According to Metropolitan Capital Real Estate (MCRE), the transaction value of Abu Dhabi’s secondary real estate market increased by 53% year on year in the first quarter of 2025, hitting AED 5.04 billion from AED 3.3 billion in the same time last year.
The secondary market now accounts for 11.4% of the entire real estate market in the emirate, with demand coming from both end users and international investors looking for ready-to-move-in houses with high yields.
“The performance of Abu Dhabi’s secondary real estate market in the first quarter of 2025 is truly exceptional, demonstrating the underlying strength and increasing maturity of the emirate’s property sector. The significant growth in transaction value and volume underscores the high demand for ready properties and Abu Dhabi’s continued attractiveness for international investors, drawn by favourable returns and the emirate’s appealing lifestyle,” Evgeny Ratskevich, CEO of Metropolitan Capital Real Estate said.
International investors are fueling the growth of Abu Dhabi’s property market.
MCRE has outpaced the larger market with a 152% year-on-year gain in sales value, accounting for 21% of Abu Dhabi’s freehold residential secondary market.
The corporation plans to expand this proportion to 25% by the end of 2025.
The AED 83 million sale of a seven-bedroom villa on Saadiyat Island with direct sea access, managed by luxury property specialist Natalia Kushparenko, was the quarter’s top transaction.
This transaction underscores the growing desire for premium lifestyle communities in the capital.
Luxury villa sales lead Abu Dhabi’s secondary property market in 2025.
Sales values in the residential secondary market increased by 15%, reaching AED 2.74 billion in Q1 2025 from AED 2.38 billion in Q1 2024, with transactions jumping from 972 to 992.
Villa and townhouse sales have grown significantly, with townhouse sales value growing by 142% to AED 76.89 million in Q1 2025, up from AED 31.71 million in Q1 2024.
Villa sales increased by 15% to AED 1.47 billion, from AED 1.27 billion in the same time last year.
Apartment sales increased by only 7% in the first quarter of 2025, hitting AED 899.33 million from AED 840.69 million in the same quarter last year.
UAE citizens dominated the market in Q1 2025, accounting for 21% of secondary sales, followed by Russians (10%), UK nationals (9%), and Indians (8%).
Yas Island was the most busy, with 266 transactions totaling AED 755 million, followed by Al Reem Island (195 transactions, AED 275 million), Al Reef (127 transactions, AED 151 million), and Saadiyat Island (113 transactions, AED 909 million).
MCRE forecasts the secondary market to continue to grow in 2025, particularly in popular lifestyle locations like Saadiyat, Yas, and Al Reem Islands.
The business expects that international capital will continue to flow into Abu Dhabi despite increased global geopolitical and economic uncertainties, establishing the emirate as a steady development market.
