Dubai’s real estate market does not operate at a uniform speed. The liquidity of your asset depends on microstructural factors that many investors ignore until they need to capitalize on gains. Compact studios in areas like Jumeirah Village Circle experience such intense demand absorption that they can change hands in 7 to 14 days, provided the price aligns with RERA value. This speed contrasts brutally with the ultra-prime segment: beachfront villas in Palm Jumeirah or mansions in Jumeirah Bay require marketing cycles ranging from 90 to 180 days, even with specialized brokers.
The difference lies in market depth. While there are thousands of potential buyers for units priced at 1-2 million AED, the buyer capable of disbursing 50 million for a beachfront villa constitutes an exclusive club.
This duality creates a dangerous psychological trap: the investor who bought off-plan in 2023 and watched their asset appreciate by 25% annually erroneously assumes they can dispose of the property with the same speed with which they acquired it. The costly mistake lies in not considering that liquidity decreases exponentially as the average ticket increases.
The context that accelerates everything: why 2025 changed the rules
November 2025 closed with 19,019 transactions, a 30% year-over-year jump that evidences a booming market. Faced with this scenario, Dubai experiences a paradox: while total volume grows, selling times bifurcate drastically depending on asset type. The explosion of the off-plan segment, which already represents 70% of transactional volume, has temporarily saturated certain micromarkets with massive deliveries of new units.
Up to this point, the dynamic seemed simple. The problem is that this avalanche of fresh supply hits resale owners directly: when a developer offers 5-year post-handover payment plans in a new building, the secondary buyer must compete not only on price, but on financial flexibility.
This situation worsens when we analyze the price differential per square meter, which reached 18,200 AED in the third quarter of 2025. Sellers who need immediate liquidity are forced to accept discounts of 8-12% relative to market value to unlock cash quickly.
How it hits your portfolio: the real cost of lack of liquidity
Beyond the speed problem, selling time determines your real net profitability. An apartment that remains in portfolio for six months consumes service charges, maintenance costs and, most critically, financial opportunity. Unlike other markets, in Dubai community fees in luxury buildings can reach 15-25 AED per square foot annually, which rapidly erodes accumulated capital gains.
Curiously, lack of exit planning transforms theoretical gains into real losses. An investor who bought in JVC at 1,200,000 AED and sells at 1,450,000 AED after 18 months obtains a gross profit of 20.8%, but if the sale is delayed an additional nine months, holding costs and potential cyclical correction cancel out much of the capital gain.
The relevant data is that the Dubai Land Department recorded in November that JVC led transactions with 1,426 operations, confirming that liquidity rewards massified areas over exclusive but narrow enclaves.
What this means for your strategy: segments and realities
This reality forces us to classify the market into three different speeds that determine your wealth planning. Not all property assets in the emirate share the same liquidation rules:
✓ High liquidity (1-30 days): Studios and 1-bedroom units in JVC, Dubai Marina and Dubai Hills Estate under 1.5 million AED. Broad target and sustained rental demand.
✓ Medium liquidity (30-90 days): 2-3 bedroom apartments in consolidated areas like Downtown or Business Bay, range 2-5 million AED. Dependent on tourist cycles.
✓ Low liquidity (90-180+ days): Villas in Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Bay Island or District One Mansions above 10 million AED. Limited ultra-high purchasing power market.
In this last segment, the scarcity factor does not guarantee speed. November’s record transaction—a 110 million AED villa in Palm Jumeirah—required negotiations that extended four months despite having a solvent buyer from the start. Documentary complexity and due diligence on assets of this magnitude multiply administrative timelines.
What will happen: exit calendars and imminent corrections
The bullish cycle that Dubai experienced post-2020 shows signs of maturation that require rethinking time horizons. Conservative projections anticipate that the most overextended segments—especially off-plan in secondary areas—will face a selective correction of 10-15% during 2026. Faced with this scenario, investors who require liquidity before December 2026 should initiate marketing processes between 12 and 18 months before the target sale date.
The massive deliveries scheduled for the coming quarters in Dubai South and Al Maktoum expansion will add competitive pressure to resales. An aggressive but realistic analysis suggests that beachfront villas will better maintain their nominal value but sacrifice conversion speed, while mid-range assets could see reduced selling times if prices adjust moderately.
The winning strategy does not consist of predicting the exact peak, but in calibrating the optimal exit moment considering that selling a luxury villa in Dubai requires the same time as managing a startup: between six and nine months of intensive preparation before successful closing.
