Indian citizens became the largest group of foreign real estate buyers in Dubai in 2026, according to data from the DXB Interact platform, as reported by Gulf Today and Khaleej Times.
According to DXB Interact, Indian buyers accounted for 20.59% of total real estate purchases in the emirate as of late February 2026. In a Khaleej Times article citing Harbor Real Estate and DXB Interact, this figure was rounded to 20.6% as of early 2026.
Buyers from the United Kingdom ranked second with a share of 13.26–13.3%, followed by Egyptian citizens in third place with 12.6%. Next came the United States—about 9%, Pakistan—6.9%, Saudi Arabia and Australia—5.7% each, Germany—about 4.2%, France—3.8%, and Canada—about 3%.
Just outside the top ten, according to DXB Interact, are the Netherlands with a 2.83% share, Russia at 2.5%, Morocco at 2.33%, Spain and Kuwait at 2.11% each, Turkey at 2.05%, and Nigeria at 1.89%.
Analysts attribute foreign buyers’ sustained interest in the Dubai market to political stability, the absence of income tax, the possibility of 100% foreign ownership of properties in freehold zones, and long-term residency programs, including the Golden Visa.
Compact apartments remain the most active segment of the market. According to the Khaleej Times, one-bedroom apartments accounted for 34.9% of sales, or 27,590 transactions; studios accounted for 23.4%, or 18,471 transactions; and two-bedroom apartments accounted for 20.7%, or 16,399 transactions. This demand reflects investors’ interest in liquid properties with a lower entry threshold and rental yield potential.
Among Dubai’s districts, Dubai Islands led in apartment sales with 8.4 billion dirhams, followed by Airport City with 7.2 billion dirhams and Business Bay with 6 billion dirhams. In the villas and buildings segment, Al Yalayis 1 took first place with 10.6 billion dirhams, while Me’aisem Second led the land plots segment with 10.1 billion dirhams.
Harbor Real Estate assesses the current situation as a transition of the Dubai market from a phase of rapid growth to a more sustainable cycle. According to the company, demand is increasingly being driven by end buyers and long-term investors, rather than short-term speculators.
An increase in supply could be an additional factor contributing to market stabilization. According to the Khaleej Times, citing a report by Harbor Real Estate, more than 160,000 residential units are scheduled for completion in 2026, although the actual number of units completed is expected to be significantly lower. For comparison: approximately 39,700 units were completed in 2025, and 30,500 in 2024
Regarding the Dubai real estate market, the ranking of foreign buyers shows that demand remains geographically diversified. India and the United Kingdom retain key positions, but buyers from the Middle East, North Africa, North America, Australia, and Europe also play a significant role. This reinforces Dubai’s status as one of the leading international centers for real estate investment.
The residential real estate market in Northern Greece continues to rise in price amid high demand from foreign buyers, who are primarily interested in apartments in Thessaloniki, the Chalkidiki Peninsula, and the coastal regions of Thrace, according to a study by Spitogatos Insights for the first quarter of 2026.
According to the study, between 2022 and 2026, average home prices in Thessaloniki rose by 61% to 2,300 euros per square meter. In Macedonia (a region of Greece), the figure rose by 53.7% to 1,992 thousand euros per square meter, and in Thrace, it rose by 38.3% to 1,5 thousand euros per square meter.
Chalkidiki remains the most expensive market in Northern Greece, where the average housing price in the first quarter of 2026 reached 2,716 thousand euros per square meter. The municipality of Thessaloniki came very close to this level at 2,667 thousand euros per square meter, while Kavala led in growth over the past five years—up 68.1% to 2,194 thousand euros per square meter.
In the rental market, Thessaloniki also remains the largest center of demand: the average rent has risen by 34.3% since 2022, to 9.4 euros per square meter per month. In the municipality of Thessaloniki itself, rent reaches 10.4 euros per square meter, and in Chalkidiki—12.3 euros per square meter, due to the strong influence of tourism.
Foreign buyers most often consider the suburbs of Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki, the municipality of Thessaloniki itself, Kavala, and Pieria. The top ten destinations most in demand among foreign buyers also include Evros, Serres, the Rhodopes, and Xanthi.
Apartments are the main focus of demand from foreign buyers. They lead the way in both the purchase and rental segments. Detached houses and townhouses follow in terms of interest.
According to analysts’ estimates, foreign capital is gradually moving beyond major cities and penetrating more actively into the coastal and border regions of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
The published materials do not provide data on the nationalities of foreign buyers.
According to Relocation, residential real estate prices in Germany rose by an average of 1.4% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2025, according to a report by the Federal Statistical Office.
Apartment prices in the country’s seven largest cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf) rose by 0.3%, while in other major cities they rose by 2.9%. In densely populated rural areas, prices fell by 0.4%, while in sparsely populated areas, they rose by 3.6%.
Single- and two-family homes in metropolitan areas became 1.4% more expensive, and in other major cities, they rose by 1.2%. In sparsely populated rural areas, buyers paid, on average, 0.8% less than a year ago.
Residential real estate prices overall rose by 0.3% in January–March compared to the previous three months.
According to Serbian Economist, the Albanian real estate market is showing the first signs of cooling after several years of sharp price increases. In June, the construction confidence index fell by 0.8 points, and developers revised their forecasts for future orders and prices downward, according to the Bank of Albania’s business and consumer confidence survey.
The key signal is the decline in expectations for new contracts. The balance indicator for construction orders fell to minus 26.2 points, meaning that the number of companies expecting a decline in orders significantly exceeds the share of optimists. At the same time, current construction activity remains roughly at the same level.
Prices have not yet entered a sustained decline, but developers’ expectations have weakened sharply. The price expectations index remains positive at 14 points—meaning that part of the market still expects growth—but in May the figure was 22 points, and in the spring it hovered around 30 points. This suggests not so much an immediate drop in prices as a rapid slowdown in the market.
The Bank of Albania also reports a slowdown in housing price growth. According to the Fisher Index, average prices of completed transactions rose by 11.7% compared to the previous half-year and by 28% year-over-year, but this is already lower than the rates seen in the first half of 2025, when annual growth reached 41.7%.
The cooling trend is particularly noticeable in Tirana. In the capital, the price index has remained unchanged over the past six months, and annual growth stood at only 4.4%, whereas in the first half of 2025, prices in Tirana rose by 32.6% year-over-year. According to market data, half of all transactions in the capital are now being concluded at a discount to the originally asking price.
At the same time, the coast is so far preventing the market from slowing down even further. Price growth in resort areas, including Vlora, Saranda, and Durres, is driven by foreign demand for seaside apartments and new tourist complexes. The Bank of Albania notes that coastal regions were the main contributors to the overall growth of the price index.
The paradox of the market is that demand is weakening, yet construction continues at a rapid pace. Albanian media, citing indirect tax data, report that permits for approximately 2 million square meters of construction may have been approved in the first five months of the year—a figure close to the record levels seen in 2024.
The practical conclusion for investors is simple: Albania no longer appears to be a market where prices are rising at the same rapid pace everywhere. Tirana has already approached its price ceiling, and further growth increasingly depends on project quality, location, and foreign demand. The coast remains stronger than the capital, but even there, the risk of overheating is increasing.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3184
According to Relocation, the Estonian government has approved a bill prohibiting citizens of Russia and Belarus from purchasing real estate if they do not have long-term resident status or the right of permanent residence in the country. If the bill is passed by parliament (the Riigikogu), the new rules will take effect on January 1, 2027.
The ban will apply throughout Estonia and will affect not only individuals but also companies from Russia and Belarus, as well as legal entities from other countries if their ultimate beneficial owner falls under the restrictions. The ban will cover apartments, land plots, building rights, and shares in real estate properties.
Tallinn cites national security concerns as the rationale for this initiative. The goal of the bill is to reduce the risks of real estate being used for intelligence activities, preparing sabotage operations, exerting influence, or establishing strongholds near strategic facilities. Interior Minister Igor Taro stated that the ban must not remain merely “on paper” and must not allow the restrictions to be circumvented through companies in Estonia or other EU countries.
However, the law will not be retroactive. Russians and Belarusians who already own real estate in Estonia will retain their property rights. Renting residential and commercial properties will also remain permitted. In certain cases, the government may issue a special permit for a purchase if the transaction does not conflict with the law’s objectives.
According to data from the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, as of January 9, 2026, there were 7,797 Russian citizens and 1,476 Belarusian citizens in the country with temporary residence permits—a total of 9,273 people. It is this group, if they do not have long-term resident status or permanent residence rights, that may be directly affected by the ban. At the same time, 70,237 Russian citizens and 1,190 Belarusian citizens held long-term residence permits and are to be exempt from the restrictions.
There is another aspect to consider—existing property owners. As of April 2025, there were 36,952 Russian citizens and 896 Belarusian citizens among real estate owners in Estonia. However, their current properties will not be seized, so the ban primarily concerns new transactions.
According to The Serbian Economist, foreign direct investment inflows into Albania rose by 3.4% in 2025 to 1.63 billion euros, up from 1.58 billion euros in 2024, the country’s central bank reported. Amid a decline in FDI in several countries in the region, Albania became one of the few markets in Southeast Europe where foreign investment continued to grow.
The Netherlands was the largest source of investment, contributing 201.9 million euros. Next were Italy with 186.9 million euros and Kosovo with 186.4 million euros. This geographic distribution differs from that of Montenegro, where the largest sources in 2025 were Serbia, Turkey, and Germany.
The main sector for foreign capital in Albania is real estate. In 2025, it attracted 560.9 million euros, or approximately one-third of total FDI. Insurance and financial services ranked second with 291.14 million euros, while wholesale and retail trade ranked third with 161.89 million euros.
The Albanian example demonstrates the same regional trend as Montenegro, but on a larger scale: foreign investors are actively investing in real estate, especially against the backdrop of growing interest in the coast, tourism, relocation, and infrastructure development. For Tirana and coastal cities, this means an increase in construction activity and prices, but at the same time, it exacerbates the issue of housing affordability for the local population.
Until recently, the Albanian market was viewed as peripheral, but now it is competing for capital with Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, and other Southern European destinations. At the same time, the volume of foreign direct investment in Albania already significantly exceeds that of Montenegro: 1.63 billion euros versus 531 million euros in net inflows in Montenegro.
Albania’s strengths lie in the size of its market and growing interest in real estate, tourism, financial services, and trade. Its weakness lies in the high concentration of investment in sectors that do not always ensure rapid productivity growth. As in Montenegro, the key question for long-term development is whether the country will be able to transform interest in real estate and services into more substantial greenfield projects, industry, logistics, and export capacity.
Albania is cementing its position as one of the most dynamic investment markets in the Balkans. But growth driven by real estate creates the same dilemma as in Montenegro: money flows in quickly, but the lasting impact on employment, exports, and productivity depends on whether more complex investment projects follow construction.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3162
