UAE Residents Keen to Buy Despite Record Dubai Prices

Dubai: UAE residents continue to show strong intent to buy homes even as expectations around future pricing shift slightly. New findings from Property Finder’s Market Pulse, covering September and October 2025, show home-buying appetite staying resilient across demographics and income groups.

Across both months, 69% of respondents said they plan to purchase a property within the next six months. September recorded 70% intent, followed by 68% in October. The October sample, at 3,313 respondents, was notably larger than September’s 2,987, giving a deeper read into sentiment across emirates.

Price expectations moved, but only marginally. In September, 39% expected prices to fall, 33% anticipated increases, and 28% foresaw stability. By October, expectations shifted to 40%, 31%, and 29%, respectively. Residents are not delaying purchases in anticipation of a sharp correction, suggesting affordability concerns are calibrated rather than speculative.

“UAE buyers are approaching the property market with thoughtfulness and confidence,” said Cherif Sleiman, Chief Revenue Officer at Property Finder. “They continue to move ahead with their plans, highlighting trust in the long-term stability of the UAE real estate sector.”

Record-breaking activity

The strong buying sentiment aligns with a property market experiencing one of its busiest years. A new market report from fäm Properties confirms that Dubai is on track to end 2025 at an all-time high for both transaction volume and value.

November alone recorded 19,019 property deals, up 30.9% year on year. This pushed total 2025 transactions to 197,263, surpassing the previous annual record of 180,900 set in 2024 — with a month still remaining. Annual sales value hit Dh624.1 billion, far exceeding the Dh522.1 billion logged in 2024. November contributed Dh64.7 billion, a 49.6% YoY jump, signalling broad-based momentum.

“This isn’t momentum — this is market maturity meeting global demand,” said Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties. “When a market grows this aggressively and stays stable, it’s not speculation, it’s migration plus capital allocation. We’ve seen a 20% value growth on what was a record year in 2024 with one month still to go.”

Dubai’s performance reflects deeper fundamentals: strong population growth, high investor inflows, and a shift toward higher-ticket purchases. The average price per square foot rose 16.1% to Dh1,755, underlining both demand strength and asset revaluation.

Where buyers are spending

Certain communities led the surge in activity, driven by new supply, mid-income demand, and infrastructure improvements.

Top-performing areas in November 2025 included:

• Jumeirah Village Circle: 1,426 transactions worth Dh1.9 billion
• Wadi Al Safa 5: 1,133 transactions worth Dh1.8 billion
• Business Bay: 1,055 transactions worth Dh3.6 billion
• Dubai South: 903 transactions worth Dh2.1 billion
• Mina Rashid: 899 transactions worth Dh3.1 billion

High-end deals also dominated headlines. The most expensive apartment sold was a Dh203 million unit in Jumeirah Residences Asora Bay, while the priciest villa was a Dh110 million home on Palm Jumeirah. This reinforces the depth of Dubai’s luxury segment and its ability to absorb large-ticket transactions.

First sales still outpace resales

Developers maintained a strong lead in November:

• First-sale transactions: 13,374 deals worth Dh41.4 billion
• Resale transactions: 5,645 deals worth Dh23.3 billion

Properties priced between Dh1–2 million formed the largest share at 37%, followed by homes under Dh1 million at 24.85%. Larger segments — including units priced above Dh5 million — made up 8.67% of sales, showing consistent demand across price brackets.

Apartments drove the bulk of activity, with 15,905 sales worth Dh32.1 billion, while villas recorded 2,078 transactions totalling Dh13.2 billion. Commercial properties surged 79.7% YoY to 647 sales, and plots reached Dh17.1 billion in value.

Calculated decision-making

For many UAE residents, the data shows a clear picture: sentiment remains positive, buyers are actively planning purchases, and developers are delivering supply that the market continues to absorb at scale. Even with minor price expectation shifts, both local and international demand are keeping Dubai in a period of exceptional performance.

Story by Gulf News