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[00:00.18] The capital city of Kabul, Afghanistan, has seen big changes in its high-end housing market.

[00:10.80] Peace, it seems, is driving up property prices.

[00:16.38] Omidullah, a real estate agent, is selling a white-and-gold house with nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms in the Afghan capital.

[00:28.87] The house is on the market for $450,000, a surprising number in a country where more than half of the population depends on humanitarian aid to survive.

[00:45.33] Most Afghans do not have bank accounts.

[00:49.60] And it is rare to borrow money from banks to buy property. Yet the offers are coming in.

[00:58.90] “It’s a myth that Afghans don’t have money,” Omidullah said.

[01:04.48] “We have very big businessmen who have big businesses abroad.

[01:09.80] There are houses here worth millions of dollars.”

[01:13.79] People who spent years living and working abroad are returning home.

[01:20.42] They are drawn by the country’s much-improved security and stability after years of war and destruction.

[01:31.05] Those returning include Afghans escaping deportation campaigns in Iran and Pakistan.

[01:40.36] Banks rarely have enough money for lending.

[01:44.62] So, Afghans buy properties with their own money or employ what is called “geerawi.”

[01:53.65] It is when someone provides a fixed amount to a property owner in return for living in his place.

[02:02.41] And the person stays until the property owner returns the money.

[02:09.05] Before the Taliban takeover, people were afraid to invest in Kabul, said another real estate agent, Ghulam Mohammed Haqdoost.

[02:19.68] But the Taliban have created better conditions for the property market.

[02:26.33] The city is less violent since the Taliban changed from an insurgency to a government.

[02:34.57] Foreign forces left the country, although armored vehicles, checkpoints and military buildings remain common sights.

[02:44.66] The Taliban have promised to end corruption and establish order.

[02:50.77] That means no more dealing with militia chiefs or paying officials for land purchases or building projects.