Buying a Home

Buying a home is the largest purchase most people make. Research suggests that buyers weigh features that stand out on a viewing more than daily life, that a listed price anchors the value people see, and that the first three months after a move are a window for new routines. In Dubai, more than 270,000 property transactions were recorded in 2025, with 129,600 new investors.

What the report found

1. The UAE is a country of new owners. Dubai recorded more than 270,000 property transactions in 2025, with 129,600 new investors, and Abu Dhabi a record AED142 billion. Citizen housing programmes and a First Time Home Buyer Programme support the step.
2. Buyers weigh what is easy to see. Students choosing between houses based their forecasts on architecture and location, although community did more for their happiness. The commute and the neighbours deserve a place on the list.
3. A price shapes the value people see. Estate agents and students who toured the same home were equally swayed by its listed price. Owners also value what they own more highly than buyers do.
4. Moving is a window for new habits. Recent movers responded more strongly to an invitation to change their routines, for about three months. Rituals, making and time help a house become home.
5. A home lifts satisfaction with home. Renters who became owners reported a clear rise in housing satisfaction. Overall happiness rests on more than the house, so the choice is best made with daily life in view.

What is inside

1. The moment
2. Before: searching and choosing
3. During: the offer, the price and the paperwork
4. After: moving in and making it home
5. How the moment is lived across the Gulf
6. What lasts

Plus a phase map of the moment, an illustrated path from search to settling in, a habit window diagram and a data panel of UAE and Gulf figures.

Who it is for

For first time buyers, families moving home and new owners, and for lenders, sellers and public services in the UAE and the Gulf.

How we work

Moment Reports look at how people think and decide at particular points in the year or in life, starting with the UAE and then the wider Gulf. Every claim is graded Established, Emerging or Untested, and where researchers disagree, both sides are set out before we say where we stand.

Cite this report

The Why We Project (2026) Buying a Home: The largest purchase most people make. Moment Report No. 16. Dubai: Why We Tech Ltd. Available at: thewhyweproject.com