing its name, because only the former reliably holds value at resale.

Operated branded residences internationally hold a twenty to forty percent premium over unbranded stock in the same location. Licensed ones depend on the aesthetic staying current.

That test applies identically in Jeddah, Dubai, Miami or anywhere else, and it is answerable from the operating agreement before you commit.

What I would do about it

Watch rather than rush. Early entry into a newly opened market can be extremely rewarding, and it can also mean discovering the regulatory gaps personally.

The first cohort of foreign buyers in any market pays for the education of the second, and there is rarely a prize for being first.

If you do look, prioritise projects by established developers with international track records, inside the designated zones, with clear title documentation and clear exit mechanics for a foreign owner.

And keep the core of a Gulf property position in the market with twenty years of precedent, deep liquidity and published data. That is the UAE, and it will remain so for some time.

Jeddah as a market

Jeddah is Saudi Arabia's commercial port city on the Red Sea and its second largest, historically the gateway for pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina — which gives it a permanent, non-cyclical source of visitor demand that few cities anywhere can claim.

The waterfront corniche has been the focus of substantial redevelopment, and the city is a designated area within the Vision 2030 tourism and real-estate programmes.

Domestic demand is the market's foundation: a large, young, growing population that is under-housed by regional standards, with government programmes specifically aimed at raising home ownership.

For a foreign buyer the practical question is which parts of that market are actually open, in which designated zones, and on what terms — and those answers are still being finalised.

What to watch before committing anywhere in Saudi Arabia

The final form of the foreign ownership regulations: which zones, what thresholds, what restrictions on resale and on leasing to third parties.

Whether an escrow regime for off-plan comparable to Dubai's Law No. 8 of 2007 is established and enforced, because that single mechanism is what made Dubai off-plan investable at scale.

Whether a public transaction register emerges. Without published comparables, pricing any purchase is guesswork, and guesswork favours the seller.

And whether the mortgage market opens to non-residents, since financing availability determines the depth of the buyer pool you will eventually sell into.