New fäm Properties analysis of more than 1.1 million Dubai Land Department transactions shows clear shift away from short-term investors
Dubai, UAE, May 07: Dubai homeowners are now holding their properties for as long as Londoners and New Yorkers, according to a new study of more than 1.1 million transactions spanning the last 16 years.
It underlines how the city’s real estate sector has evolved to stand alongside the world’s most mature markets, no longer driven by short-term investors.
The analysis of Dubai Land Department transaction data by fäm Properties covers 687,406 primary market transactions between 2012 and 2025, and 425,083 resale market transactions between 2009 and 2025.
Of those, 480,604 primary market homes and 259,615 resale market properties remain with the original buyer, adding up to 740,219 residential properties purchased since 2012 that have never been resold. That represents 69.9% of primary market purchases and 61.1% of resale market transactions over the period.
“Buyers focused on flipping properties have been replaced by owners committed to staying in Dubai and holding on to them,” said Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties. “That’s what a market looks like when it matures.”
“Until now, much of the conversation about Dubai’s residential holding behaviour was built around a 2013 framework, but we’ve moved on from there. A buyer who purchased in Dubai in 2014 and is still holding their property today is behaving exactly like the median homeowner in New York or London.”
The new data shows a consistent and strengthening pattern across both market segments. Among primary market buyers, 42% of those who purchased in 2014 are still holding their property eleven years later, rising to 53% among 2017 buyers after eight years and 61% among those who bought in 2022 after three years.
The resale market tells a similar story, with 38% of 2014 buyers still in ownership after eleven years, 53% of 2017 buyers after eight years, and 65% of those who purchased in 2022 still holding after three years.
Those figures mirror ownership patterns in the US, where the typical homeowner now stays for between 11 and 12 years, according to 2025 data from Redfin and the National Association of Realtors. Meanwhile, in the UK, only around 4% of homes change hands in any given year, implying the majority of owners hold for well over a decade.
The new data analysis is drawn from DXBinteract, the market intelligence platform developed by fäm Properties in partnership with the Dubai Land Department records. All figures reflect ownership status as at the end of April 2026.
Al Msaddi links the change in ownership behaviour with a series of structural developments in Dubai’s residential market. The Golden Visa programme, introduced in 2019 and expanded in 2022, established a direct link between property ownership and long-term residency, while regulatory reforms strengthened protections for buyers purchasing off-plan.
While the timing of the Golden Visa rollout and the impact of Covid-19 influenced a slight dip in retention rates, these have risen with each successive group of buyers since 2020.
Significant infrastructure investment over the same period, including new metro connections and the development of major new residential districts such as Dubai South, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Islands, has also extended the range of locations where buyers are willing to commit for the long term.
Primary market – share of buyers still holding, by year of purchase
|
Year
|
Years held
|
Still holding
|
|
2014
|
11
|
42%
|
|
2017
|
8
|
53%
|
|
2018
|
7
|
55%
|
|
2019
|
6
|
51%
|
|
2020
|
5
|
53%
|
|
2022
|
3
|
61%
|
Resale market – share of buyers still holding, by year of purchase
|
Year
|
Years held
|
Still holding
|
|
2014
|
11
|
38%
|
|
2017
|
8
|
53%
|
|
2019
|
6
|
55%
|
|
2022
|
3
|
65%
|
