Dubai ultra-luxury villa resale market hit $3.15bn in 2025, with cash buyers dominating completed homes and avoiding off-plan risk
The Dubai resale market for ultra-luxury villas is being driven overwhelmingly by cash buyers seeking completed homes and minimal risk, according to new research from fäm Luxe, the luxury division of fäm Properties.
The analysis shows that villa resales priced above AED40m ($10.89m) recorded 169 transactions in 2025, with a combined value of AED11.57bn ($3.15bn).
Just 15.7 per cent of those deals involved mortgages, underscoring the dominance of cash buyers at the top end of Dubai’s housing market.
Nearly all transactions were for finished homes. According to the study, 98 per cent of ultra-luxury villa resales last year were fully completed properties, compared with just 2 per cent for homes under construction.
By contrast, 28 per cent of apartment resale transactions involved off-plan units.
Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties, said the resale market provides the clearest insight into genuine buyer demand because it is not distorted by leverage or short-term speculation.
Al Msaddi said: “Demand for luxury villas is overwhelmingly concentrating on completed product. This is happening because villas are personal assets, delivering privacy, scale, layout, light, finishes, and surroundings which can’t be verified before completion.
“Luxury villa buyers do not tolerate uncertainty because they do not need to. They are not chasing yield, they are allocating capital into lifestyle, privacy, and long-term security.”
Where the money is moving
Data from DXBinteract shows ultra-luxury villa resale activity in 2025 was spread across multiple price brackets, with the strongest concentration of value in the AED 50–70m segment.
The clearest signal of sustained demand sits in the AED 50–70m ($13.6m–$19.1m) villa segment, where annual resale value rose from AED 2.4bn ($653m) in 2023 to AED 3.33bn ($907m) in 2024 and AED 3.49bn ($950m) last year.
Only 24 of the 159 deals completed over that three-year period were mortgaged.
Build-first strategy gains ground
The preference for completed homes has directly shaped development strategies. Nordic by fäm, the development arm of fäm, has adopted a build-first approach across its AED 3bn ($817m) portfolio of luxury villas in Dubai, releasing homes to the market only after they are finished and furnished.
The first two villas in Al Wasl district sold for AED 61.5m ($16.74m) and AED 76m ($20.69m) respectively. More than 20 villas are currently under development, including a 35,000 sq ft residence scheduled for completion in December and expected to list at AED 275m ($74.87m).
“Buyers at this level wait for completion because they want to walk the land, experience privacy, inspect finishes, and understand surroundings, light, and noise, which can only happen after completion,” said Al Msaddi.
“This is an ultra-luxury sector where buyers deploy capital carefully for wealth preservation, demonstrating the patience that defines stable markets globally.”
Stay tuned as this line continues to rise from blueprint to bustling reality — and get ready to explore Dubai with even greater ease in the years ahead!
News Source https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/real-estate/dubai-ultra-luxury-villa-resales-hit-3-15bn-as-cash-buyers-dominate-completed-homes
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