According to the report issued by State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre of the Republic of Armenia, real estate market of Armenia activated, real estate transactions increased, but property prices dropped. In May 2011 in Armenia were carried out 16.643 thousand real estate transactions. Compared to the previous month this index increased by 2 percent and compared to the same month last year by 23.1 percent. According to report on the first place is Yerevan with 32.3 percent transactions, the second is Kotayk with 15 percent, and the third is Lori with 8.2 percent. As reported by research, in May 2011 were carried out 4.065 thousand alienation transactions, 79.6 percent of which were sale transactions, 19.5 percent were donations and 1 percent was exchange. Compared to the previous month the index of alienation transactions increased by 1.5 and compared to the same month last year by 21.7 percent. As noted in report, in May 2011 in Yerevan 66.2 percent of sales transactions were recorded in residential buildings. This index compared to the previous month dropped by 3.9 percent, and increased by 30.4 percent compared to the same month last year. The report also contains the property average prices both in administrative regions of Yerevan and in the other cities of Armenia. In Yerevan the highest prices were in Kentron - 1 square meter costs US$ 1,170 , on the second place was Arabkir - US$ 900 for 1 square meter, and the third place took Qanaqer-Zeytun with US$ 710 respectively. In the capital the lowest price for houses was in Nubarashen - US$ 380 for 1 square meter. In May 2011 in regions were sold 315 apartments. Compared to the previous month this index increased by 1.3 percent, and compared to the same month last year by 14.4 percent. The most expensive property in regions was in cities Vagharshapat with average price US$ 435 for 1 square meter and in Abovyan - US$ 425. According to the report, in May 2011 were registered about 211 mortgage loans, 141 of them in the capital. Compared to the previous month this figure dropped by 2.3 percent, including the capital drop by 17.5 percent, and in the regions increase by 55,6 percent. Compared to the same month last year this figure increased by 37 percent, including 22.6 percent increase in Yerevan and 79.5 percent increase in regions. In region this great increase probably depends on government program "affordable housing for youth".

According to National Security Council's press center, during his visit to Netherlands, Chairman of the Trustee Council of the National Social Housing Association, Secretary of the RA National Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan met with dutch social housing funds and organizations representatives. During this visit Arthur Baghdasaryan and Chairman of Dutch International Guarantees For Housing Eric Berzhen signed an agreement which will provide new opportunities for social housing development in Armenia. According to this contract, 3 million euro will be provided to Armenia to solve low and middle income families housing problems, at the first phase of cooperation. Construction of first social houses will begin this autumn. For the first phase of social affordable housing program were selected towns Dilijan, Ashtarak, Aparan, Razdan and Vedi, where it is planned to built 1000 houses during 3 years. To implement the project Arthur Baghdasaryan also met with the head of Green West company, which will be the guarantor of the project, and with the head of construction group Norhust discussed issues about modern construction technologies to make social housing more affordable.

According to Arabian business, Britain's rich are selling up and moving out of central London, replaced by super-wealthy buyers from regions such as the Middle East, China, and India, new research found. Real estate consultancy Savills said foreign buyers inject some US$6 billion into London property each year, the bulk of which - US$ 4.4 billion - is used to snap up homes in billionaire markets such as Mayfair, Kensington, and Chelsea. The biggest spenders in the capital come from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, putting down US$ 10.3 million on average. Buyers from the Middle East and North Africa are among the biggest spenders on high-end property, holding a 10 percent share of prime central London real estate and with an average spend of US$ 6.7 million, Savills said. By value, MENA homeowners hold 13 percent of London's most expensive property. Indian buyers, who make up nine percent of all buyers, spend US$ 5.7 million while Chinese, widely tipped as the next group to arrive in force, spending US$ 3.7 million on average. The British spend, on average, US$ 2.5 million on prime London property, Savills said. As reported by Arabian business, UK owners are disinvesting and moving out of the central areas, taking their equity with them. Central London is becoming more international as these (foreign) buyers tend to hold their stock for longer than their UK counterparts. For example One Hyde Park, the UK's priciest real estate project, has sold nearly a quarter of its apartments to wealthy Arab buyers. Between 20-25 percent of sales were to Middle East buyers, with the cheapest apartment in the development costing US$ 9.2 million.

According to Arabian business, Dubai, the Gulf business hub where property prices continue to decline, cancelled 217 property projects in the past two years. The Real Estate Regulatory Authority reviewed more than 450 projects and expects 237 of them to be completed "in due course," according to information contained in the Dubai government's bond prospectus. The total value of property sale transactions plunged to US$ 32.6 billion at the end of last year from US$ 41.7 billion a year earlier. Residential property prices in Dubai, the worst-performing market in the Middle East for the past three years, haven't yet benefited from political turmoil in other parts of the region, Deutsche Bank AG said last week. Home values declined 1.2 percent in May from the previous month and rents fell by 1 percent, according to the bank. Apartment prices dropped 1.3 percent and villas lost 1 percent. "Despite talks of renewed interest in real estate following regional unrest, there is no visible sign of an improvement," the analysts wrote. "Even if we believe the worst of the downtrend is now behind, new supply, lack of homebuyers' appetite and anemic transaction activity point to further weakness."

According to Daily Mail, the most expensive country house in the UK has gone up for sale for US$ 122 million. Updown Court has 103 rooms, five swimming pools, two penthouse apartments and a helipad. It stands in 234,7 thousand square meters of grounds. The enigmatic owner behind Updown is bricklayer's son-turned-property developer supremo Leslie Allen-Vercoe, 67. His company Rhymer Investments purchased it in 2002 out of receivership for US$ 32.8 million - and has since spent at least US$ 49 billion on renovation work. Now, an Irish bank has requested a drive to sell the mansion with a new price tag which reflects the vast sums ploughed into it. The neo-classical California-style mansion was built in 2002 on the site of an earlier property which was owned during the 1970s by Prince Sami Gayed of Egypt. The original Updown Court was built in 1924 and had been left as a shell after it had been damaged by fire in the Great Storm of 1987 - when a tree apparently fell and ruptured the gas main. It was subsequently acquired by two investors who themselves were bankrupted and Mr Vercoe then stepped in. The house, which has 24 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms, has been built with some of the world's rarest materials - mainly Italian marble. Visitors approach the mansion, which is 30 miles from Central London, along a heated marble driveway. The mansion has a 50-seat cinema, a two-lane bowling alley, a gymnasium, a squash court, a flood-lit tennis court, a lake, a wine cellar for 3,000 bottles and a 'panic room'. Neighbors include Sir Elton John and Queen guitarist Brian May.