Dubai property market: buyer confidence holds as price-decline expectations ease
Property Finder’s Market Pulse shows Dubai property market confidence steady; 66% of active searchers plan purchases and average prices per sq ft held near AED 1,334.
Buyers Remain Active Despite Price Cautions
Property Finder’s bi-monthly Market Pulse shows that buyer confidence in the Dubai property market has held steady even as earlier price anxieties subside.
The survey of active searchers on the platform found roughly two-thirds of respondents—around 66%—plan to buy within the next six months, indicating sustained transactional intent.
That level of short-term purchase intent was effectively unchanged between May and June and is in line with the figures recorded in March and April.
Survey Data Reflects Consistent Purchase Intent
The Market Pulse questionnaire, carried out every two months, asks active property seekers about their buying plans and price expectations for the next six months.
Responses in May and June showed purchase intent at 67% and 66% respectively, mirroring the 68% and 67% reported in March and April.
This consistency suggests that, despite external pressures earlier in the year, a significant share of demand remains anchored to concrete buying decisions rather than speculative searching.
Expectations of Price Declines Have Moderated
The report highlights a notable decline in the share of respondents expecting further price drops, marking a shift from earlier pessimism.
Expectations that prices would fall peaked at 73% in March and 70% in April, but dropped to 63% in May and fell again to 56% in June—the lowest level since the region’s tensions began to affect sentiment this year.
At the same time, the proportion expecting price increases rose to 24% by June, while about 20% consistently expected prices to remain stable.
Per-Square-Foot Prices Showing Stability
Market data cited by Property Finder indicates that average per-square-foot prices stabilised over May and June, supporting the change in buyers’ expectations.
Average prices per square foot stood at approximately AED 1,335 in May and AED 1,334 in June, down from AED 1,393 in April, but largely flat across the most recent two-month span.
That plateau in asking prices appears to have signalled to many active buyers that a near-term floor may be in place, encouraging those who had waited for steeper corrections to move.
Industry View: Data-Driven Buying Replaces Hesitation
Property Finder’s chief revenue officer, Sherif Suleiman, described the market’s transition as a move from initial hesitation to pragmatic, data-informed purchasing.
He noted that when two-thirds of active searchers are preparing to buy in the short term, they represent serious market participants tracking concrete indicators rather than tentative window-shoppers.
The company interprets the gradual decline in expectations for falling prices as evidence that consumers increasingly recognise a realistic price floor and are acting to secure opportunities rather than await a deeper correction.
Implications for Transactions and Market Liquidity
A stable share of committed buyers alongside steady per-square-foot prices could support improved transaction velocity and liquidity across Dubai’s residential segments.
Sellers and developers monitoring these trends may adjust pricing and promotion strategies to capture demand from motivated buyers who are now less focused on timing the bottom.
At the same time, the persistence of a sizeable cohort still expecting declines means that price sensitivity remains a factor and could temper rapid upward movement.
The Market Pulse results point to a Dubai property market that, while still influenced by external events, has seen buyer sentiment shift from defensive caution to selective engagement.
Active demand, steady asking prices and a falling share of respondents anticipating further declines suggest a market finding equilibrium, with practical, data-led purchase decisions now shaping activity.
