1. Area definition and data structure
Actual location: According to DLD, The Quayside building is located in Business Bay and is part of the master project of the same name. The DLD database records more than 110 transactions for this project. For the analysis, filters were applied only to one-bedroom apartments (1BR), in full accordance with your brief.
2. Liquidity and transaction dynamics
Over the last four quarters (2024), a stable volume of transactions has been recorded for 1BR units in The Quayside: in total, around 44 sales were completed, which indicates high liquidity of the building. This indirectly confirms strong demand for the asset and buyer interest at the stage of the building’s entry to the market. To understand long-term trends, a comparative analysis was carried out for Business Bay for the same apartment format.
3. Price dynamics over 3–5 years
- The Quayside (1BR): during 2024, the average purchase price per m² ranged from 25,600 to 26,450 AED/m². Over the last 12 months, the fixed average value amounted to 24,540 AED/m².
- Business Bay (1BR): the area dynamics for 2020–2024 show substantial growth, from around 14,000–17,000 AED/m² in 2020–2021 to 23,000–24,700 AED/m² in 2024. Over the last 12 months, the average price was about 24,800 AED/m², meaning the building is trading at the district market level.
At the launch stage, The Quayside offers price parity with the business benchmark for 1BR apartments in Business Bay.
4. Rental market analysis and yield calculation
For The Quayside itself / 1BR units, there are no confirmed registered rental contracts among active DLD lease agreements at the time of analysis. This is common for new buildings: few units are physically handed over, some are rented off-market or have only just entered the rental market. The subsequent analysis is therefore carried out at the Business Bay level for all types of residential apartments (Flat).
- The average annual rental rate per m² over the last 12 months in Business Bay amounted to 1,310 AED/m².
- Area dynamics for 2020–2024: a strong increase is observed from 700–800 AED/m² (2020–2021) to 1,300+ AED/m² in 2024.
Note: since there are no registered rental contracts for The Quayside itself, all rent_psm and ROI values should be treated as district benchmarks.
5. ROI and fair investment price range
Yield calculation at the district level (based on actual price and rent levels over the last 12 months):
- District-level gross ROI ≈ 5.3% per annum (1,310 / 24,800).
- Effective yield after all entry-related costs is around 4.9–5.0% (a 7–8% cost discount is factored in).
- To reach a target yield of 7–8% per annum, the fair purchase price range for an investor at district level is 16,375–18,715 AED/m². Current market prices in the district and in The Quayside are significantly above this benchmark, which is typical for new/premium projects or a market in a sustained growth phase. This reflects the current supply–demand balance: achieving yields above 5% when buying at prevailing market levels is challenging.
6. Conclusion: liquidity and investor potential
The Quayside (1BR) shows excellent sales liquidity, with prices in line with the Business Bay district market. Rents have grown significantly over the past two years, but for this particular building there is still no registered market rent in DLD. The current ROI in Business Bay is around 5%, supporting the trend of declining yields in central locations amid outpacing price growth. Based on DLD data, purchasing an apartment in The Quayside is justified primarily as a long-term asset with high liquidity and capital appreciation potential, rather than as a tool for maximising rental income. To reach a 7–8% ROI, an investor would need either a substantial discount to market or a strategy of buying at the construction stage, relying on future capital gains.
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