More and more Chinese investors are eyeing property in Dubai. That is because house prices in Dubai have fallen more than 10 percent in the last year, making the city a more attractive destination for potential buyers.
Still, despite the price declines, the emirate’s property market is well-known for its volatility.
It has been a story of boom and bust. Dubai made global headlines when its real estate industry hit rock bottom following the 2008 economic crisis.
Only a few years later, house prices in some parts of the city were doubling in 2013.
Now, with property values on the back foot once again, the emirate’s attracting more attention from Chinese investors.
Chinese property website Juwai.com said buyer interest in Dubai rose a staggering 1,200 percent in the year to August 2015, a sign that investors are looking beyond traditional markets like the U.K. and the U.S.
But it is not all that rosy. According to Standard & Poor’s, house prices in Dubai fell by an average of 11.5 percent last year, with a similar fall predicted in 2016.
That is a view that is echoed here in the industry. But falling prices are also offering up an opportunity in what is now clearly a buyer’s market.