Real Estate Market in Houthi-Held Areas Collapses as Property Values Plummet Over 50%
Yemen's real estate market has suffered catastrophic losses in Houthi-controlled territories, with property values plummeting by more than 50% in some areas of the capital and surrounding regions, according to local real estate experts.
The unprecedented crash comes amid a suffocating economic recession and a sharp decline in cash liquidity, leading to weakened demand for real estate and a halt in buying and selling transactions.
Real estate sources told Khabar Agency that the market collapse stems directly from Houthi-imposed restrictions, including arbitrary bans on property transactions, exorbitant illegal levies, and the suspension of all registrations without security clearance.
The militia has replaced legitimate property trustees with loyalists, creating institutional chaos and legal limbo that has paralyzed the real estate sector.
Meanwhile, senior Houthi leaders are secretly liquidating stolen properties as they prepare to flee Yemen. These commanders are discreetly selling homes and buildings seized during the conflict through trusted intermediaries, flooding the market with illegally obtained assets and driving prices down further. The sources said.
The fire sale comes amid growing instability within the Houthi leadership. With internal fractures widening and U.S. pressure increasing, many top figures appear to be cashing out their stolen holdings. They are converting properties into easily transferable funds - dollar - that can be smuggled abroad when they exit.
According to the sources, this frantic asset dumping signals both the militia's weakening grip and its leaders' preparations for an eventual escape.
The property sell-off comes amid growing fractures within the Houthi leadership, with multiple sources describing an atmosphere of distrust and impending breakdown. This has prompted many commanders to secure their finances ahead of an exit, according to informed sources.
Real estate experts have issued urgent warnings against participating in suspicious property transactions, emphasizing that the majority of these rapidly sold assets rightfully belong to citizens whose homes and lands were violently confiscated. They stress that current sales , often conducted through Houthi-linked intermediaries, cannot legitimize what remains legally defined as stolen property.
Experts emphasized that any sales contracts signed during this period may be legally contested in the future due to their illegitimacy.
The accelerating disintegration within Houthi ranks has forced top leaders to urgently offload stolen assets, with observers confirming that panic-driven property sales in Sanaa and other militia-controlled areas will intensify as leaders scramble to extract wealth before their regime implodes.
Economic analysts predict a wave of disorderly transactions in coming weeks as Houthi figures employ shadow networks to convert properties into hard currency, prioritizing personal enrichment over organizational survival.
