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Dubai: An oasis of opportunity

The combination of mortgage caps and a strong local currency are cooling the once hot Dubai housing market.

By Romesh Navaratnarajah

With prices of luxury villas in Dubai continuing to fall, now might be the best time for sophisticated investors to consider purchasing the home of their dreams in an exotic location.

High-end villas, such as those on the iconic Palm Jumeirah, have seen prices take a bigger hit than apartments. Average prices of villas were down by 4.3 percent in the first three months of 2015 from a year ago, revealed property consultancy Cluttons.

Across the emirate, average housing prices inched up a meagre 3.4 percent in 2014, a sharp decrease from the stunning 51 percent rise observed in the previous year.

According to CBRE, the slowdown in Dubais once hot housing market can be attributed to the strengthening Dirham which is pegged to the US dollar, making the emirate a more expensive investment destination for European and Russian investors.

Similarly, the sterling and Indian / Pakistani rupee continue to weaken against the dollar, putting a Dubai investment out of reach of Indian, Pakistani and UK nationals, who have traditionally contributed to a large proportion of residential investments, said Cluttons.

Fewer villas finding buyers

Notably, the Federal Mortgage Cap, which was introduced in October 2013 to cool the property sector, has put the squeeze on prices and transactions in the villa market, said Cluttons.

During 2014, just under 1,300 villas changed hands, down 52 percent from 2013. The number of transactions during Q1 2015 was down 36 percent from the same quarter last year. The introduction of the mortgage caps means the amount of money required to be paid upfront for an AED5.5 million (S$2.1 million) villa has jumped from 20 percent to 42 percent.

This ruling affects properties priced higher than AED5 million (S$1.92 million), where loan-to-value ratios have been revised from 75:25 to 65:35 for expatriates.

Supply explosion

The upward creep in completions is also expected to put further pressure on the values of villas. This year alone, another 4,000 villas are expected to be ready for occupation, followed by just over 6,000 in 2016 and another 3,700 in 2017, said Cluttons (refer to Figure 1).

Supply of villas in Dubai
Supply of villas in Dubai

The firm added that the surge in the supply of villas comes amidst a vastly different financing landscape from when some of these schemes were conceived. The secondary market in particular will be hardest hit by the rising supply.

As a result, villa sellers are now very much on the back foot and resale properties are recording severe price declines due to a rise in distressed sellers.

For the second half of the year, Cluttons expects villa prices to continue sliding by two to four percent per quarter. On the other hand, apartments are showing more resilience, but prices are likely to weaken by between 0.5 and 1.0 percent each quarter this year.

The lure of six to eight percent yields and the growing proportion of apartments priced in the AED300,000 to 500,000 (S$115,000 S$191,768) bracket is likely to dampen any sharp declines.

Despite this sluggish outlook, demand is expected to remain very stable in the medium to long term, particularly as the government continues to drive economic diversification, which will fuel job creation, said the consultancy.

Rents coming down

As for residential rents in Dubai, the market continues to soften. Rents dipped by 1.9 percent in Q4 last year, leaving the total rental value growth at a marginal 0.4 percent in 2014. But the report noted that this has been negated by the 0.4 percent dip in average rents during the first quarter.

Both apartments and villas continued to see rents fall by 0.3 percent and 0.5 percent respectively during Q1.

At the same time, supply levels in Dubai are still edging up, and landlords are growing wary of the threat of longer void periods.

Threat is exaggerated

Moving forward, over 12,600 units are expected to hit the market by the end of next year and a further 15,800 completions are scheduled between 2017 and 2018. Despite this, there is little risk of oversupply, as the population is expected to grow by another 400,000 over this period.

Cluttons concluded that the additional supply means the supply-demand equilibrium is expected to be maintained as the population grows in tandem with the rising number of completions, suggesting that any strong turnaround in rental value growth is unlikely, given the current projections.

With the sources of current and pipeline tenant demand remaining robust and underpinned by the growth in new jobs, linked to both economic growth and diversification... current stabilisation in rents is expected to persist.

Image: Aerial view of villas on Jumeirah Island. (Photo: Imre Solt: Wikimedia Commons)

Snapshot of the Dubai residential market
Snapshot of the Dubai residential market

UAE Mortgage Regulations

To curb speculation and the flow of hot foreign money into Dubai, the UAE Central Bank introduced new mortgage caps in October 2013, affecting both local and foreign property buyers.

Heres how the rules work:

For a first-time property purchase below AED5 million (S$1.92 million), expatriates are allowed to borrow up to 75 percent of the property purchase price and UAE nationals are allowed to borrow up to 80 percent.

For properties valued at more than AED5 million, the loan-to-value ratio is set at 65 percent for expatriates and 70 percent for UAE nationals.

Foreign buyers can only receive a 60 percent loan for second and subsequent properties; this figure is up to 65 percent for UAE nationals, irrespective of value.

UAE nationals and expatriates buying property off-plan will have their mortgages restricted to 50 percent.

The age limit for the loan repayment period is 65 years for expatriates and 70 years for UAE nationals. Borrowers will be limited to a maximum of 25 years to repay their loan.

Loan repayments cannot exceed 50 percent of a borrowers monthly income, or a total of more than seven years annual income for an expatriate and eight years annual income for a UAE national.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Get a sneak peek at two exclusive upcoming developments in Dubai.

NEW PROJECTS

Trump PRVT at AKOYA
Trump PRVT at AKOYA

Trump PRVT at AKOYA Umm Suqeim Road

Type: Mansions Developer: DAMAC Properties Tenure: Freehold Facilities: 18 hole golf course (Trump International Golf Club), gated community with 24-hour security, Trump Card for all residents, providing to various facilities around the world Nearby Key Amenities: Retail strip (The Drive / AKOYA), schools and nurseries, medical centre, hotels and hotel apartments Nearby Transport: Only 20 minutes from Al Maktoum International Airport and 25 minutes from Dubai International Airport Average Starting Price: US$1,866,000 (S$2,628,541)

This is an exclusive gated community perched on a private island amidst the lush greens and fairways of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai.

Each mansion is uniquely designed to give a sense of extreme privacy, with the exteriors and interiors designed in collaboration with Ivanka Trump. They also incorporate various elements such as natural lighting through large facades, water cascades and greenery.

In addition, residents will also get their own Trump Card, which opens doors to a host of privileges at Trump properties across the globe.

Trump PRVT is located at AKOYA by DAMAC, a 42 million sq ft luxury lifestyle villa and apartment community situated 30 minutes away from the centre of Dubai, off Umm Suqeim Expressway. The project also features private open parkland of 4.3 million sq ft.

Sobha Hartland
Sobha Hartland

Sobha Hartland Al Khail Road

Type: Mixed-use development Developer: Sobha Ltd Tenure: Freehold Facilities: Swimming pools, fully-equipped gyms, childrens play areas, basketball, tennis courts, cycle tracks, expansive parks Nearby Key Amenities: Hotels, offices, two international schools, hospitals, mosques, retail centres Nearby Transport: Two metro stations, only 12 minutes from Dubai International Airport Starting Price: AED 1.1 million (S$450,000)

Located just three kilometres from Burj Khalifa and the centre of Dubai stands Sobha Hartland, an integrated premium mixed-used development surrounded by lush greenery and abundant parks.

Spread across eight million square feet, the project comprises stunning villas from 6,259 sq ft to 19,241 sq ft, and apartments from spacious studio units to penthouses.

More than 30 percent of the masterplan is dedicated to park areas and landscaping, and includes children's play areas, basketball, tennis courts and cycle tracks.

Offering a community lifestyle that is ideal for families, there are two international schools, restaurants, hotels and a retail centre on site. Phase one is expected to complete in Q1 2017.

The PropertyGuru News & Views

This article was first published in the print version The PropertyGuru News & Views. Download PDF of full print issues or read more stories now!

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