Saudi Real Estate ROI Calculator

1. The problem — two sides of one gap

Investors can see a unit's price, but not its net yield after costs and transaction tax, its payback period, or how a residential unit compares with a commercial or furnished one. There is no neutral, simple tool that answers that before capital is committed.

Developers sell "investment opportunities" but rarely give investors anything interactive on their websites, and capture no intent data from the visitors they pay to attract.

Problem statement: How can a developer give investors instant, market-accurate clarity on returns, while capturing them as qualified, intent-rich leads?

2. Approach

3. What the research had to account for

• Foreign ownership — the new law opening Saudi property to non-Saudi buyers took effect on 21 January 2026, creating a new high-intent investor segment.
• Riyadh rent freeze — announced in September 2025 for five years on residential and commercial rents, so rental growth in Riyadh cannot be assumed until 2030.
• Transaction tax — a one-time 5% RETT at purchase; no annual property tax and no tax on rental income.
• City-level yields — Riyadh, Jeddah and Madinah differ, and furnished units in Madinah behave differently because of religious tourism.

4. Gap analysis

The concept isn't new; the value is the combination.

5. Requirements

Functional

• Three inputs only: city, unit price, payment method (cash / installment with down payment and term).
• Side-by-side comparison of residential, commercial and furnished scenarios, highlighting the best return.
• Saudi-calibrated engine: city yields, RETT, the Riyadh rent freeze, management and maintenance costs.
• Outputs the market uses: net yield, cash-on-cash, payback period, 5-year total return.
• Lead capture through WhatsApp, carrying the investor's intent (city, budget, scenario).
• Editable assumptions and a "How we calculate" section.

Non-functional

• Mobile-first; Arabic RTL; fast to load; brandable per developer.

6. The calculation engine

7. Key design decisions

• Net, not gross — headline gross yields don't survive a conversation with an experienced investor.
• Local realism — RETT and the rent freeze are modeled explicitly instead of generic assumptions.
• Transparency — every assumption is editable and every formula is shown, which builds trust and makes the tool easy to tailor per developer.
• Lead capture by design — the CTA hands sales a lead that already states city, budget and preferred scenario.

8. Success metrics

• Visitor-to-lead conversion and qualified leads per month
• Calculation completion rate
• Cost per lead vs. paid campaigns
• Lead-to-visit and lead-to-sale conversion

9. Reflection & next steps

The figures are 2026 reference estimates and editable; the tool is a pre-decision aid, not investment advice. Next:

• An admin view so the developer can see and segment captured leads.
• A/B testing on the CTA.
• An English version for the new foreign-investor segment, and more cities.