More than 51,000 homes were sold in Dubai in the second quarter of this year, marking a quarterly record amid strong demand from buyers, a report has shown.
The figures are up 22.8 per cent year-on-year, property consultancy Knight Frank said in its report on Wednesday.
In the first half of the year, total home sales reached more than 94,000, putting the market firmly "on track to exceed" 169,000 transactions recorded in 2024, it added.
The total value of residential sales in the January to June period also surged to Dh268 billion ($73 billion), a 41 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The market is poised to surpass the Dh367 billion in home sales reached last year, the consultancy said.
Residential prices grew by an average of 13.7 per cent annually in second quarter, with villa prices rising by 16 per cent year-on-year.
“The sustained growth in prices, now approaching five consecutive years since the current cycle began in November 2020, is a clear sign of a more stable and predictable market environment,” said Faisal Durrani, partner and head of research, Mena, at Knight Frank. “Knight Frank’s forecasts for 2025 remain unchanged, with 8 per cent growth expected in the mainstream market and 5 per cent in the prime segment.”
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.
In the first half of 2025, the volume and value of all real estate transactions in Dubai rose sharply amid the entry of more than 59,000 new investors into the booming market, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday, quoting Dubai Land Department (DLD) data.
The number of transactions reached 125,538, up nearly 26 per cent from 99,947 during the first six months of last year, it said. The value of these transactions rose about 25 per cent to about Dh431 billion, “highlighting the strong growth momentum in the market”, the report said.
Luxury driving growth
The luxury segment recorded strong growth in the second quarter, with prime residential values across 10 key communities rising by 16 per cent over the past 12 months, according to Knight Frank. The average prime transacted price now stands at Dh3,850 per square foot.
Villas continued to outperform the broader market in the second quarter, with values climbing to Dh2,172 per square foot, marking a 4 per cent quarterly increase.
Prime residential areas such as Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, Jumeirah Bay Island, and Dubai Hills Estate remained the most sought-after locations, particularly among international high-net-worth individuals, it said.
Sales of homes priced above $10 million reached Dh9.5 billion in second quarter of 2025, “the highest quarterly figure on record", according to the consultancy.
“The market is increasingly being shaped by genuine buyers rather than speculators, with resale activity within 12 months of purchase now at just 4–5 per cent, compared to 25 per cent in 2008,” said Will McKintosh, regional partner and head of residential, Mena, at Knight Frank.
“This shift toward end-user activity is a positive indicator of the market’s growing maturity and long-term sustainability.”
Knight Frank’s report also highlighted the emergence of "accidental millionaires" – homeowners whose properties have appreciated beyond $1 million due to market trends.
As of the second quarter, there are 110,000 such homes in Dubai, with 37,000 owned by individuals who originally purchased below the million-dollar threshold.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Dunki
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
