An animal instinct for property investment

photo credit: faeryboots

If you’re having trouble shifting a property development, perhaps you could throw in some monkeys to sweeten the deal. Fed up of investing in boring old real estate? Buy a tiger with it.

These seem to be the new rules in Houston, Texas, as a Dubai property investor has sealed a deal on a former safari park, River Ridge. Arabianbusiness.com reports Rikander Ali, of Resham Investments, has bought the 64 acres for $750,000 from Thomas Abraham, an air-conditioning company owner who also invests in real estate around the Houston area.

Although the many of the previous residents, i.e. the zebras, camels, kangaroos, bears, lions, tigers, hippopotamuses and water buffalo have been moved on, the pair are still negotiating on the remaining 13 horses, seven cows, three donkeys and a bull.

‘New homes to be built on land’

The land also sits in the middle of an active oilfield and Arabianbusiness.com says Ali plans to reap the rewards of the oil until it runs dry, and then build new homes on the land. If Ali has ever been to Knowsley Safari Park and seen the damage that a group of monkeys and a giraffe can do to a car, I think he’ll be re-homing the animals well before he starts the property developments…i.e. Builder: “That sodding monkey’s got my hard hat on again.”

‘Donkey unavailable for comment’

Between oil, flesh eating animals and George Bush, Texas isn’t looking like it’ll be top of the list for property investment any time soon. Not this part anyway. And if you do decide to invest in a property here, lets hope there are no lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) left behind.

Neither the seller, the buyer, nor the donkey were apparently available to comment on the deal.

Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate investing, property, property investment