Dubai Is the Fastest-Growing Real Estate Market in the World

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary: "Dubai Is the Fastest-Growing Real Estate Market in the World"

Podcast: Earn Your Leisure
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings
Guest: Dubai-Based Business Owner & Investor
Date: December 9, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings of Earn Your Leisure dive deep into Dubai's meteoric rise as the world's fastest-growing real estate market. The conversation, featuring a prominent Dubai-based business owner and investor, explores the city's unique economic climate, diverse opportunities in real estate, the dynamics of wealth and social stratification, personal branding in business, and how Dubai serves as a case study for rapid urban and financial growth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unstoppable Growth of Dubai's Real Estate Market

• Dubai's real estate market is described as "powerful stuff"—a city marked by relentless growth and opportunity.
• Phenomenal Property Value Increases:
  • "What's the percentage of growth now? 30 every year, year on year. 30, 40." — Business Owner (04:17)
  • Example: “There was a villa... four years ago for a hundred thousand. Now it's 350." — Business Owner (04:52)

Multiple Ways to Buy Property

• Mortgages are available in a system similar to the U.S., but payment terms and off-plan purchases without interest are common.
• Developers allow for direct payment, sometimes even with crypto:
  • "You can just pay directly with the developer... Otherwise you can pay cash directly. With crypto, there's multiple ways." — Business Owner (05:04)

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Socioeconomic Dynamics & Sustainability

• The hosts bridge their New York perspective, expressing concerns about sustainability:
  • “Do you worry that a city like Dubai can reach that level of unsustainable... all the billionaires from all over the world come in, but people still need to work, right?” — Guest/Interviewer (05:24)
• The guest paints a nuanced picture:
  • "Dubai is like an onion and there's so many layers..." (06:16)
  • Major influx: "90,000 millionaires moved ready to Dubai and I think 20 or 17 billion bayonets moved to Dubai already." (06:16)

The Layered Economy

• There are accessible, affordable experiences and opportunities in Dubai, coexisting with extreme wealth:
  • “I can go right now and have dinner ...for four of us and we can spend less than $50. Or we... spend at least $5,000. So both levers are there. There is affordable housing here. Definitely need more of that. But it’s there, it exists." — Business Owner (10:57)

The City Reveals True Character

• Memorable quote:
  • “Dubai will show what you are. Oh, I burned out in Dubai. Dubai doesn’t burn you out. You, your true cars came out. If you’re good, you’re good. If you’re bad, now we know how bad you are.” — Business Owner (11:24)

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Lifestyle, Business, and Personal Efficiency

• Business Scale:
  • The guest operates 9 businesses and holds stakes in 91 investments (11:54).
• Operational Structure & Efficiency:
  • “Most of my zoom calls are under 20 minutes... I try to keep things all in the same geographic space so I don’t have to drive it too much... my day is always structured like in to the T.” — Business Owner (12:12–13:29)
• Work Ethic:
  • “I don’t have days off. I don’t understand days off. Like, I still. Now I do 80 to 100 hours a week.” (13:31)

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The Power of Personal Branding

• The guest’s persona—“Aquaman on your sleeve” and rapper-style jewelry—sparks a discussion on image:
  • "You need to be very purposeful and very intentional with every single thing you do." — Business Owner (14:12)
  • “Those are very important things. I understand the power of personal brand very, very well... If you’re authentic. If you read and you say the right things, people relate to it.” (14:12–15:07)
  • Enjoying the fruits of labor:
    • “Why not look good?... I work so hard, I got the money. Let me enjoy it. Why not keep it in a grave with me?” — Business Owner (15:07)

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Dubai’s Unique Status Symbols: The License Plate Phenomenon

• License plates are serious assets and symbols of status in Dubai—a cultural curiosity to outsiders:
  • "If it’s one digit or two digits is... more expensive. So sometimes a one digit plate number... went out for $15 million. 15 million for one digit." — Business Owner (15:42)
  • “It’s a new category of assets to show who you are.” — Interviewer/Host (16:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dubai Real Estate:

  • "It’s not going to stop. ...you need to be part of it very quickly because it’s not slowing down, just, it’s just going up." — Business Owner (04:17)

• On Social Layers:

  • “Dubai is like an onion and there’s so many layers and sometimes the layers touch each other.” — Business Owner (06:16)

• On Work Ethic:

  • “I don’t have days off. ...I do 80 to 100 hours a week.” — Business Owner (13:31)

• On Personal Branding:

  • “You need to be very purposeful and very intentional with every single thing you do.” — Business Owner (14:12)

• On License Plates as Status:

  • "One digit plate number... went out for $15 million." — Business Owner (15:42)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Dubai Real Estate Growth: 04:13 – 05:24
• Geopolitics & Socioeconomics: 05:24 – 06:37
• Affordability & Lifestyles: 10:57 – 11:42
• Business Structure & Daily Habits: 11:54 – 13:42
• Personal Branding Discussion: 13:42 – 15:18
• License Plate Phenomenon: 15:18 – 16:34

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation mixes practical business advice with vivid anecdotes, leveraging the guest’s direct, unfiltered takes and boasts a “college business class meets pop culture” vibe. The message is clear: Dubai is both ultra-competitive and full of opportunity, but success there demands intentionality, efficiency, and a sharp sense for both business and branding.

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This summary captures all substantial content in the episode—business growth, Dubai’s competitive environment, socioeconomics, and mentorship—making it a must-read overview for anyone interested in entrepreneurship or the Middle East’s booming markets.

Transcript

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[Guest/Interviewer]

Real estate. Oh yes, talk about real estate in Dubai.

[Business Owner]

Powerful stuff. Dubai, uae, regardless, is just, it's not going to stop. It's just like, you know, whatever is holding you back, stop it. Because you need to be part of it very quickly because it's not slowing down, just, it's just going up, it just going up, everything is going up. What's the percentage of growth now? 30 every year, year on year. 30, 40.

There you go. Yearly, 25 yearly. It's, it's insane. Like I remember there was a villa.

Family member was renting it I think four years ago for a hundred thousand. Now it's 350.

[Guest/Interviewer]

How is the system here as far as there's no mortgages, right? There's mortgages, yeah, there's mortgages, yeah. Like America.

[Business Owner]

Yeah, yeah, there's mortgages. But there's also payment terms because if you buy indirectly, if you buy off plan, that's good time because now you have no interest. You can just pay directly with the, with the developer. So they just pay payment terms until you receive the thing. Otherwise you can pay cash directly. With crypto, there's multiple ways, but that's the best thing about.

[Guest/Interviewer]

So we're from New York, right? So I don't know if you follow local GE geopolitical politics, but they got it. A new mayor has been elected. You know that? You know about that? Yeah, he's a socialist. The reason why he got elected is because the city has become so unaffordable, because the top 1% but is doing extremely well, but 90% of the population barely surviving. So do you, do you worry that a city like Dubai can reach that level of uns? It's not sustainable. After a certain point when every, all the billionaires from all over the world come in, but people still need to work, right? So the workers are at the bottom level and then you have people that's worth $100 billion at the top level. That gap is so wide that it leads to like, you know, a not sustainable living situation.

[Business Owner]

Dubai is like an onion and there's so many layers and sometimes the layers touch each other. So yes, we have, I think this year we had almost 90,000 millionaires moved ready to Dubai and I think 20 or 17 billion bayonets moved to Dubai already. So that space is already packed. Good.

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[Business Owner]

Now we're about here, middle and low. Now I can go right now and have dinner for four of us and we can spend less than $50.

Or we can have dinner together and spend at least $5,000. So both levers are there. There is affordable housing here. Definitely need more of that. But it's there, it exists. There is ecosystems that basically all exist together in that space. So there's levels. And again, it keeps it. Here's the thing about Dubai. Dubai will show what you are. Oh, I burned out in Dubai. Dubai doesn't burn you out. You, your true cars came out. If you're good, you're good. If you're bad, now we know how bad you are. So again, it. This city keeps you competitive, keeps you very strong.

[Interviewer/Host]

34 water parks.

[Business Owner]

For now.

[Interviewer/Host]

For now, gonna have. I mean, already has the largest water park in the world. We'll have it again.

They'll get bigger.

[Business Owner]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

91 businesses.

[Business Owner]

No, now I have nine businesses.

[Interviewer/Host]

Nine.

[Business Owner]

91 investments.

[Interviewer/Host]

Investments. I'm sorry, 90. 91 investments. Nine businesses.

In my head I'm thinking, how are we running operations on a day to day? How involved are you in? Or do you have CFO cmos? Is the structure the same?

[Business Owner]

Different structures? Some. I'm very involved in daily things because again, most of my zoom calls are under 20 minutes. Most of my zoom calls with my teams.

[Interviewer/Host]

Intentionally?

[Business Owner]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Why?

[Business Owner]

It doesn't take that long to understand what you want. I know what I want. Explain to me points. 1, 2, 3, 4. Give me point points. What's happening, what's going on? What solutions do you have? These problems and then I pick from them quickly. I wake up early in the morning, I go my gym, I do my workouts done. Then I go to my beach and just go see everything in the beginning, make sure everything's done the way I want with you. Then let's go first office, second office or zoom calls. I try to keep things all in the same geographic space so I don't have to drive it too much. That's what it was. A big tactic. But like usually I do all the things in the same space. So my businesses and offices and my penthouse all in the same space so I don't have to move too much because again, time is a very big factor here. So my day is always structured like in to the T. So there's no in a few 10 minutes, 15 minutes late in one meeting. I can't see meeting because I can't because you open up somebody else today. Today I had like a seven hour shooting. So it was just hectic. It was supposed to be four hours became seven hours. It's okay. Everything else had to be canceled.

It's very structured.

[Interviewer/Host]

It makes sense.

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

Yeah.

[Business Owner]

But I don't have days off. I don't understand days off. Like, I still. Now I do 80 to 100 hours a week. I still.

[Guest/Interviewer]

So talk about your branding because you're obviously branding yourself, right? You Aquaman on your sleeve.

[Business Owner]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest/Interviewer]

You have a necklace like a rapper. You got a necklace on like, you.

[Business Owner]

Know, so it's all mine. It's not bottle.

[Interviewer/Host]

Slight difference. Slight difference.

[Guest/Interviewer]

So talk. You're obviously intentional about how you want the world to see you. The image that you're putting out there. I think you're doing a show with Netflix. So you're not like a behind the scenes guy. It doesn't seem like that. Right? Talk about, talk about that. Talk about your intentionality with your branding.

[Business Owner]

You need to be very purposeful and very intentional with every single thing you do. Everything you say or do, anything. Because there's three levels of people can. When you meet people, they will see you, they will smell you and they will hear you. You need to look good, you need to smell good and you know what you're talking about. Those are very important things. I understand the power of personal brand very, very well. Because again, there's. It gets, it creates rapport. People know, oh, I've seen your video somewhere. I relate to what you say about this topic or that topic. So it takes away that whole fluff of when you meet somebody, people know, oh, I've seen you. I like you. Especially if you're authentic. If you read and you say the right things, people relate to it. You know, when you read, when other people understand you and relate to you very fast. So that's very important. It brings a lot of brands together, collaborations very quickly. And again, like, you know.

Why not look good? Why not look? And it's like, you know, God blesses me with like, you know, I work so hard, I got the money. Let me enjoy it. Why not keep it in a grave with me? Enjoy it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Now, one of the things I've been educated on since being here is this license plate situation.

[Business Owner]

Oh yeah.

It's humbling, isn't it?

[Interviewer/Host]

Can you explain to the, to the virgin ear, the person that hasn't heard about this. I saw there's digits now. We come from a place where your license plate is your license plate. And you might. What I have from car to.

[Business Owner]

Because there's a cap there.

[Interviewer/Host]

There's a totally different meaning here.

[Business Owner]

Yeah. Cuz you know, when, when say out of money, there's A purpose behind it because. Okay, having a G class. Okay. Cute. Having a Ferrari. Cool. Having a go Ferrari. Okay, cool. But then. Okay, how do you show more that I'm wealthy now? Comes with this new. It's. It's only this part of the world thing. It's like, you know, plate numbers. So if it's one digit or two digits is. It's more expensive. So sometimes a one digit plate number, let's say a. A five, for example, that one went out for $15 million. 15 million for one digit, you know, so that's the whole thing, you know, becomes an asset. It's a new category of assets to.

[Interviewer/Host]

Show who you are.

[Business Owner]

Yeah, exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

So when I move to Dubai, I need to have at least.

[Business Owner]

Let's move first and we'll talk about. Let's baby steps.

[Interviewer/Host]

There we go.

[Business Owner]

Move first and we're talking about another one.

[Interviewer/Host]

All right. No five digits.

[Guest/Interviewer]

Well, thank you for your time.

[Business Owner]

Thank you for having me, boys.

[Guest/Interviewer]

Thank you for your time, man. Appreciate it. Much success. Continue.

[Business Owner]

Me too.

[Interviewer/Host]

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[Business Owner]

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