ROI analysis of apartment in DRAGON VIEW: DLD data and real deals

1. Definition of the location and data structure

Actual location: DRAGON VIEW (according to DLD this is the official name) is located in Al Warsan First, within the master project International City Phase 1.

There are 58 sale transactions for this building recorded in the DLD register over the past 3 years (the 1-bedroom filter shows several deals every year). In DLD_rent_contracts, 229 lease contracts have been identified for the DRAGON VIEW project.

2. Market volume and structure, liquidity

DRAGON VIEW is a residential asset with regular transactions: for 1-bedroom apartments there are several sales every year up to and including the current year (note that in DLD, entries for future periods sometimes appear due to registration specifics).

There is a clearly visible stable flow of rental contracts, which indicates sustained demand both for purchase and for rent of apartments in this building.

3. Purchase price dynamics (price per m²)

Over the past three years, the following price-per-square-metre dynamics can be observed (based on closed 1-bedroom transactions in the building):

– Early 2022: 5,800–7,500 AED/m²
– 2023: growth to 8,000 AED/m² by Q3
– 2024: levels of 9,300 AED/m² at the beginning of the year and 8,990 AED/m² in Q4
– Recent quarters are scattered: from 5,133 to 9,682 AED/m² in 2025 (which may reflect the specifics of individual deals)

Over the last 12 months, the average price per m² in DRAGON VIEW is 7,407 AED. For comparison, across Al Warsan First over the same period, the average is 7,254 AED/m² for apartments.

The overall district trend is also positive: from 4,800–5,400 AED/m² in 2022, growth to 6,500–7,100 AED/m² in 2024, and values above 7,200 AED/m² in 2025.

4. Rental dynamics (rental rate per m²)

For DRAGON VIEW, the average annual rental rate over the last year is 845 AED/m². The bulk of contracts cover different apartment types; there is no sufficiently specific data only for 1-bedroom units over the last year, so the rate was calculated for the entire building.

For Al Warsan First, the average rental rate over the last 12 months is 679 AED/m². In quarterly dynamics for DRAGON VIEW, a stable and pronounced growth is visible: from 620–660 AED/m² in 2023 to 780–883 AED/m² in the current quarters of 2024–2025. For the district, growth is more moderate: from 500–550 AED/m² (2022–2023) to 600+ AED/m² at the moment.

5. Comparison of prices and returns (ROI), fair price range

ROI_brutto for the building (current rent/price ratio over the last 12 months):

– For DRAGON VIEW: 845 / 7,407 ≈ 11.4% gross
– For Al Warsan First: 679 / 7,254 ≈ 9.4% gross

Taking into account standard entry costs (≈7–8%; DLD, broker, deal structure), the indicative ROI_net for DRAGON VIEW will be around 10.6–10.7% (i.e. 11.4% / 1.07–1.08), and on average for the district about 8.7% per annum.

Fair price range for an investor targeting a 7–8% annual yield (based on actual rental rates in the building):

– For DRAGON VIEW: “fair price” at 7–8% = from 10,570 AED/m² (845 / 0.08) to 12,071 AED/m² (845 / 0.07)
– For the district: from 8,488 to 9,700 AED/m².

The market price of an apartment in DRAGON VIEW is 12% below the lower bound of the calculated “target range” for a 7–8% annual yield, which is a clear sign of potential investor appeal over the next 2–3 years.

6. Conclusions on liquidity and outlook

– DRAGON VIEW demonstrates stable market liquidity: there are ongoing sales and leases, with a steady sequence of contracts and no significant slumps.
– Price dynamics are moderately upward; the building is priced slightly above the district average, but significantly outperforms in terms of yield.
– Rental rates in the building are growing faster than in the wider district, making the asset particularly attractive for yield-focused capital.
– Investor ROI at current DLD price levels exceeds 11% gross and 10.6%+ net (taking standard costs into account).
– Given current trends, the yield is above the district average, and the discount to the calculated “investment price” provides a safety margin in case of market volatility.

Recommendation: DRAGON VIEW stands out positively within its district and may be of interest to investors focused on stable rental income with minimal vacancy. A future resale is also unlikely to be problematic thanks to current demand and the attractive price/rent combination.