Attractive Property Prices Continue To Draw Tenants And Investors

The UAE's leading property portals, Bayut & dubizzle, have released their combined Abu Dhabi Property Market Report for 2021, with consumer search trends pointing to rental prices remaining competitive and the capital city's sales market showing a steady upward trajectory. With the organised precautionary measures taken by the government amidst the ongoing pandemic reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s status as one of the safest cities in the world, confidence in the potential of the market has increased and helped it to strongly bounce back from COVID-induced slowdown of early 2020. The property advertising giants Bayut & dubizzle have reported an 80% inventory increase in 2021, hinting at a strengthening real estate profile in the capital with prices most likely to continue on a trajectory of growth.

Commenting on the trends in the capital, Haider Ali Khan, the CEO of Bayut & dubizzle and the Head of EMPG MENA said: “The economy as a whole in Abu Dhabi has been very positive over the course of 2021, because of various contributors. Looking at the end of year analysis by Reuters, Abu Dhabi has outshone other Middle Eastern markets when it comes to the stock market, exhibiting its best annual performance in 16 years. This is also reflected in the growing positive sentiment when it comes to property sales in the capital. Waterfront areas, family-friendly suburbs and sustainable developments have continued to be popular resulting in the cumulative traffic on Bayut & dubizzle to exceed 14 million sessions in 2021.”

Properties for sale in Abu Dhabi

Apartments

When it comes to luxury apartment sales, potential investors have primarily shown an inclination towards waterfront communities in Abu Dhabi, particularly Al Reem Island which has been the most in-demand area in 2021.

• The sales prices for apartments in Al Reem Island have risen marginally by up to 2% with the price-per-square-foot averaging at AED 993.

• In addition to Al Reem Island, seafront communities such as Al Raha Beach, Yas Island and Saadiyat Island have captured the interest of high-net-worth buyers, with the sales price-per-square-foot increasing by up to 5%. 

To buy affordable apartments for sale in Abu Dhabi, prospective investors have mainly searched for units in family-friendly communities.

• Al Reef has remained the top choice for investors looking to buy affordable flats in Abu Dhabi. The average price-per-square-foot of apartments in Al Reef has averaged at AED 669, increasing marginally by up to 2%.

• Flats in Al Ghadeer have also retained their popularity, with the average-price-per-square-foot declining by just over 1% to AED 701 in 2021.

• Masdar City has earned the third spot in the list of most popular areas to buy reasonably-priced apartments in Abu Dhabi. The average price-per-square-foot of apartments in Masdar City has stayed competitive at AED 1,178, falling marginally by under 1%.

Villas

Saadiyat Island has emerged as the most sought-after area with investors looking to buy luxury villas in Abu Dhabi, reflecting the growing demand for waterfront houses in the emirate.

• The average price-per-square-foot for villas in Saadiyat Island has increased by up to 4%, from AED 1,345 in 2020 to AED 1,393 in 2021. 

• Villas in Yas Island have exhibited a moderate increase of under 11% in sales price-per-square-foot, averaging at AED 1,081 in 2021. This price shift has largely been driven by an influx of newer 3 and 6-bed houses, primarily in the West Yas and Yas Acres communities.

• Houses in Al Raha Gardens have experienced a minor appreciation of under 2% in price-per-square-foot for villas, increasing from AED 810 in 2020 to AED 825 in 2021

Investors looking for affordable villas for sale have mainly searched in the freehold suburb of Al Reef in 2021.

• The average price-per-square-foot for houses for sale in Al Reef has exhibited an increase of almost 9%, rising from AED 615 in 2020 to AED 670 in 2021, pointing towards the growing demand for affordable villa communities in Abu Dhabi.

• Additionally, suburban districts like Khalifa City A, Hydra Village and Shakhbout City (Khalifa City B) have been popular with buyers interested in purchasing reasonably-priced villas in Abu Dhabi.

Rental Yields

• When it comes to the most searched for areas with affordable apartments, Masdar City and Al Reef have offered the highest ROI of 7.96% in Abu Dhabi. For luxury apartments, Yas Island has emerged at the forefront, offering healthy rental yields of 7.02%.

• Shakhbout City (Khalifa City B) has offered the highest rental yields of 7.55% for purchasing affordable villas in Abu Dhabi. For luxury villas, Al Raha Gardens has shown the most promising ROI of 5.87%.

Off Plan Projects

• When it comes to off-plan projects, Diva has emerged as the most sought-after project for buying affordable apartments in 2021, whereas Water’s Edge in Yas Island has garnered significant buyers’ attention in the luxury segment.

• For off-plan villa projects in Abu Dhabi, buyers have primarily shown an interest in Noya in the affordable segment, while Yas Acres has remained the investors’ most searched choice for buying upscale houses in the capital.

Properties for rent

Apartments

In 2021, Khalifa City A has emerged as the most popular area for tenants in search of reasonable apartments in Abu Dhabi. 

• The asking rents of Khalifa City A have seen minor fluctuations across the board, averaging at AED 27k for studios, AED 42k for 1-bed and AED 61k for 2-bed units.

• Tenants looking to rent affordable apartments in Abu Dhabi have also gravitated towards family-friendly districts such as Al Khalidiyah, Al Muroor, Hamdan Street and Tourist Club Area (TCA).

• These neighbourhoods have experienced moderate declines of up to 8% in average rents for apartments in Abu Dhabi.

As per the data observed by Bayut & dubizzle for 2021, Al Reem Island has been the most searched for area in the list of luxury apartments for rent in Abu Dhabi with asking prices declining by up to 6%. This drop can be attributed to many families shifting their focus to villa communities, as a result of which apartment communities have to keep prices competitive.

• The average rent of 1 and 2-bed flats in Al Reem Island have averaged at AED 58k and AED 85k, whereas the 3-bed flats have been priced at AED 125k.

• Al Raha Beach, Corniche Area, Corniche Road and Saadiyat Island have also attracted tenants in 2021. These seafront communities have largely seen moderate decreases in prices of up to 10% during 2021. The rents of flats in Saadiyat Island have shown significant increases of up to 31%, reflecting the growing demand for the area and the influx of new, higher priced inventory in the market.

Villas

As per the search trends observed by the data engineers at Bayut & dubizzle, Mohammed Bin Zayed City has been the top choice for those looking for affordable villas to rent in Abu Dhabi.

• The average rents of houses in Mohammed Bin Zayed City (MBZ) have seen minor fluctuations, with up to 3% increases across 3 and 4-bed villas and a minor decrease of less than 1% in the price of 5-bed units. The average yearly rent of 3 and 4-bed villas have stayed affordable at AED 93k and AED 128k respectively, with 5-bed houses averaging at AED 146k.

• Apart from Mohammed Bin Zayed City (MBZ), family-friendly suburbs of Khalifa City A, Al Reef, Shakhbout City (Khalifa City B) and Al Muroor have also garnered attention from tenants. These areas have largely experienced increases of 5% to 7% in asking rents for affordable villas.

For luxury houses for rent in Abu Dhabi, Al Bateen has retained its standing as the most popular community. The rental costs of houses in Al Bateen have decreased by 8.4%.

• The average rent for 4-bed villas in Al Bateen has decreased by less than 1% to AED 223k. Prices for 5 and 6-bed villa rentals have also experienced decreases of up to 9%, averaging at AED 192k and AED 234k respectively in 2021. As is evident, the larger 5-bed units are cheaper than the 4-bed villas in Al Bateen owing to greater demand and limited inventory of smaller units in the area.

• Al Mushrif, Yas Island, Al Raha Gardens and Saadiyat Island have also seen substantial upticks of up to 27% in rental costs, with Yas Island exhibiting the highest increase due to the influx of ready 5 and 6-bed rental units across West Yas and Yas Acres.