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Iran's housing crisis aggravated by reluctant sellers

Iran's housing sector, once an engine of the Iranian economy, is unlikely to exit recession anytime soon, in part due to homeowners refusing to sell at a loss.
An employee works at a residential building, currently under construction, in northern Tehran May 17, 2008. Negar Ehteshami just paid the equivalent of $6 million in rials in cash for a luxurious apartment. But it is not in New York or London. It is in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hers is a tale with echoes in much of the West: a house price surge fuelled partly by easy lending. Picture taken May 17, 2008.  To match feature IRAN-HOUSING/  REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTX68C7
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Iran's enduring housing recession has cost many Iranians their dream of homeownership while depleting their purchasing power due to higher rent. The housing sector is unlikely to return anytime soon to the days when it was Iran's best investment option.

The "Iranian dream" is the same around the world. Iranian families work hard to own a place they can call home, whether it's a small apartment in Tehran or a house built of mud and stone in a village. Until recent years, the demand for housing was amplified by a volatile economy in which real estate presented the safest option for investment. This made housing one of the most prosperous sectors of the national economy.

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