Abu Dhabi’s New Islands: Where Should Property Buyers Invest?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Property Now at Mira Business FM, this is the Morning Drive. Abu Dhabi's next hotspots are taking shape. But which islands are worth watching, and where should buyers put their money?

Hadariyeh has already recorded billions of Durham's property sales. Remhan, Fahid, Lulu and Al-Mihsina offer very different opportunities. I'm trying to get my pronunciations right. Ben Crompton knows how to pronounce these things. He's coming on next. Managing partner of Crompton Partners, joining us to break down the developments, the risks and what buyers should look for as the capital's waterfront communities take shape. Ben, I appreciate you coming back on.

Ben Crompton (0:39)

Thank you very much for having me. Good morning.

SPEAKER_1 (0:41)

Morning to you. Hadariyeh has already seen billions of Durham's in property sales was the line there. What is driving the demand? Because it is pretty strong and can the momentum continue?

Ben Crompton (0:56)

Yeah, I mean, Hadariyeh is, I think, the latest, I guess, hot location to invest in. Sadiyat, Yass and Hadariyeh is now very much in the public's consciousness, particularly in Dubai, I think. I think us in Abu Dhabi would know about it for a while, and it had a relatively kind of subdued first few launches. But yeah, just recently, people in Dubai, for various reasons, have kind of caught on to it. Hadariyeh Golf Estate sold 1,700 units in a couple of days.

And it's a really nice location. It's right next to Abu Dhabi Island.

It's almost kind of a mirror of it. So in terms of location, it's fantastic. It's got beaches, it's got waterfront. It's billed very much as kind of a sports island. A lot of these islands in Abu Dhabi kind of have their own personalities, if you like. And yeah, it's really kind of caught the public's imagination in the last six months or so.

SPEAKER_1 (1:49)

Can I ask you to, maybe it's a bit like asking you to choose your favorite child, this question. So I kind of apologize in advance, but for somebody looking to buy property in Abu Dhabi today, lots of attractive stuff to look at. Which of the five islands deserves maybe the closest attention, do you think?

Ben Crompton (2:11)

I think probably the most established and mid-market would be, and I'll say mid-market very carefully would probably be Yass Island. The thing about Hudariat is nothing's been built yet. Sadiyat is obviously at that very premium level, but been around a long time. Lima Island, it's kind of more mid-market, again, been around a long time. But Yass, you still get a good range of projects there, both apartments and villas, and you get a range of price points as well. Some of it's mid-market, some of it's kind of luxury. But with everything that's already there, and projects are handed over, and Disney coming, it's a very safe bet, I would say. Yass Island, if I were to pick one.

SPEAKER_1 (2:57)

You've mentioned the islanders all have their kind of very distinct personalities. I think that's quite a good way to put it. But how do the Dariette and Remhan and Fahid differ in terms of the buyers that they're trying to attract?

Ben Crompton (3:13)

Yeah, that's an interesting question. I mean, I think who Dariette is kind of very low density and it's got this sporty kind of look to it. But it's kind of bigger villas and things like that. And you can see those hills and stuff like that. So I think it's pitching very much at this Abu Dhabi family kind of market. Remhan is this water-based kind of little Venice. So it's probably looking at maybe Abu Dhabi, but also perhaps a little bit more kind of wealthy foreigners, wanting that really kind of all the properties of waterfront, really wanting that kind of lifestyle. And then Fahid Anand, you've got a real mix.

It's apartments, it's villas as well, with the focus on wellness specifically. So that might show that it's targeting a little bit more kind of foreign investors, people looking, talking about longevity and living well, and living in areas that are very walkable and stuff like that. So obviously, a big focus is on Abu Dhabi residents, but yeah, they're all kind of picking maybe different parts. There's a little bit of overlap, but the fact that they all have their own different kind of personalities probably divides up people who are looking. So if you want that real waterfront look, you look at Ramhan, wellness, sports, you know, obviously, Yas Island with the entertainment and the cultural side is Saryat.

SPEAKER_1 (4:36)

How much is wellness or I guess green spaces, the idea of walkability, how much are those things becoming major selling points? Because we're seeing that here in Dubai, that wellness is kind of a thing or becoming a thing here now. Is it a major selling point for buyers?