Türkiye may draw Dubai property investors, sector head says - Türkiye Today

Türkiye may be positioned to attract Dubai property investors as Gulf tensions slow Dubai market, GYODER chief says

Türkiye could draw investors away from Dubai’s cooling real estate market if Ankara implements targeted policy changes, Nesecan Cekici, head of the Real Estate Investors Association (GYODER), said in comments published March 31, 2026. Cekici pointed to easing access to financing, revising citizenship-by-investment thresholds and addressing high land costs as the key levers that could make Türkiye competitive for international buyers as regional security concerns dent activity in Dubai.

"The only thing that cannot be restrained is land costs," she told CNBC-e, noting that the current cost structure is not sustainable.

The warning comes amid a measurable slowdown in Dubai transactions after a spike in regional tensions tied to the Iran war that began in late February following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Data from DXB Interact showed property transactions in Dubai fell by 17% between March 1 and March 30 to 12,451 deals, even as the market maintained pricing strength with the median price per square foot up 8.1% year-on-year.

Türkiye’s residential market has seen volatile foreign demand over recent years. Sales to non-residents surged to 67,490 units in 2022, a boom driven in part by a weaker Turkish lira in dollar terms and a then-citizenship-by-investment threshold of $250,000. That threshold was later raised to $400,000, and foreign purchases weakened: home sales to foreign buyers fell 9.4% year-on-year in 2025 to 21,535 units, with Russian and Iranian buyers leading demand.

• Dubai property deals: down 17% (March 1–30) to 12,451 transactions (DXB Interact)
• Median price per sq ft in Dubai: +8.1% year-on-year
• Türkiye foreign sales: 67,490 units in 2022; 21,535 units in 2025 (–9.4% y/y)
• Citizenship-by-investment threshold: $250,000 (2022) → $400,000 (later)

Cekici told CNBC-e that while construction costs in Türkiye's housing sector have "largely come under control," land prices remain a structural hurdle. She said efforts are underway to develop projects that involve cooperation between the public and private sectors in land development, and she singled out access to financing as a critical demand-side factor.

Expanding credit channels, Cekici argued, could help revive market activity among both domestic and foreign buyers. That recommendation arrives as Türkiye seeks to balance inward investment goals with rising costs: land values continue to push up project economics, and recent policy on citizenship-linked investment has altered the calculus for overseas purchasers.

Outlook: The market window opened by a Dubai slowdown is conditional. Analysts and industry figures say Türkiye could attract some investors deterred by Gulf security concerns, but converting interest into sales will require practical steps on finance, land availability and investor incentives. Without changes to financing access and the land-cost structure, GYODER’s head warned, a strategic opportunity to capture redirected capital may be limited.