Inayat-ur-Rahman, Business Editor

Foreign investors continue foraying into Dubai as it concluded the first quarter on a high note. The Dubai property market recorded the best ever quarter since 2010, with a total of 20,539 sales transactions valuing a little over Dhs 55.50 billion.

Referring to official data, the Zoom Property Insights said the secondary market dominated the real estate sector as it constituted around 58 per cent of total sales transactions, while the remaining 42 per cent of sales were recorded in the primary market.

The market is expected to continue its upwards trajectory with more foreign investors pouring into the market, owing to visa reforms and economic stability. The changing scenario in the Dubai labour law and the abundant entrepreneurial opportunities are also attracting a huge number of investors, according to Zoom Property Insights.

Ata Shobeiry, CEO at Zoom Property, credits overseas investors for the exceptional performance of the property market in recent months.

He said, “The rising demand, property prices, and ROI can be majorly accredited to the influx of overseas investors. Expo 2020 facilitated the visit of many first-time investors, who ultimately decided the market is worth investing in. I believe the recent announcement of the new green residence visa and broadening eligibility criteria for the golden visa will provide more opportunities for foreign investors, resulting in an even better performance in subsequent quarters”.

European investors dominated the market in Q1, 2022.

The market remained dominated by European investors during the first quarter, with the UK, Italy, and France occupying the first, third, and seventh spots on the list of top nationalities investing in Dubai. Canadian buyers increased by 116 per cent during Q1 2022 as compared to Q1 2021. Investors belonging to the sub-continent, India and Pakistan, ranked second and eighth respectively, also contributed to the remarkable performance of the property market, according to the Zoom Property Insights.

The number of Russian investors in the Dubai property market has increased by over 65 per cent, as the country enjoys a fifth spot among the top investing countries. Lebanon and China are the other two countries that made significant investments in the Dubai property market during Q1, 2022.

According to Zoom Property Insights, foreign investors belonging to other regions are also expected to enter the market as it continues to show its high performance. Experts believe that 2022 will conclude on a stronger note due to the increasing prices and demand.

The market is expected to continue its upwards trajectory with more foreign investors pouring into the market, owing to visa reforms and economic stability.

Zoom Property is an emerging property portal in the UAE with a primary focus on Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah markets. The portal also features international properties in KSA, the UK and other regions on the platform to facilitate buyers and renters. It is also popular among developers, real estate brokerages and property sellers.

Meanwhile, the real estate and properties transactions valued at 6.6 billion in total during the week ending 29 April 2022. The sum of transactions was 2,259.

197 plots were sold for Dhs 1.15 billion, 1,628 apartments and villas were sold for Dhs 3.52 billion.

The top three transactions were a land in Business Bay sold for Dhs 72.24 million, followed by a land that was sold for Dhs 71 million in Al Thanayah Fourth, and a land sold for Dhs 72.24 million in Business Bay in third place.

Al Hebiah Fifth recorded the most transactions for this week by 76 sales transactions worth Dhs 172.51 million, followed by Jabal Ali First with 24 sales transactions worth Dhs121.38 million, and Al Yufrah 2 with 15 sales transactions worth Dhs 21 million in third place.

The top three transfers for apartments and villas were an apartment was sold for Dhs 576 million in Marsa Dubai, an apartment was second in the list sold for Dhs 307 million in Burj Khalifa, and thirdly it was an apartment sold for Dhs 243 million in Business Bay.

The sum of the amount of mortgaged properties for the week was 1.73 billion, with the highest being a land in Al Yelayiss 2, mortgaged for Dhs 296 million.

75 properties were granted between first-degree relatives worth Dhs 267 million.

According to the Mo’asher, Dubai’s official sales and rental performance index that was launched by Dubai Land Department (DLD) in cooperation with Property Finder, Dubai’s real estate market records a total of 25,972 real estate transactions in Q1 2022, marking it the highest number of real estate transactions since 2010 registered in a single quarter and the highest volume since Q1 2014.