Global Real Estate Investment Trends 2025: Strategies for Spain, Dubai, Aruba & the UK

In an era of political and economic uncertainty, certain fundamentals for long-term value growth remain constant: social trust, stable institutions, clear legal frameworks, stable economic direction for development, and favorable tax conditions. The webinar convened international experts to explore development across four strategic markets: the United Kingdom, Spain, Dubai, and Aruba. 

1. The United Kingdom: scarcity in housing
Speaker: Bianca van den Berg, API Global

The UK's real estate market will derive its strength in the future from a chronic housing undersupply spanning over five decades. This persistent imbalance between supply and demand continues to drive long-term capital appreciation.

Key Market Dynamics
Demographic Shifts: The average first-time buyer age has increased to 41 years in London (34-35 years outside London), creating a substantial rental population termed "generation rent". This demographic reality has created a large, stable rental market with sustained demand.

The strategy: identify "growth zones within growth zones" before market saturation. Emerging Opportunities: Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Cambridge. 

2. Spain: transitional market moving
Speaker: Constantijn van Haeften, Verhome Vastgoed / Costa Casa Investments

Spain is rapidly evolving from a local market into an international investment hub, driven by lifestyle migration, remote work, and institutional capital inflows. 

Key Market Dynamics
A growing number of investors from the Netherlands, Northern Europe, the US, and China are moving capital south, drawn by better weather, lower taxes, and higher returns. The Golden Visa has opened Spain to global buyers, while remote work and post-COVID lifestyle shifts fuel permanent migration. The market now attracts institutional capital — about 65% of transactions — focusing on residential, logistics, healthcare, and senior living. 

Despite new rental and ESG regulations, Spain continues to outperform Europe, offering strong demand, tourism growth, and long-term opportunities for investors entering early in developing regions. 

3. Dubai: Growth Meets Regulatory Maturity
Speaker: Jan-Willem Visser, FCD Dubai

Dubai presents a fast-moving market that appeals to investors seeking both capital appreciation and strong cash flow, now supported by increasingly robust regulatory frameworks.

Key Market Dynamics
Off-Plan: The market features escrow-protected payments and preliminary title registration. Shifted from universal profitability to requiring selective, quality-focused investment strategies. Refinancing restrictions: capital retention within UAE property market. 

4. Aruba: Dutch Law and Tourism-Driven Growth
Speaker: Rob Wijnen, Palm Area Management

Aruba offers a unique micro-market within the Dutch Kingdom, combining legal stability under Dutch civil law with tourism-driven economic growth.

Key Market Dynamics
Approximately 80% of visitors originate from the United States, creating stable demand for hospitality and residential properties.  The government is promoting sustainable initiatives including water management and urban greening to combat heat stress. Performance depends on "micro-information"—local knowledge rather than purely macroeconomic analysis.  Final legal authority rests with the Hoge Raad (Supreme Court of the Netherlands), providing institutional security comparable to European standards.

Conclusion:

 "Real estate remains a people's business," concluded moderator Ron van Bloois, underscoring the human dimension behind data and capital flows. 

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