Dubai has recorded a landmark quarter in its upper-tier residential sector, with 103 homes sold for over US$ 10 million in Q3, representing a 24 % rise compared with Q3 of 2024. Demand in the ultra-luxury segment translated into 17 sales above US$ 25 million - more than double the tally from the same period last year.

By the end of September, the cumulative number of US$ 10 million+ transactions stood at 357 for the first nine months, up 26 % from 282 in the same span of 2024. The strong performance is anchored in solid international appetite and constrained supply in prime districts.

Dubai is continuing a trend of record-breaking sales in its luxury housing market. In Q2 alone, 143 homes valued above US$ 10 million traded hands, yielding US$ 2.6 billion in sales, a 63 % year-on-year jump. That quarter also marked the first time apartments exceeded villas in transactions within that bracket. The Palm Jumeirah, La Mer, and Downtown Dubai led in deal volume.

In Q1 2025, the emirate had already posted 111 units sold above US$ 10 million, a 5.7 % increase over Q1 of 2024 - the strongest opening quarter ever for that segment. The ultra-prime market remained steady, with 12 such deals concluded in Q1, just marginally fewer than the 15 recorded in Q4 2024.

Notable among headline deals was a six-bedroom villa in Emirates Hills sold in January for US$ 106.3 million - originally acquired in 2015 for about US$ 6.6 million, reflecting extraordinary capital appreciation.

Palm Jumeirah continues to dominate, recording 34 US$ 10 million+ deals worth US$ 562.8 million in Q1. Emirates Hills followed with 15 transactions. The emirate's broader luxury market remains led by three developers - Omniyat, Nakheel, and Emaar - who together accounted for roughly 46 % of all off-plan luxury transactions in 2024.

Underlying this sales surge is a contraction in available supply at the top end. The number of listed properties above US$ 10 million dropped by 40 % in 2024, even as demand climbed. Branded residences now account for just 2 % of projected completions through 2029, pointing to a scarcity of ultra-luxury stock in the pipeline.

Beyond ultra-luxury, Dubai's prime residential property market is also posting gains. In the first half of 2025, prime values rose over 5 %, positioning the city among the top three global markets for capital value growth - behind only Tokyo and Berlin. Rental rates too are firm, rising 2.9 % over the same period and 13.3 % year on year.

Yield metrics provide further context: apartments typically yield 5–7 %, while villas and townhouses deliver 4.5–6 % returns. In more localised reporting, gross rental yields in Dubai reached 6.78 % in mid-2025, with apartments peaking at 7.24 % and villas averaging 4.95 %.

Investment inflows to Dubai's real estate are rising sharply. Surveys suggest US$ 10.3 billion of global private capital is poised to flow into the city's residential markets, with high net worth individuals from India, Saudi Arabia, the UK and East Asia among key sources. Over 80 % of surveyed ultra-wealthy expressed interest in acquiring land to build bespoke homes.

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