Housing finance via Islamic methods

At this time very few financial institutions have addressed housing finance using Islamic methods. There are a number of problems facing the housing sector including, but not limited to: availability of huge funds, situations of governments of most Muslim countries, and inflationary conditions (increasing the risk for investors). The author assesses the viability of several Islamic Instruments of Housing Finance including: murabaha, bi-agil (Deferred Payment Sale), musharaka, istisna', and more. The author concludes that housing issues should be addressed more seriously in Muslim societies, because housing is a basic need for all citizens. However, many issues need to be resolved in order to provide shari`a-compliant instruments for housing.