Ready now or under construction? Delivery years and what they mean

The short answer

A ready home is one whose record shows a delivery date already reached, and it can be handed over once you sign and inspect it. An under-construction home is handed over on the delivery date in its record, and you pay instalments in the years before that. The catalogue does not give a separate deposit for ready units, so the terms below apply to compounds with a future delivery date, and the timing risk of that route stays with the buyer. On the catalogue as it stands today, 789 of the 876 compounds carry a delivery date, and 6,826 of the 7,815 units are tied to a delivery year.

What the record says about delivery years

The catalogue counts units by the year their compound is due. Of the 6,826 dated units, 726 are due in 2026 and 740 in 2027, which together are 21% of the dated stock. The largest blocks fall later: 1,074 units in 2028, 1,654 in 2029 and 2,472 in 2030. Put another way, 60% of the dated units are due in 2029 or 2030.

Counted by compound rather than by unit, the picture is similar. 98 compounds are dated 2026, 96 in 2027, 145 in 2028, 180 in 2029 and 255 in 2030. Nine are dated 2031 and a handful earlier. This is a count of what the catalogue holds, not a forecast of when any building will finish.

Who it suits

A ready unit suits a buyer who needs the keys this year, who will rent or move in soon, or who wants to see exactly what they are paying for before paying for it. It also suits anyone who does not want to rely on a developer's schedule.

An under-construction unit suits a buyer with a longer horizon, who can carry instalments without strain, and who has already compared the developer's track record with others in the same area. The buyer who does best with it is the one who reads the delivery date as a term of the contract and plans around it, not as a promise made by a brochure.

Whichever route you take, compare offers on the total you will pay over the instalment period, not on the monthly figure alone.

Compounds worth knowing

The compounds below sell the delivery-year mix in the largest areas, and each has a delivery date, an asking price and a payment term on the record. Asking prices are the sellers' figures on the day this article was written, and they can move.

• Palmet - New Cairo in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 30 June 2027, asking price from 13,030,000 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 8 years of instalments.
• The Qube in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 30 December 2028, asking price from 7,317,000 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 8 years.
• Club Park- ICity New Cairo in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 1 January 2027, asking price from 15,593,030 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 8 years.
• Crowne Residence in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 31 August 2029, asking price from 12,010,556 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 8 years.
• The Brooks in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 30 June 2029, asking price from 6,175,000 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 10 years.
• VEA in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 31 August 2029, asking price from 18,227,344 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 10 years.
• Kinda in New Cairo: delivery on the record for 30 June 2030, asking price from 12,416,284 EGP, minimum deposit 15%, up to 7 years.
• Ri8 in the New Administrative Capital: delivery on the record for 31 July 2030, asking price from 4,706,111 EGP, minimum deposit 10%, up to 14 years.
• Youd in Ras El Hekma: delivery on the record for 31 December 2026, asking price from 6,612,000 EGP, minimum deposit 5%, up to 8 years.
• Centrada Rise in 6th of October City: delivery on the record for 30 June 2030, asking price from 7,151,770 EGP, minimum deposit 10%, up to 7 years.

Several of these are in New Cairo, the area with the most dated compounds on the record. The Ras El Hekma and 6th of October entries show that the same kinds of terms appear on the coast and in the west. Each area has its own page, linked here: New Cairo, the New Administrative Capital, North Coast-Sahel and 6th of October City.

Prices and payment terms, as they stand on the record

Here is what the record shows, counted and not estimated. Across the 789 compounds with a delivery date, the minimum deposit is most often 5% (387 compounds), then 10% (245). The longest instalment period on the record is most often 8 years (227 compounds) and 10 years (217). Medians are taken over the asking prices of compounds whose record shows a price above one million pounds, because a smaller figure in the record is a placeholder, not a price.

The median asking price by delivery year is 14.3 million EGP for the 97 compounds dated 2026, 13.0 million for the 96 dated 2027, 12.3 million for the 138 dated 2028, 9.5 million for the 178 dated 2029 and 10.6 million for the 255 dated 2030. These are cross-sections of different compounds in different areas, not the price path of one project, so they do not show what a unit gains or loses by waiting. The catalogue keeps no price history, so no trend can be read from it.

A worked example of the arithmetic, not a quote. Take The Qube at an asking price of 7,317,000 EGP, with the minimum 5% deposit and eight years of instalments. The deposit is 365,850 EGP. The balance is 6,951,150 EGP, which spread over 96 monthly instalments is about 72,408 EGP a month, or about 868,894 EGP a year. That figure ignores maintenance fees, any interest or indexation the contract may add, and the time value of money. The contract is the only document that sets the real numbers.

Delivery and outlook, from the record only

The delivery dates here are the developer's dates as the catalogue holds them. Some have already passed, and this matters for how you read them. 57 compounds on the record carry a delivery date earlier than 18 October 2026, so a date on the record is not proof of handover. Before you rely on any date, ask the developer for a current handover letter or a written schedule.

By area, the compounds due in 2026 or 2027 are concentrated in New Capital City (36 compounds), New Cairo (35) and Ras El Hekma (17). The compounds due in 2029 or 2030 are concentrated in New Cairo (87), Ras El Hekma (58) and New Capital City (48). New Cairo therefore has both the most near-term and the most long-dated stock, so the choice inside one area matters as much as the choice of area.

Access and location

The record gives each compound's area and district, and the districts are what a buyer should check first. New Cairo's list on the record includes New Cairo itself, Golden Square, 6th Settlement, Mostakbal City, El Lotus and the Choueifat area. The New Administrative Capital is listed under its own districts. Ras El Hekma sits in North Coast-Sahel, and the October entries sit in 6th of October City. This article does not state drive times or distances, because those are not on the record, and a figure you cannot check is not useful when you are deciding where to live.

How to compare two offers

Put two offers side by side on the same four numbers: the price, the deposit in pounds, the number of years and the delivery date. Then add the monthly instalment, which is the figure the sales person usually leads with. A lower deposit with more years can look cheaper each month and cost more in total, so always compare the total paid to handover and the balance after it.

Next, check what happens if the delivery date moves. Does the contract give a penalty, a refund or a right to cancel? A date that slips without a remedy is a cost you carry. Finally, check the developer's record of past handovers, and ask for the status of the phase you are buying, not the project as a whole.

FAQ

Is an under-construction home cheaper than a ready one?

The record does not show a like-for-like discount for delivery year. It shows different compounds at different asking prices. Compare two offers in the same area and phase, and compare the total you will pay, not the entry payment.

What is the usual minimum deposit on a compound with a delivery date?

On the record, 5% is the most common minimum deposit, held by 387 of the 789 compounds that carry a delivery date. Some compounds ask for more, and a few entries show much higher percentages, so read the figure for each compound.

How many years can I pay the instalments over?

The most common maximum on the record is 8 years, held by 227 compounds, and 10 years is next at 217. Some compounds allow up to 14 or 15 years. A longer period lowers the monthly figure but raises the total you pay.

What if the delivery date on the record has already passed?

57 compounds on the record carry a date earlier than today. Treat the date as out of date until the developer confirms it in writing, and ask for the current handover schedule before you commit any money.

Which areas deliver soonest?

By compound count on the record, New Capital City and New Cairo have the most compounds due in 2026 or 2027, with Ras El Hekma close behind. For a later handover, New Cairo and Ras El Hekma have the most compounds due in 2029 or 2030.