عالمی ریئل اسٹیٹ خبریں

Dubai | ReNews International Desk News
Dubai has revised its property investor residency visa rules by removing the previous minimum property value requirement of Dh750,000 for individual investors, potentially widening access to residency for foreign property owners.
Under the revised framework, an applicant seeking the property based residency visa must be the sole owner of the property. Where a property is jointly owned by more than one person, each investor must hold a share valued at a minimum of Dh400,000 to qualify for the residency visa, even when ownership is divided equally.
The changes provide greater flexibility for investors while retaining financial and ownership requirements designed to establish clear eligibility.
Applicants must submit the title deed of a property located in Dubai, as title deeds from other emirates and DIFC properties are not accepted under this route. Other required documents include a passport valid for more than six months, Emirates ID, a digital photograph meeting Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security specifications, and valid UAE health insurance.
Applicants must also provide a certificate of good conduct and behaviour issued by Dubai Police and addressed to the Dubai Land Department. Nationals of Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan are required to submit their national identity cards in addition to other documents. The name appearing on the property title deed must match the applicant’s passport name.
Health insurance is compulsory for all residence permit applications. Eligible property investors may also sponsor their family members.
For mortgaged properties or properties purchased through instalments, applicants must obtain a No Objection Certificate from the bank or developer. The NOC must specify the amount already paid, outstanding balance and provide a formal mortgage statement.
For completed properties, investors are required to submit a payment statement and evidence that at least 50 per cent of the property value, or Dh375,000, has been paid.
Dubai introduced the two year renewable property investor residency visa in 2019, with applications processed through the Dubai Land Department’s Taskeen service and residency permits issued by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.
The revised rules come as Dubai’s property market continues to attract strong investor interest. Real estate transactions reached Dh138.7 billion through 44,150 deals during the first quarter of 2026. Transaction value increased 21.2 per cent year-on-year, while the number of deals rose 4.35 per cent.
January alone recorded around Dh53.6 billion in property sales across more than 16,000 transactions, with the average deal size reaching approximately Dh3.3 million.
Property experts say Dubai’s current growth is increasingly being driven by long-term investors rather than short-term traders, with stronger participation from institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. The latest visa changes are expected to further support Dubai’s position as a major destination for international property investment and residency.

A sustained recovery in the US housing market will depend heavily on mortgage rates easing, according to a survey of real estate agents who say high borrowing costs are discouraging both buyers and sellers.

The Real REMAX Group’s Agent Optimism Index, which measures agents’ 12-month outlook on a scale of 0 to 100, fell to 45.8 in September from 54.3 in August. The decline reflects growing concern that mortgage rates will remain too high to bring more buyers into the market. In the firm’s monthly survey, conducted from October 1 to 9 and released on October 30, 65% of 177 agents said 30-year mortgage rates would need to fall below 6% to meaningfully stimulate buyer demand. More than one-third, or 37%, said rates would need to drop below 5.5%.

High rates are already affecting housing activity. Two-thirds of respondents said buyers were pausing or delaying their home searches. Sellers are also holding back: 39% of agents reported that prospective sellers had postponed plans to list their homes.
Some sellers are responding to the slowdown by becoming more flexible on price and terms. Thirty-five per cent of agents said they had seen sellers reduce asking prices, while 34% reported sellers offering concessions to attract buyers.

The outlook for prices is also weakening. If mortgage rates remain around 7% next year, nearly 60% of survey respondents expect home prices to fall. About 33% anticipate a decline of more than 5%.
“Higher mortgage rates are putting renewed pressure on an already challenging housing market,” Real REMAX Group Chairman and CEO Tamir Poleg said in a statement accompanying the survey. Poleg said buyers had gained more negotiating power, but affordability remained a major barrier, prompting many to delay their searches. He added that a lasting recovery in housing activity would depend substantially on meaningful mortgage rate relief.

The survey’s findings echo Goldman Sachs’ outlook for the US housing market in 2027. The firm’s economists expect existing-home sales and new-home construction to decline. They forecast 3.9 million existing-home sales next year, alongside a modest 0.8% rise in home prices.

Goldman Sachs economists Ronnie Walker and David Mericle said that many homeowners who refinanced at low rates in 2020 and 2021 now face a significant financial cost if they move while current mortgage rates remain high.