Dubai apartment sells for record $112 million as property market surges

The penthouse is at the luxury Bulgari Lighthouse development at Jumeirah Bay

A rendering of the Bulgari Lighthouse development. Photo: Meraas

A record has been set for the most expensive apartment sale in Dubai as the property market continues to ride the momentum from last year.

The sale, worth Dh410 million ($112 million), was for a penthouse at Bulgari Lighthouse development at Jumeirah Bay.

The property is an off-plan purchase for a nine-bedroom home with five parking spaces, Dubai Land Department data show.

Set across 38,970 square feet, the price means it sold at Dh10,521 per square foot, with the deal registered on February 1.

Bulgari Lighthouse is a 27-storey residence overlooking the sea, and will have 31 penthouses, plus the three-level sky villa.

The development, by Meraas, has been designed by renowned architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, and the building “embodies Italian contemporary aesthetics while taking inspiration from the natural world and the beautiful surrounding landscape”, according to the project's website.

Property prices across Dubai rocketed last year, particularly in the prime sector, as the market and wider economy bounced back from the coronavirus-induced slowdown.

A record for ultra-luxury property deals was set, with 219 sales of homes valued at $10 million and above.

Dubai’s prime residential market registered transactions worth Dh30.7 billion ($8.35 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2022, reflecting a volume growth of about 40 per cent from the third quarter, a report by Luxhabitat Sotheby’s International Realty found.

The average price of property in prime areas was Dh6.9 million, with 9,836 units sold, it said.

As well as records for the total number of transactions, records were also set for the most expensive property sale and highest rental deal during 2022.

Record transaction numbers have continued into 2023, with 9,879 sales transactions worth more than Dh28 billion recorded in January.

That is a more than 128 per cent year-on-year increase in volume after 5,739 transactions were completed in January 2022.

“In terms of value, the transactions for existing properties witnessed an increase of around 42 per cent year on year, reaching over Dh16 billion, compared to Dh11.4 billion in January 2022, recording highest volume and value for the month for in a decade,” Property Finder said.

“Off-plan transactions witnessed remarkable performance, with a 90 per cent year-on-year increase, recording over 5,000 transactions, compared to 3,086 in January 2022, as well as an increase of 130 per cent in value worth more than Dh12.1 billion, as opposed to Dh5.3 billion during the same time last year.

“This was recorded as the highest volume and value for off-plan transactions for the month of January over the last decade.”

Last month, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed described the emirate's property market performance as “exceptional” and said it would help achieve its vision to be “one of the world’s top three cities”.

“The results also support the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 … to double the size of Dubai's economy by 2033,” he said. “The sector is a pillar of Dubai's strategy for sustainable development and a vital driver of its 2040 Urban Master Plan.”

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My Dubai Rent: Mother's 'crazily good deal' for one-bedroom apartment on city outskirts

Indian mother of one Alison Rego moved to her one-bedroom apartment in Dubailand last year because she got a deal she felt was too good to turn down. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

View of the swimming pool area at the Skycourts tower D in Dubailand in Dubai.

Ms Rego pays Dh33,000 a year to live in a home that she describes as the perfect location for her and her daughter.

Originally Ms Rego paid Dh25,000 but now pays Dh33,000 per year.

Ms Rego said she definitely plans to buy at least a two-bedroom apartment in the near future.

Dubailand is close to things Ms Rego and her daughter need, unlike Town Square which she considered too far out.

View of the Skycourts tower D in Dubailand in Dubai.

Ms Rego said she has kept decorating to a minimum as she is only renting.

Ms Rego and her daughter plan to be in the UAE for another five years and hope to own property soon.