Just five years ago, the U.A.E. city recorded only 30 home sales priced at $10 million and above.
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Dubai had a banner year in 2025, logging a record-breaking number of home sales at $10 million and above, according to a report from Knight Frank on Monday.
The U.A.E. city closed out the year with 500 sales valued at $10 million-plus—including 68 homes that sold for more than $25 million, another all-time high—producing a total value of $9.05 billion, a 27.7% increase of 2024’s luxury sales volume of $7.09 billion.
A strong fourth quarter helped propel the market to these record numbers, with 143 homes selling for more than $10 million during the final three months of the year, up from 103 in the third quarter.
Regional and worldwide luxury buyers alike continue to be compelled to buy property in Dubai, “attracted by the high quality of life, world-class amenities and infrastructure, enabled by the government’s ambitious investment programs,” Faisal Durrani, partner and head of research for Knight Frank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, said in the report.
“Dubai’s meteoric rise as the world’s busiest market for $10 million-plus homes, having increased from just 30 sales in 2020 to 500 by the end of 2025, is best reflected in the emirate’s growing reputation as a magnet for the global elite,” he said.
The tree-shaped man-made island of Palm Jumeirah retained its spot as the most popular community for luxury home buyers, recording 28 sales of homes valued at more than $10 million during the fourth quarter.
The yet-to-be-completed Palm Jebel Ali—which closely resembles the shape of Palm Jumeirah—was close behind with 22 sales. It’s expected to be completed in 2028.
“At 50% larger than its established neighbor Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali remains a destination to watch,” said Will McKintosh, regional partner and head of residential for MENA.
“While it will obviously take time to reach the maturity of other established communities, the 2025 sales figures are a welcome indication of its high potential and the growing demand from the wealthiest buyers for prime waterfront property and the luxury Dubai lifestyle.”
The priciest deal of the quarter was for a six-bedroom apartment in Bugatti Residences by Binghatti, within the Business Bay community.
The 47,200-square-foot home sold for AED 550 million (US$149.7 million), setting a U.A.E. sale price record for a penthouse.
The previous record was held by a 22,000-square-foot penthouse at the Como Residences on the Palm Jumeirah that sold for AED 500 million in November 2023.
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The imposing stone structures, with towers, turrets and a hot tub room, lord over the landscape near the mountain resort town of Sandpoint.
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Idaho is not a place that’s often associated with Medieval castles, but a pair have just hit the market for $6.25 million.
The imposing stone structures have towers, turrets, ramparts, arrow-slit windows and even a drawbridge, and might just be the most authentic-looking castles this side of the Atlantic.
“Who expects to see a castle like this in Idaho?” said listing agent Brenda Burk of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, who brought the property to the market last week. They are, she said, “extremely unusual.”
Schweitzer Castle and Château de Melusine, as they’re known, stand within Schweitzer Mountain Resort in the Selkirk Mountains and overlook the nearby mountain resort town of Sandpoint. They take in panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest lake.
The pair of ski-in/ski-out homes each have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and three stories, Burk explained. They are “so authentic,” she said. “Every single stone was handlaid.”
Schweitzer Castle, she said, wasn’t built for “functionality,” but has been modernized and adapted and now has everything a 21st-century residence requires, along with a dungeon, which for some buyers may also be a requisite.
The chateau, meanwhile, has a hot tub room with mountain views, as well as a garage.
The property is being sold furnished, and will come complete with the hand-carved statues, armor, mounted swords, stained-glass windows and a host of antiques dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.
The owner, an antique collector who couldn’t be reached for comment, “is always looking for that hidden jewel and he found that here,” Burk said.
The next custodian is likely to stem from a varied pool of buyers, Burk said, that would include “the trophy-home buyer, someone who can say ‘I own a castle.’”
The property could also appeal to someone looking for a vacation home, or a multi-generational estate, and beyond that “there’s the dreamers,” she said. “We definitely try to market to people who like Medieval history or maybe do Renaissance fairs.”
The seller “really wants it to go to someone with the same passion.”
