Dubai Property Hunt

Spending lazy days by the pool. Passing gentle evenings around the Barbie. A villa in Dubai is most people’s dream of expat life.

Like every other ‘dream’ thing, this dream lifestyle doesn’t come cheap either. Dubai villas are hugely in demand and are snapped up as quickly as they appear on the market. But still, if you have acquaintances in Dubai and know how to optimize the grapevine, you might find a great villa in Dubai within your budget. Prices vary to a great degree depending upon the size, age, location and facilities of the villa. There are commonly two types of Dubai villas: Independent villas which often come with bigger gardens and separate facilities, and Compound villas which usually offer shared facilities like pool or gym.

It’s no wonder why investors prefer to buy villas in Dubai instead of apartments. As compared to the mass scale construction of apartments, villas under construction are in very small number. Moreover, immigrants’ residence of first choice is villas rather than apartments. Unlike apartments which are part of a common building, villas have greater landmass and thus a greater value. As construction of apartments continues on large scale in Dubai, thousands of apartments are due to be released in the coming years. On the other hand villas are to remain in short supply because of their small-scale development. Keeping in view Dubai’s current luxury property market and the demand/supply gap, investment in a villa appears to be a more lucrative option than an apartment.

The demand for villas has remained high over the past years due to the scarce supply. According to Colliers International's House Price Index (HPI), scarcity has caused the villa prices to escalate by a huge 78% in the past one year alone. There are a few villa developments underway such as Jumaeirah Village and Jumerirah Park, but not so much as they could meet the heightening demand.