How to attract more millionaires to your brokerage
- jbarrigh2
- Apr 13
- 20 min read
Dubai's luxury real estate industry is one of the fastest growing prime markets in the world. Despite supply constraints, buyers continue to show their confidence in the market with an strong appetite for a diverse range of products launched into the market.
With a plethora of products to choose from, along with Dubai's healthy economic landscape, a stable political climate and incentives that reward wealth immigration, brokerages that navigate the luxury market face a challenging road to build a distinguishable identity to attract highly discerning buyers. Competition is fierce and the opportunity to attract this audience through stock acquisition is limited.
Welcome to today's topic, where we will analyze:
Current market landscape
Non-negotiable competing attributes of a luxury brokerage
The different audience segments within the luxury buyer pool
What approach should your brokerage take in 2026 to attract more HNWI
The market landscape
2025 was a year of continuous growth for Dubai's property market. According to Engel & Völkers 2025 year report, the market experienced an 18% YoY increase in transaction volume (202,349 units sold) along with a 27.3% YoY increase in sales value.
What's selling the most?
Off plan accounted for 64.8% of the total transactions. Leading property experts to conclude that this is indicative of high investor confidence in Dubai's real estate market. But where are investors placing most of their capital? The same report indicates that apartments account for 83% of the total transactions that took place in 2025.
This suggest investors continue to favor apartments for liquidity, renal demand depth, and comparatively accessible entry points. taking into consideration the high immigration of young professionals seeking this product type and the future consistent immigration influx expected in the coming years.
What about villas?
Villa transactions experienced a 14.7% increase YoY, accompanied by a 30.5% increase in sales value YoY. This correlates to the surge in population the city experienced in 2025. The key question here is: how many of the these villa purchases contributed to Dubai's luxury market? How many of them purchased with the intent to invest, diversify or inhabit the property? What features are HNWI seeking before buying a property between AED 10M - AED 20M and 20M+?
Off plan vs. Secondary Market
Before we answer the questions raised in the previous section, we must analyze what type of product is this demographic buying and what do they all have in common.
As per Savills' market report (Q3, 2025), the majority of high net-worth individuals are investing in off plan projects and communities in properties valued between 10M - 20M and 20M+ (AED), as opposed to the secondary market. It comes as no surprise that off plan continues to have the upper hand in this market segment, as well. However, there is one key differentiator:
HNWI aren't buying off plan apartments, they're investing in villas.
The same report published by Savills Middle East highlighted that, in contrast with the overall real estate market in Dubai where apartments account for the majority of off plan transactions, villas seem to be the property product that showcases the most appetite by this audience segment.
Why is there a difference in product preference amongst HNWI, despite having access to luxury high rise living and branded residences? What are the drivers behind this trend and where could it lead Dubai's property market?
Well, it all starts with the decision to relocate to Dubai and according to Engel & Volkers Private Office Market Report, this audience segment chooses relocation due to factors like:
Safety and security
Financial concerns
Taxes
Work and business opportunities
Schooling and education opportunities
Among others that affect their decision to relocate. Seeing Dubai's economic landscape and policies that push for a business friendly environment that continuously attracts corporations and entrepreneurs, we can conclude that Dubai checks all of these boxes.
One of the main reasons as to why this audience segment chooses villas, whether in the secondary or the off plan market, is their ability to upsize at a much lower price per sq.ft. in Dubai, compared to other markets like London or New York City.
Engel & Völkers Private Office Report, states that HNWI who buy properties in countries like Spain, Italy and Portugal are downsizing. Attracted by the culture and quality of living the countries have to offer. However, when it comes to Dubai, space matters most to this specific audience segment, as seen in the sales trend highlighted above. It is no coincidence that they're choosing countries where they can work remotely and enjoy fresh air while they indulge in wine and/or coffee culture, explore old towns and enhance their quality of living.
This suggests that luxury real estate is facing a transition. It is less about the location and more about finding a living purpose, security and joy. They're attracted to locations that promote an active lifestyle with amenities that will propel their quality of life, help them find joy and stay focused in the things that matter.
To reinforce this hypothesis, we'll take a look at the communities where most transactions over AED 10M happened:
What do they have in common?
Many of the communities attracting AED 10M+ activity share themes that align with Dubai’s broader urban development agenda: low-density planning, wellness-led amenities, greenery, retail integration, and waterfront positioning. What this shows is the intent behind purchase decisions HNWI have in Dubai's property market. Most of these master communities have a few common denominators:
They place health, wellness and retail at the forefront
Focus on expanding greenery and recreational amenities
Low density planning
Waterfront properties
This type of master communities keeps away speculators and attracts more confident investors and more end-users.
Main market insights:
HNWI prefer villas over apartments
Investors seek to upsize
Health, wellness and peace of mind are a priority when choosing a property.
Despite shortage of supply, investors continue to show appetite in the prime and super prime market.
Knowing the audience: Are all HNWI the same?
Now that we have an understanding of the market landscape and comprehend the sales trends, we must analyze who are the main buyers of these properties. Granted, they are HNWI, but are they all the same? Does everyone have the same intent when they look to invest in a property? Does the word "invest" carry the same meaning for every audience segment within this buyer pool?
Not all HNWI intend to invest in Dubai's luxury property market for the same reason. Some may want to expand their global property portfolio, others may be looking to flip, while a few more may want to buy and inhabit the property, hold the unit for a few years until they're finally ready to renovate and re-sell their property again.
It is important for every luxury brokerage in Dubai's real estate industry to have an understanding of the different buyer profiles in the market when selecting who their core target audience is. How can a brokerage determine this? Well, after assessing the profiles below, they'll know who they should target based on the majority of the stock that they own.
Buyer profiles:
The Global Diversifier: He is a seasoned investor. Is looking to understand investment strategies in Dubai's property market with data driven insights. He's unamused by the lifestyle variables that add to a properties appeal, unless it is a purchasing driver for future buyers.
The Lifestyle Investor: Not all HNWI priorities are the potential returns they can make with their property investments. Some are just looking to lead a healthy and family friendly lifestyle, which is the case with this specific buyer profile. As seen in Engel & Volkers Private Office report, the current trend in property purchases above 10M has shifted. HNWI value location and lifestyle. Meaning that the community and nearby infrastructure have a crucial role to play when selecting a unit they will hold on for 5 or 10 years.
The Gambler: This investor is seeking to maximize ROI. He's mostly concerned about market dynamics, sales trends and changes that may affect supply and demand in the area(s) he plans to invest in.
Not all HNWI come to invest in Dubai with the same intention. Which is why, it is imperative for a luxury brokerage to be able to know what competing attributes they should focus on to be able to engage with high level clients such as the few described above. It is about understanding customers and the journey they engage in when investing in a property within Dubai's prime residential market.
Competing attributes of luxury brokerages to attract more HNWI
To be able to understand what approach a luxury real estate brokerage in Dubai must take to be able to differentiate itself amongst its competitors, we must first determine what is the competitive norm.
To do this, 6 luxury brokerage have been selected to analyze what common denominators contribute to their success and positioning as a luxury brokerage in Dubai, ultimately determining the competitive standard of the industry.
Engel & Volkers Dubai
Global access to luxury properties through global agents.
Local market knowledge - shares quarterly reports and market analysis
Bespoke luxury experiences for their private office clients
Access to high stock of prime and ultra prime ready-to-live properties
Vertically integrated to deliver a holistic real estate service
Sotheby's Dubai
Global access to luxury properties through global agents.
Local market knowledge - shares quarterly reports and market analysis and compares them to foreign luxury real estate markets.
Access to high stock of prime and ultra prime ready-to-live properties
Bespoke luxury experiences for their private office clients
Built a luxury ecosystem to offer experiences/services that extend beyond real estate
Savills Dubai
Global access to luxury properties through global agents.
Local and foreign market knowledge. Wide research department, releasing frequent market analysis, strengthening their positioning as a thought leader in the market.
Access to high stock of prime and ultra prime ready-to-live properties
Vertically integrated to deliver a holistic real estate service
Barnes Dubai
Global access to luxury properties through global agents.
Built a luxury ecosystem to offer experiences/services that extend beyond real estate
Access to high stock of prime and ultra prime ready-to-live properties
Prime by Betterhomes
Local market knowledge - shares quarterly reports and market analysis
Global access to luxury properties
Access to high stock of prime and ultra prime ready-to-live properties
Vertically integrated to deliver a holistic real estate service
Built a luxury ecosystem to offer experiences/services that extend beyond real estate
Knight Frank MENA
Global access to luxury properties through global agents.
Vertically integrated to deliver a holistic real estate service
Local and foreign market knowledge. Wide research department, releasing frequent market analysis, strengthening their positioning as a thought leader in the market.
As seen in the competitive analysis, there are three common variables that affect a luxury brokerage's positioning in the market:
Access to a global market and local prime stock. When it comes to luxury real estate, the globe is the stage. Investors in this category compare international markets and take into account the wide macroeconomic landscape of a country before committing to an investment. This mainly applies to buyers that fit into the "Global Diversifier" persona, as well as the "Gambler".
Knowledge and experiences vs a transactional approach. To qualify as a luxury real estate brand, you have to extend your service capacity to cover various needs within the real estate value chain. Primarily, this includes mortgages, property management and your conveyancing services to secure a quick and safe transaction. This is to ensure the buyer/investor gets a full in-house experience of the purchasing process and his needs are all covered within the same roof.
Added concierge services. This may come across as a nice-to-have in the mass market approach, but when it comes to delivering a luxury experience to HNWI, every detail matters. From transport to viewings to relocation chartered flights and exclusive open house partnered events that serve as an experience to blend related industries such as art, lifestyle and fashion.
The combination of the attributes above, specifically the first two, qualify a brokerage to meet the competitive standard in the industry. However, it will not suffice to achieve a clear differentiation in the market, this is dependent on the execution on all three competitive attributes and the construction of a comprehensive customer journey that nurtures leads with the adequate communication delivered at different stages of the buying process.
Now, what would be the action plan for a start-up and a brokerage looking to break into this market adequately? Would it look any different?
How to attract more HNWI to your brokerage
Breaking into the luxury segment of Dubai real estate must be backed by a curated strategy that considers the customer journey for all buyer personas. As we've seen, each one has different interests and expectations from their property investments, so why would a real estate agency attempt to engage them with the same message? It's a mistake to assume every investor's priority is the property's ROI.
As the sales trend indicates, most buyers are seeking low density master communities with amenities that prioritize health and wellness. The result? A higher amount of buyers holding the unit as an end-use before a resale.
Engaging the Global Diversifier
Let's review the motives behind this persona's intention to invest.
This investor is seeking to diversify his global portfolio, which is likely that he doesn't understand the UAE market or is familiar with the areas or property types that are likely to perform the best and guarantee a high return once he's ready to engage in a resale.
Each target audience will experience the brand in a different manner. With a different investment intent in mind, which is why it is important to filter what is unessential for each one and only focus on delivering what they consider to be crucial information to carry out a smart property investment.
Indeed, I am talking about the curation of a brand experience for three distinct investor personas looking to purchase prime real estate in Dubai. To do so , we must tailor a marketing funnel, exclusively for investors who are looking to expand and diversify their portfolio in Dubai.
The figure below details what a marketing funnel should include to properly engage and retain the attention of a Global Diversifier:
Awareness stage:
Your main objective is to gain authority amongst the Global Diversifier and other HNWI. Your main content format is video where the market is at center stage. To engage this type of investor, you must follow a data accurate rhetoric. Naturally, social media will be your main channel. At an initial stage, you will spark curiosity in the investor, with enough consistency and transparent data, you will be able to generate trust.
Interest stage:
After earning trust and solidifying credibility in the awareness stage, it's time to lead our investor into stage two of our marketing funnel. They now see your brokerage as a trusted brand in the market, they're more likely to exchange data for additional insights that reveal investment opportunities. This is where your research and analysis comes in.
As a luxury brokerage you are responsible for interpreting the overall behavior all players in the market are exhibiting with their transactions. This is done through in depth market reports and analysis.
Mass brokerages analyze the figures of the overall market, but as seen in the market overview section of this article, different rules apply to the luxury sector in Dubai real estate. Here's how you should approach it to stand out from the rest of the brokerages:
Single out luxury communities and investment projects. Analyze their performance and share your predictions for the coming quarter.
Analyze the performance of branded residences projects (off plan and secondary) and compare them to the performance of non branded luxury residences. By doing so, you're providing the investor with the necessary insights to compare and select what kind of investment property is worthwhile in Dubai's luxury market.
Finally, at this stage of the funnel, your aim is to position your brand as a trusted advisory firm.
You must simplify the complexities of Dubai's luxury property market.
Create an investment playbook where you give your audience a clear understanding of the market dynamics, what increases property value and what you should consider to invest in to do so, along with red flags to watch out for when selecting a developer.
Desire stage:
Do not let the communication with your engaged audience go cold. Nurture them with a monthly newsletter where you share new market insights, new properties that have listed under you, upcoming projects to watch out for along with Dubai's progress with city infrastructure that may impact future property value.
Now, let's not forget that you want to position yourself in luxury, thus we cannot omit the elements that shape a luxury brand to build such an identity for a real estate brokerage in Dubai.
These elements are:
Timelessness | Luxury does not rush. It takes its time to reach the maturity it requires to deliver a high quality service, product and/or experience.
Exclusivity | Luxury stands out because its rare. Not everyone can experience it.
Prestige | Your brand is a badge that signifies high status for those who engage with it.
Personalized experience | Every experience, for every target audience must be tailor made.
In this case, a timelessness involves the forging of trust and fortifying credibility by building a data driven content hub that fortifies your positioning as a thought leader in the market.
Exclusivity englobes a few factors. From the prestigious properties listed under you, to the events and experiences hosted by your brand for the investors who have engaged with you.
Personalized experience refers to the details. From curating a property investment catalogue of potential units and projects the investor could consider, to the journey your clients embark on from the moment an inquiry is made.
Finally, prestige is what's achieved after you consolidate a luxury identity by crafting personalized experiences that place data at the forefront with a hint of aspirational lifestyle.
These elements must be present in exclusive events the real estate brand hosts. These may include, but not limited to: private investment dinners and exclusive open house tours in select properties listed with under the brand.
Naturally, the expected result from these efforts is a conversion. But the point of a luxury real estate brokerage is to go beyond a transaction and foster a community and a network of partnerships with brands from different industries that grant your customers access to unique experiences after they've engaged in a successful investment with yours. This is sustained by connecting an brand ecosystem that have the same target audience, but cover different needs. But this is a topic for another day.
Engaging the Lifestyle Investor
This audience segment is seeking to invest in a home, but also become an end user. They seek Dubai as a destination to enhance their lifestyle.
It is important to define what constitutes as "lifestyle" when targeting this specific audience group. It is not about flash or loud luxury. This persona seeks health and wellness while practicing an active fitness routine and enjoying quality time with their family.
With this in mind, you can tailor a customer journey that best adapts to your brokerage's offer. The one below follows the ideal journey for this specific audience segment.
Main considerations:
This investor is engaged by how appealing a property and/or community is.
Although they're mainly emotionally driven, property appreciation and ROI are still considered, which is why they also seek to understand the market dynamics and transactions in their chosen investment area.
Health and wellness lifestyle.
Area location to nearby schools, hospitals and retail centres.
Content funnel framework:
Awareness stage:
In this stage, we want to engage the client by helping them visualize what it it'd be like to live in their chosen community. It's not about creating guides, nor community videos, but rather about being their eyes and ears within the community.
Help them experience retail, leisure and the dining establishments in the community to be able to give them a clear insight of what they can expect within this community.
In addition to this, build partnerships with select retail establishments within the community to enhance the customer experience. As an example, if your client chooses Al Barari and there happens to be a retail shop selling custom made scented candles, create your own and gift them after the transaction.
In addition to this, also publish market analysis clips and long-form content that increases your SEO score and AI-SEO discoverability.
The idea is to engage in an array of topics relevant to this client's needs and flood them with valuable insights that your channels are guaranteed to inhabit the first page.
Interest stage:
The same rule applies for this target audience as The Global Diversifier. By appealing to their emotions through a lifestyle content hub, we must adhere to the elements that qualify your brand identity within the luxury sector. This means that your top of funnel should not feature the common trends that other "luxury" real estate brokerages claim that luxury is.
Yes, while it's true that this audience segment is interested in the lifestyle he and/or his family will lead, they're also avid collectors. Entailing that the stock, your properties, must be trophy assets, unique and exclusive to buyers/investors who search for a property asset through you.
It is important you curate the investment playbook to cover topics that appeal to lifestyle, status and exclusivity. As opposed to the global diversifier, this audience segment is more interested in understanding:
What makes their property stand out from the rest
What factors ensure that it sustains its value or appreciate with time
What are the materials that make the property's interior? Do these involve artisanship, hence increasing the perceived value of the property, along with its rare and exclusive element.
It's important to understand that this audience segment values more than just the location of the property, but also takes into consideration its attention to detail in the finishing touches and small elements that distinguish it from the rest. Resulting in a higher perceived value of the property by being closer towards becoming an additional trophy asset within their collection of valuables.
Desire stage:
What is a luxury brand without an experience? Let's take the aviation industry as an example for a moment. The core service remains undifferentiated. Passengers board a plane that will allow them to travel a considerable distance in short span of time. Yet, airlines are able to justify elevated prices for different seating sections that have been segmented in accordance to the the lifestyle status the customer has been rewarded with due to their efforts and success.
First class is more than comfortable seating, but an experience that begins from the moment the customer buys their ticket. In the case of Emirates, the passenger's travel experience starts when they travel to the airport, as a private chauffeur is sent to transport them from their point of origin to the airport. There, the passengers are separated from those in business class, premium economy and economy.
Why?
To sustain the feeling of exclusivity throughout the customs experience.
The same applies to real estate. When taking the lifestyle investor through the desire stage, we must enhance the experience to ensure that the property's exclusive and rare essence is communicated throughout the entirety of the customer journey. Private tours and exclusive open houses must be organized with hint of rarity within them.
When it comes to private tours:
Arrange private transport
Ensure the customers are greeted with a refreshment when they get to the property
Provide a community/property brochure that details the asset's exclusive nature, along with the community's perks and lifestyle.
Finalize with a complimentary breakfast, lunch, coffee or dinner.
Organize an event, not an open houses:
HNWI don't want to see a property, but rather be part of an exclusive experience.
Select one trophy asset within your selection of stock and advertise it as early access. HNWI don't purchase trophy assets, they compete for them.
Be sure to plan a theme and collaborate with other luxury brands that will increase interest and raise attendance rates.
Involve live music, canapés and a wide selection of refreshments.
This is how you increase the desirability for, not only the properties where you deliver an exclusive experience, but the chance to transact for one through your brokerage.
Engaging The Gambler:
The most strategic and calculated gambler you will meet. This type of investor's purchase decision is not driven by lifestyle or property amenities, but rather by the projected capital appreciation certain developments and master communities estimate.
They are data driven decision makers who place data accurate information at the forefront. They're not seeking someone who can help them carry out a transaction, keep in mind that this investor values trust and market knowledge, so it is imperative that a luxury brand achieves an authority positioning in the market.
Their decision to invest in Dubai is not random. Do not think of them as property buyers, but rather as macro-traders. Such comparison is fair, as they seek similar results a trader would:
Capital hedge
Net-positive ROI
Portfolio diversification
Global rental arbitration
How to engage The Gambler:
It is important to note that The Gambler does not have a unique behavior. It oscillates with one particular element that determines their investment intent: capital.
The Gambler pays attention to capital flow, geopolitical tensions, currency depreciation and other macroeconomic factors that, when affected, Dubai enters their radar as an investment option.
Thus, your marketing funnel should adhere to the outline below:
Discovery: During the discovery stage in their investment journey, this audience segment consumes market knowledge and researches investment strategies. Building content stock that reinforces your positioning as a market leader while you also incorporate luxury culture, will peak The Gambler’s interest.
Trust: One important part of the equation are your property advisors. Helping them build a personal brand that shifts them from sales professionals to consultants must be part of the brand strategy. At this stage in the investment journey, The Gambler has discovered multiple sources of media material that he/she consumes to learn about property market dynamics and all factors that affect different areas in the city, and how it impacts the capital appreciation. With a plethora of options available, one question arises:
How do you develop trust?
HNWI are seeking market asymmetry. This is reached through the correct interpretation of data and helping them gather insights that cannot be seen from a downloadable one-page-overview. Your advisors must look at tourism, aviation, infrastructure and retail to properly analyze population behavior and deliver data backed hypotheses that may impact the rental yield or appreciation rate on properties and areas they’ve considered to invest in.
The Awareness stage:
Before diving into what the content structure should look like for The Gambler, we must be made aware of the main triggers that lead him/her to consider Dubai property as a proper investment option and capital hedge device.
Currency depreciation and rising inflation levels.
Analyze currency in other strong property markets and determine how wealth is performing. Are buyers losing wealth value YoY or is it being sustained? Which country’s currency is most likely to depreciate? How can they hedge their wealth value by investing in Dubai property?
The pain points highlighted above are what shape a trust narrative during the awareness stage. Ensure that your brokerage is not selling the projects as a source for wealth creation, but rather as a generational preservation of it.
Analyze international markets, compare their performance in terms of property appreciation rate, handover speed and long-term rental yield, along with the price per square foot to deliver a fair comparison of Dubai’s performance as an investment market.
Important: Every media piece, whether it’s an Instagram clip, educational carousel, Linkedin article, or even just a tweet, must be linked to a long-form content source where investors can be redirected to in your website. Website traffic builds authority, market reports downloads instils confidence in investors and grows your audience database.
Note: A direct conversion may happen after this stage.
The Interest stage:
How do we keep them engaged and ensure that they come back and/or subscribe to our channels? Essentially, how do we build the right audience?
First, we must consider that at this stage the investor has interacted with the brand and considers the property advisors, along with the different media channels, as a trustworthy source of information to gather market insights.
We’ve established that the brand is a source of authority.
Now, it’s time to add personalization. Understand each investor individually.
Combine the luxury element of exclusivity driven by a property narrative. Release early access to a market insights webinar for subscribers only. Filter their needs and address them in the invite-only webinar where you address each pain point that was shared + general market analysis and investment options to consider.
During this stage of the investor’s journey, make sure to engage with your audience. It is where your advisors actively host webinars, or seminars in the case that your audience is residing in the UAE, to fortify the trust they’ve developed with your brand and strengthen the credibility by sharing exclusive insights.
Note: A direct conversion may happen after this stage.
The desire stage:
Supply. Can be an asset in their favor or the reason why they opt for an early exit strategy.
This stage is not about building trust or authority anymore, but rather about being perceived as reliable advisors.
Communication on development progression is a key marketing activity for your brand. It is important to register where each investor allocated their wealth and monitor the development’s launch stages to make sure desirability and capital appreciation delivers a net positive ROI for the investor and it is not hindered by rapid launches and unit handovers.
Desire is where your brand earns its reliability badge.
You can also take this opportunity to continue to share market updates and upcoming developments that have a similar investment potential.
Note: A direct conversion may happen after this stage.
Conversion/exit strategy
As you may notice, a conversion may happen at any stage, considering your brand has taken the necessary steps to build trust and authority.
This audience segment responds to speed and data accuracy that helps him/her make the best informed investment decision.
This sole reason is why I insist that constructing a personal brand for each advisor and positioning them as a voice of authority in the market must be part of your overall marketing strategy. Your team of property consultants are more than just sales staff. They’re your brand’s best advertising channel. Property advisory safeguards the brand’s reputation, especially the kind that delivers positive liquidity before project completion.
Trained advisors will deliver exit strategies at different stages of the consultation with the investor, fortifying their personal brand’s authority and the brokerage’s reliability to advise when it’s safe to exit an investment.
Conclusion: Discernment over transactions
A luxury real estate brokerage must always keep one element at the forefront of their operations, whether this may be in marketing or sales:
Discernment.
It must be present in the stock listed under the brand, the quality of property advisors onboarded to represent the brand and the chosen collaboration partners when organizing a joint property experience, this may include an exclusive open house or private investment dinner for investors.
Discernment is what allows us to blend property market knowledge and luxury culture. It fortifies your identity as a market authority and positions the brand as more than just another real estate agency.
It signals the brand as a high-end investment consulting firm in the real estate industry. The kind of service HNWI are looking for.
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