Mahmoud Ahmad

I was recently with a group of friends, one of whom seemed a bit depressed. On asking him why, I learned that his maid was leaving on final exit for the Philippines. When maids leave, people’s lives become disrupted and I thought that that was why he was upset.



However, what he said next left us all perplexed. He explained that his maid was leaving after having built a house in her home country and that he was not upset that she was leaving but envious that while she had managed to build a home for herself, he could not even afford to buy a small piece of land. “I simply cannot understand it. My maid has a house, but I don’t,” he said.



His comment led to a discussion on how many expatriates come to the Kingdom on low salaries yet achieve their set goals within a few years. Each of my friends at that gathering had a story to tell about one or two expatriate friends who spent everything they earned, even if it was only a little, on educating their children at top universities, building homes and securing the needs of their families. They live on the bare minimum to realize their achievements. I commend their efforts and dedication.



Another friend at the same gathering told us about a Pakistani doorman who earned SR800 washing cars for SR50 to SR100. He used to rise early before Fajr prayer to wash cars and do other menial tasks. After seven years, he asked his sponsor for a final exit visa. When asked if there was something wrong, he said he had managed to build an apartment building in his village with some stores on the ground floor. He wished to go back to live close to his parents, work at one of the stores and live off the rent from the other shops and apartments. The story left us wondering how he had managed to build a home and immensely frustrated that we were still unable to purchase our own homes.



Everyone knows that buying land in major cities is almost impossible for young Saudis because of the extortionate prices. I have spoken to many people who said that they cannot buy homes through banks because of the high interest rates and the lack of job security which could lead to falling behind on payments.



The only hope for the vast majority of Saudis including myself is to wait for the Ministry of Housing. A newly employed 25-year-old Saudi may end up paying installments on his home for the next 25 years or more before he actually manages to fully own his house. That is not even to mention the additional costs incurred when a child is born or when a car is bought and other such expenses.



I am not an expert on how much a piece of land in a village or major city costs in India, the Philippines, Pakistan or anywhere else. However, the fact that a low paid worker is able to build his own home after a few years of saving tells us one thing: the costs of homes and land in the Kingdom need to be reevaluated. It is because of the high prices that over 70 percent of our youth do not own their own homes.



An Indian expatriate told me that not all Indian workers in the Kingdom manage to achieve their goals. He said that children’s education is the top priority for many and that buying homes comes second. He added that the money they save here is often just barely enough and that they are forced to resort to getting help from relatives back home and taking out loans.

This tells us that the issue is not as easy as many of my friends assume.



One of my friends at the gathering became curious and telephoned his driver. He pays his driver SR2,500 a month and he asked him if he owned his own home. The driver began by saying he doesn’t own “just a” home, something that made my friend smile. He continued that he had built a house in Pakistan years ago and having inherited some land he is working to build a second house.



The conversation left us frustrated and we had to change the subject while hoping and praying for the Ministry of Housing to speedily help us find a way out of this misery.

 

— The writer can be contacted at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa. Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng