Secondary property market growing steadily

Of the over 2500 visitors who came to the show, 41% already owned property in Dubai.

"When we launched the show in 2005, most of the visitors were people looking for property to buy or rent," said Tessa Morris, Marketing Director at DSL Exhibitions. "This year, the profile of the visitors is altered in an important aspect - almost half of them already own properties. Although private landlords, actively looking to rent out or sell their properties remained at 11%, it still represents a steady rise over previous shows," she said. The statistics also revealed that 35% of visitors were looking to buy a property and 64% were looking to buy and rent out - very positive results for Dubai's property industry.

Landlords were either posting their offerings on the Property Wall - over 1000 properties were posted by individuals on this free-to-visitors feature at the show - or were seen speaking to renting agencies for booking their properties on their rosters. The majority of visitors who were in rented accommodation revealed they were paying between AED 80 000 - 150 000 in rent. The proportion of visitors who live in their own properties also rose considerably this year at 36%.

As the dynamics of visitors change, R&R Show is planning a deeper penetration into Northern Emirates, with the next show slated for 8th and 9th February 2008 at the Ajman Kempinski, showcasing real estate opportunities in Ajman, Ras Al Khaima, Um Al Quwain, Sharjah and Fujairah. The dates for the next show in Dubai have also been announced - 14th and 15th March 2008.

The R&R show has emerged as an important event in the exhibition calendar as it caters to the booming local market and has regularly revealed the dynamic nature of the Dubai market with relevant and insightful consumer information revealed through exhaustive surveys that real estate professionals have come to rely upon.

This year, the R&R Show also added another component to its offering - Lifestyle Solutions - a complimentary event that offers suppliers of lifestyle products and services an opportunity to interact with visitors who are ready to buy. In addition, the show also presented the PROFIT Forum, bringing property and finance experts to the show.

The next R&R Property Shows will be held in Ajman February 8 & 9 and Dubai March 14 & 15 2008.