100 Real Estate Agents: Conor McKay, Director, Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty

Conor McKay’s reputation for closing some of Dubai’s highest-profile residential deals has earned him the title of the “Billionaire’s Broker,” reflecting his standing in Dubai’s ultra-prime property market. So when McKay says the February conflict did not trigger the downturn but merely accelerated a correction already underway after one of Dubai’s strongest four-year bull markets, people listen. He points out that between 2021 and early 2026, prime residential values rose by roughly 60–75%, fueled by high-net-worth migration, tax-driven relocations, global uncertainty elsewhere, and record international capital inflows. The conflict, he says, changed market sentiment overnight. “The ultra-prime market effectively paused,” McKay says, adding that transactions above AED50 million slowed significantly as buyers adopted a “wait-and-see” approach, while many international investors reassessed their exposure to the Gulf region. “Many large transactions were delayed rather than cancelled outright.” Looking ahead to 2026–2027, McKay believes the market is not heading for a crash, but shifting from an emotionally driven seller’s market to one defined by fundamentals.

“The era of any property selling simply because it was in Dubai is over,” he says. “The next cycle will reward exceptional architecture, prime waterfront locations, genuine scarcity, and best-in-class developers. The finest homes in Dubai will continue to attract global buyers and command global prices. As in every ultra-prime market, capital ultimately flows to quality.”

Originally from Ireland, McKay serves as Director at Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty, where he advises an elite global client base that includes billionaires, entrepreneurs, royalty, family offices, and international investors.

Since launching his UAE real estate career in 2017, McKay has advised on more than AED6.5 billion worth of luxury property transactions. Just in 2024, he advised on Dubai’s second, third, fourth, and fifth most expensive villa transactions, with a combined value of around AED900 million.

Momentum has continued into 2026, with nearly AED1 billion in agreed ultra-prime sales agreements already progressing toward completion. He also advised on Dubai’s most valuable annual residential lease ever recorded, securing a landmark AED16.5 million for a single year.

Talking specifically about the last 18 months, McKay says he has been heavily involved in the sales of the ultra-exclusive EŌME development on Palm Jumeirah’s West Crescent—a project comprising just 24 residences across more than 660,000 sq. ft. The development includes some of the most expensive and exclusive homes ever offered in Dubai, including the Beach Mansions, with asking prices of approximately AED 400 million, and the Ocean Villas, with asking prices of approximately AED 170 million.

“To date, I have successfully sold multiple units of the development through private channels and discreet off-market transactions,” he adds.

Here, it is worth examining the three qualities that define McKay’s approach to business, and explain how he consistently sells some of Dubai’s most exclusive properties without public marketing.

The first is absolute discretion. Operating almost exclusively in the ultra-prime market, most of his transactions are conducted off market, where confidentiality and privacy are paramount.

The second is trust. The majority of his business comes through referrals, with many of his largest transactions never entering the public domain—a reflection of the confidence placed in him by some of the world’s most influential individuals.

The third is execution. Combining deep market insight with a relentless work ethic, McKay has built a reputation for delivering some of the region’s most complex and highest-value real estate transactions.

With that mindset, McKay was well prepared for the market shifts that followed February 2026. While enquiry volumes declined and decision-making slowed considerably, he explains that demand for truly irreplaceable assets did not disappear. Buyers paused, negotiated more aggressively, and delayed decisions, but they rarely walked away from the opportunity to acquire globally scarce trophy assets.

“In my experience, the market has effectively split into two categories: luxury property and collectible real estate,” McKay says. “EŌME, along with a handful of beachfront homes on Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Bay Island and select Emirates Hills estates, falls firmly into the second category. These assets compete less with the wider Dubai market than with waterfront estates in Monaco, Miami, London, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Beverly Hills. Their buyer pool is global, their supply is finite, and their value extends well beyond local market cycles.”

McKay acknowledges that the February conflict introduced greater caution into the market, but believes it also highlighted a long-standing characteristic of the ultra-prime sector: during periods of uncertainty, demand tends to concentrate around the highest-quality, scarcest assets. “The strongest assets continue to attract attention,” he says. “They simply do so with more disciplined buyers and longer decision cycles than we experienced during the exuberance of 2022–2025. This is likely the first time in four years where disciplined buyers can acquire world-class assets in Dubai with meaningful negotiating leverage.”

It is this experience, expertise, and market insight that have earned McKay widespread industry recognition. He has been ranked No. 4 in Arabian Business’s Top Real Estate Agents in the Middle East, named an Arabian Business Real Estate Legend, featured in the prestigious Spear’s 500 among the Middle East’s most influential property advisors, and voted Property Finder’s No. 1 Real Estate Agent in the UAE on three separate occasions.