Dubai firm announces real estate auction service with real-time bidding
A Dubai-based property valuation platform has announced a real estate auction service, targeting sales timelines of around 30 days from listing to completion. YallaValue said the service is licensed by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), allowing sellers to auction their property for free, with an “optional marketing package available on a success-only basis”, meaning they only pay if the sale is completed.
“We're launching next month, so no properties are formally listed yet - but the early seller response has been stronger than expected,” Jack Sellers, founder of YallaValue, told Khaleej Times in an interview. “We opened our seller registration less than a week ago and already have a pipeline of serious, qualified sellers. Frankly, that surprised us. We expected sellers would need significant education around the auction format, but many already understand the concept and are actively seeking an alternative to the traditional listing model.”
The move comes as the regional conflict introduces a period of uncertainty in the market. The platform said the gap between seller expectations and buyer willingness to pay has widened during this period, contributing to longer listing times in some cases.
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As Khaleej Times has reported, industry experts say even though property buyers are seeking distress sales, most owners in Dubai are not selling their properties below pre-regional conflict levels. While uncertainty remains, price drops are not significant enough to be termed “distressed assets”.
“When markets are uncertain, the worst thing a seller can do is sit on an overpriced listing for months, waiting for a buyer who may never come,” said Sellers. “Auctions create urgency and transparency. They let the market set the price, not the agent. In a market like this, that’s not just useful, it’s necessary.”
Alternative sales channel
According to the company, property auctions are a mainstream sales channel in markets such as the UK, Australia, and the United States, where they are used across a wide range of residential and commercial properties.
Citing “international evidence”, Sellers said across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, transactions show auction premiums of 3-15 per cent over traditional sales in non-distressed settings.
“The conditions under which auctions outperform are well established: areas and properties with strong demand and therefore deep buyer pools. The underlying economics are simple - aggregating multiple qualified buyers into a transparent, time-bound process produces more efficient price discovery than private one-on-one negotiations,” he added.
In Dubai, auctions have historically been limited to court-supervised execution sales and bank-repossessed properties.
“There’s a misconception in Dubai that auctions are only for distressed properties,” added Sellers. “In mature markets, auctions are the preferred method for sellers who want certainty — a fixed date, competitive tension, and a transaction at true market value. Dubai’s market is sophisticated enough to support this. It’s long overdue.”
How the real estate auction service works
The company said it will initially focus on properties in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), before expanding to other parts of the emirate.
Under the new model, properties are listed with a reserve price based on multiple valuations, while pre-qualified bidders participate in a timed online auction. The process includes identity verification requirements and real-time bidding, with measures to extend bidding windows if last-minute offers are placed.
“Our target is approximately 30 days from listing to hammer: a 3-week pre-auction marketing period where bidders can register and make sealed offers, followed by an intense 48-hour auction with the final hour live streamed,” said Sellers.
“Since we are starting with cash buyers only, we expect DLD transfer to take place within one week of the auction ending. In the current market, traditional listings often take 2 to 3 months to sell - and that's before accounting for deals that collapse through financing, negotiation breakdowns, or last-minute changes of heart. Our model compresses that timeline because buyers are pre-qualified, verified, and the process is time-bound.”
