Dubai property on the rise

First residential tower on Dubai Marina since 2008 sells 90% of its units in just five months

UK-based property investment company, Select Property has announced that it has sold over 90% of a £71 million residential tower on Dubai Marina in just five months.

The project, called West Avenue, is the first new residential tower to be launched on the Marina since the downturn of 2008 and indicates that the Dubai property market is starting to generate strong interest again.  

West Avenue offers 270 one and two-bedroom apartments – starting at £122,500 – as well as four luxury penthouses with a price tag of £1.2 million.

Interestingly, only 6% of the sales are to UK buyers, whereas pre-2008 this figure was nearer 60%, indicating that UK purchasers remain cautious. 

The purchasers are typically people looking to live in the property themselves or rent it out to Dubai residents. This is very different to the average buyer pre 2008, the majority of who were looking to take advantage of rapid capital appreciation.

The recent movement in the Emirate’s property market can be attributed to a number of factors, one of which is the strengthening of supporting infrastructure – shops, transport systems, and restaurants – in key areas such as Dubai Marina, Business Bay and Downtown Dubai. 

New buying and building regulations have also helped the market to stabilise, providing protection to purchasers, landlords and tenants.

According to Select Property, it is the location of West Avenue on the Marina, along with the high quality of the development, that has caused the scheme to be so successful.

CEO of Select Property, Mark Stott, said: “Before the crash in 2008 many investors were buying in Dubai simply on the strength of the ‘Dubai brand’. Now there is an established infrastructure and very obvious property hotspots such as the Marina. 

“It’s really encouraging that so many of the buyers are end-users who are intending on living at the development as this will boost the burgeoning communities.

“The market is much more stable than it was five years ago as the new regulations mean that only ‘real’ buyers can invest in the Emirate and subsequently it is in a much more sustainable position.”

For press information or images, contact Lauren Sibley ( lauren.sibley@selectproperty.com  / 0161 322 2243) or Helen White ( helen.white@selectproperty.com  / 0161 322 2243 or 07884318796).

Lauren Sibley (lauren.sibley@selectproperty.com / 0161 322 2243) or Helen White (Helen.white@selectproperty.com / 0161 322 2243).

About Select Property

Select Property is the UK’s largest seller of overseas investment property, having sold over 8,000 properties to residents of more than 100 countries over the past 9 years.

Since 2004, Select Property has become Europe’s leading Dubai Marina property expert, as well as selling properties in Turkey, Egypt, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

In 2012 Select Property, along with award-winning luxury home developer Huntsmere, launched an innovative student accommodation investment brand called Vita Student, with three successful developments launched in Liverpool and a 279 unit project in Manchester city centre announced in February. Student will start occupying the Liverpool developments in September 2013.