Selling a property in the New Administrative Capital: what sellers need to know in 2026

The Capital in October 2026: what you're selling into

The New Administrative Capital is still a city in the making. According to the chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), about 30,000 people lived in the city in October 2026, a number he expects to double by the end of the year. It has 14 schools and 6 universities, and ACUD expects the Central Bank of Egypt to move there before the end of 2026, followed by the head offices of 18 banks.

The East Nile monorail from Nasr City opened to the public in May 2026 and reached Cairo Stadium in late June, although early ridership was low. The LRT from Adly Mansour is running, and its extension inside the Capital was partly open by July 2026.

At the same time, a lot of new supply is arriving, and some projects are late:

No consultancy publishes resale prices or resale volumes for the Capital. The figures you see online are asking prices, so treat any "market price" with care, including your own.

Ready unit or off-plan contract: two different sales

A ready unit is the easier sale, but "delivered" doesn't always mean "liveable". JLL counted about 7,500 new homes delivered in Cairo in Q3 2025, mostly apartments in R7, a district it said was still an active construction zone. Buyers will ask whether the building is finished, whether utilities are connected and whether anyone lives nearby.

An off-plan unit is sold by assigning your contract (tanazul). The developer must approve the transfer and may charge a fee. A 2026 law-firm study of developer contracts found fees of 1% to 5% of the unit value, and lawyers report up to 15% in some contracts. The head of the developers' association says 15% fees are illegal and that some developers charge no more than EGP 30,000 to 40,000 a unit. Read your contract's transfer clause first; our guide to selling an off-plan unit before delivery walks you through it.

If your developer is late, know your rights before you sell at a discount. Under Decision 2184 of 2022, as Daily News Egypt summarises it, a developer has a 12-month grace period after the contractual delivery date, and beyond 24 months you can choose to continue or ask for a refund, subject to the decision's conditions and your contract. Ask a lawyer whether it covers your project.

Who buys resale in the Capital

Most buyers fall into three groups:

• End users who work there. About 48,000 government employees had moved their jobs to the Capital by late November 2023, according to the government; there's no newer official count. Central bank and bank staff may follow. They care about delivery, finishing and the commute.
• Long-horizon buyers. People buying for the years ahead, including Egyptians abroad, whom an industry figure described in 2025 as among the market's main buyers. They compare you with developers' long payment plans.
• Buyers hunting a discount from a quick exit. On Aqar Exit, a platform for off-plan contracts, sellers who want out fast often accept 25% to 35% below current market prices for comparable units, according to the platform. Its report for September 2026 showed units under EGP 3 million drew about 11 purchase requests each, against about 2 for units over EGP 20 million.

Know which group your unit suits. A finished two-bedroom in a delivered district is a home. A large unit years from handover is a long-term bet, and buyers price it that way.

Pricing against developer launches in your district

Your real competition is the developer down the road, selling new units with small down payments and plans of 12 years or more. Most developers are also offering longer terms, lower down payments and cash discounts, so a resale unit has to compete on terms as well as price.

• Compare with the developer's cash price, not the instalment price. Many developers use "dual pricing": a discount for paying faster, or the full list price spread over years.
• Show the true cost of a long plan. One developer executive said a 10-year plan can double a unit's price once interest and hedging costs are counted. If you want cash, that's your strongest argument.
• Use portal averages only as a rough guide. On Aqarmap's English price guide, read on 24 October 2026, apartment prices averaged about EGP 50,200 per square metre across the Capital, with R3 at about 41,750, R8 at 44,500, R7 at 54,400 and R5 at 70,050. Aqarmap does not say whether these are asking or sale prices. Downtown, CBD and MU23 average far more, so compare your flat only with its own district.
• Be realistic about what you paid. Some units bought during the 2023-24 currency swings are now priced above new launches, which makes them hard to sell.

For the full method, see how to price your property, or ask for a free valuation.

Documents to prepare

Buyers in the Capital ask for a full file, because most units aren't registered and many aren't delivered yet.

• Your contract with the developer, plus any earlier contracts if you bought resale
• Payment receipts for every instalment you've paid
• A statement of account from the developer: what's paid, what's left and that you're up to date
• The developer's written approval of the transfer, with its fee and conditions
• Handover papers, if delivered: the handover report and utility meter contracts or recent bills in your name
• Your national ID

Our guide to the documents you need to sell covers the rest.

Step by step

1. Get your developer statement and read the transfer clause in your contract.
2. Check your district's status: delivery dates, finished buildings, utilities and services nearby.
3. Decide which buyer you're selling to, and price against the developer's current cash price.
4. Clear any overdue instalments, so the developer will approve the transfer.
5. List the unit with its status: ready or off-plan, amount paid and remaining schedule. You can list your property on Feinh, and we check it with you and the developer's records before it goes live. See how we check.
6. Sign a deposit agreement, then complete the transfer at the developer's office with both parties present.
7. Get paid through a bank and pay the 2.5% disposal tax within 60 days. See taxes and fees when you sell, and use the calculator below.