Indian investors return to Dubai property market

Indian investors taking advantage of discounts and post-handover payment plans Cash-rich Indians have been re-entering Dubai property market in large numbers after a Covid-induced break, lured by attractive discounts and post-handover payment plans, property consultants say. The recent months have also seen secondary markets in the UAE gaining traction with expat Indians, who intend to use the market conditions to upgrade from being a tenant to an owner, the consultants said.

The second quarter of the current fiscal year has seen a demand pick up from Indian investors. Indian business communities, who are frequent travellers to the UAE or want a trophy asset, have also taken advantage of the price softening to close some major deals during this period,” he said. Consultants in India also confirmed the rising interest among wealthy Indian investors to take advantage of the current market conditions in Dubai. Industry experts feel the upcoming IPL (Indian Premier League) in Dubai is also bound to reignite Indian investors’ interest in the Dubai property market. Dubai has been a second home to many rich and famous Indians – Bollywood icons Shahrukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty among them – for many years. “Indians have been favourable to Dubai as an international real estate investment destination. In the past few years, Indians ranked third amongst top nationalities investing in Dubai,” Sood said. Ashu said given the market conditions and sentiments, majority of Dubai based developers are now offering attractive discounts to lure customers, including overseas customers. “There is a possibility of additional deal sweeteners in terms of furnishing options and DLD waivers which are being brought to the discussion tables. The clear trend is that developers are ready to be flexible to adjust to the demands of the buyers as long as it is within reasonable limits,” he said. Sood also pointed out the latest data released by the Dubai Land Department to support recent turnaround in market sentiments. “The Dubai Land Department recently declared transactions exceeding Dh 24.5 billion for Q2 which takes the half yearly transactions value to Dh 72.5 billion. “This represents more than 22,000 deals and Indians being one of the top investors in Dubai have contributed a fair share of that,” he says. According to property consultants, the security offered by Dubai to investors is what makes its market so lucrative to investors. Backed by a strong RERA, the entire real estate value chain in UAE is protected against any fraudulent activities.