Dubai property transactions up 26% in first half as more tenants convert to buyers

The National

5 days ago

The volume and value of real estate transactions in Dubai rose sharply in the first half of the year amid the entry of more than 59,000 new investors, including several residents, into the booming market.
The number of transactions reached 125,538, up nearly 26 per cent from 99,947 during the first six months of last year, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday, quoting Dubai Land Department (DLD) data.
The value of these transactions rose about 25 per cent to about Dh431 billion ($117 billion), 'highlighting the strong growth momentum in the market', the report said.
The total number of real estate procedures, including sales, leases, and other transaction types, exceeded 1.3 million during the same period.
The market attracted 94,717 investors – a 26 per cent increase – who completed 118,132 investments valued at approximately Dh326 billion during the period. The number of new investors in Dubai's real estate market rose by 22 per cent to 59,075, with investments growing 40 per cent to Dh157 billion, the report said.
'Residents in the UAE accounted for 45 per cent of these new investors, highlighting the success of strategies aimed at converting tenants into homeowners,' the report said.
'This also underscores the attractiveness of the local market for long-term stability.'
Dubai's property market has been booming in recent years, having benefited from government initiatives such as residency permits for retired and remote workers, expansion of the 10-year golden visa programme and overall growth in the UAE's economy on diversification efforts.
This month, a new scheme was also launched to help Emiratis and UAE residents who do not own any freehold residential property in the emirate get on the property ladder.
Under the initiative, first-time buyers will have priority access to new homes from participating developers as well as existing inventory, discounts or limited-time offers on the sales price of off-plan units, flexible payment plans and 'improved' mortgage options with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees.
The initiative will cover properties valued at up to Dh5 million. DLD expects 5,000 new investors to enter the market this year following the initiative.
In the first half of this year, a total of Dh228.35 billion came from foreign investors, with Dh28.4 billion came from Arab investors, the media office said. Gulf investors contributed Dh22.56 billion in investments.
For transaction numbers, Al Barsha South Fourth topped the list with 10,469 deals, followed by Al Yalayis 1 with 7,595 transactions, and Wadi Al Safa 5 with 7,178.
Business Bay (6,601), Dubai Marina (6,428), Airport City (5,569), Jebel Ali First (4,275), Al Thanyah Fifth (3,956), Burj Khalifa (3,670), and Meaisem First (3,643) rounded off the list of the top 10 areas.
In terms of transaction value, Dubai Marina topped the list with Dh25.1 billion in deals, followed by Business Bay at Dh22.5 billion, Burj Khalifa at Dh17.1 billion, and Palm Jumeirah at Dh16.96 billion, 'underscoring the concentration of luxury investments in these prime locations'.
Al Yalayis 1 (Dh15.7 billion), Meaisem Second (Dh15.4 billion), Wadi Al Safa 5 (Dh15.3 billion), Airport City (Dh15.2 billion), Al Barsha South Fourth (Dh14.9 billion) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens (Dh14.5 billion) also recorded high value deals.
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The ultra-prime segment in Dubai has seen growth on rising demand, with sales of $10 million-plus homes hitting a record high of $2.6 billion in the second quarter of 2025, a report by property consultancy Knight Frank found.
This was 37 per cent ahead of the $1.9 billion recorded in the first quarter and a 63 per cent increase on the same period last year.
The total number of $10 million-plus sales during the second quarter hit 143, including 22 transactions for more than $25 million.