Glossary
What is primary market?
The primary market is the sale of new homes by the developer that built them, as opposed to the resale market where owners sell to each other. In Egypt the primary market dominates new supply and is sold off-plan on instalment plans.
Primary versus resale
In the primary market the seller is the developer, the unit is usually unbuilt, and the price comes with a payment plan. In resale the seller is an owner, the unit exists, and the buyer usually needs a far larger share of the price in cash.
That financing difference is why a resale unit can trade below the developer's current list price for an equivalent new unit and still be the more expensive purchase for a buyer without cash.
Who sells it
Developers sell through their own sales teams and through brokerages they authorize. The brokerage is selling the developer's inventory at the developer's price, which is why access to accurate live availability determines whether a brokerage is useful to a client.
Why the data is opaque
Primary transactions sit inside developer systems rather than in a public register, so market-level absorption and pricing are estimated rather than measured. That gap is the reason original, platform-derived data on the Egyptian primary market has value.
Frequently asked questions
- Is primary always more expensive than resale?
- Not in headline price terms — it is often the opposite, once a project is delivered. The comparison has to account for the payment plan, the finishing level and the delivery date.
- Can a brokerage sell primary inventory?
- Yes, where the developer authorizes it. The brokerage sells at the developer's price and is paid a commission by the developer.
Related
See it against your own inventory
Bring one project. We load its masterplan and unit list, and you see your own homes as digital records before you decide anything.