Luxury demand still holding
Despite the rout, luxury and branded residences in the UAE remain in demand — BNW's Smita Nair says high‑end and waterfront homes still attract buyers, underscoring a two‑speed market where the top end outperforms the mid‑market India Today interview.
BNW has outlined Dh20 billion plans) of new projects for 2026, with a stated emphasis on developments in Ras Al Khaimah. CBRE’s 2025 branded‑residences review shows transaction volumes in the UAE’s branded sector rose ~26% year‑on‑year and transaction value climbed ~51% year‑on‑year, while branded units command a roughly 64% price premium) over non‑branded equivalents. Knight Frank’s Q4 2025 review recorded residential sales up about 18% year‑on‑year and an annual transaction value of AED 544.2 billion across Dubai), with prime values surpassing AED 4,300 per square‑foot in top locations according to the same report). Market trackers reported Dubai held roughly 48,474 branded‑residence units as of H1 2025, reflecting continued pipeline expansion and new launches in the first half of the year data). Industry tallies put the branded‑residences segment’s 2025 transaction value at about $21.4 billion and flagged multiple “trophy” deals above AED 100 million (≈$27.2m) during the year market summary). JLL’s Q3 2025 living report highlights the two‑speed dynamic—Abu Dhabi sales volumes grew ~76.2% year‑to‑Q3 while Dubai’s rose ~16.5%—and villa prices led with roughly 15% annual gains). Research noting financing trends shows mortgage‑backed purchases have more than doubled over the past four years in Dubai’s secondary market, signalling rising access to debt for buyers of completed homes analysis).
