01Long-let versus holiday-let
Long lets in Cairo — typically to executives, embassy staff and international school families — produce steady, low-effort income with modest gross yields. Holiday lets on the coast produce far higher nightly rates but concentrate the entire year into a short window.
A coastal unit that rents brilliantly for ten weeks and sits empty for forty-two is not automatically better than a Cairo apartment let for twelve months.
02What actually drives the number
Occupancy, not headline rate. A furnished, professionally managed, well-photographed unit in a community with operating amenities will out-earn an identical unit next door that is none of those things — often by a wide margin.
Location within the community matters enormously for holiday lets: walkability to the beach or marina is worth more per night than an extra bedroom.
03The costs people forget
Community maintenance fees, furnishing and refurbishment cycles, management commission, utilities during void periods, and the wear that short lets inflict on finishes. Model these before you buy, not after.
A useful discipline: calculate your net yield assuming one season of below-average occupancy. If the investment still works, it is a real investment.
04Where yield tends to be strongest
Established coastal towns with year-round operation and an international audience — El Gouna above all. In Cairo, furnished units near international schools and business districts. Branded and serviced residences, where the operator handles letting, trade a share of income for reliability and near-zero effort.
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