Dubai developer Emaar's apartment sales triple to Dh567m

Emaar reports third-quarter boost in revenues from apartments, although sales of villas and commercial properties dipped.

Emaar's apartment sales more than tripled to 567 million dirhams in the third quarter. Pawan Singh / The National

Emaar Properties' revenue from apartment sales more than tripled in the third quarter, helping Dubai's largest developer overcome a sharp decline in the sale of commercial units.

Revenue from sales of condominiums in the third-quarter more than tripled to Dh567 million ($154.4 million) from Dh183 million in the same period in 2011, a detailed earnings statement released on Sunday showed. However, revenue from sale of villas dropped slightly to Dh123 million from Dh126 million a year-ago.

Income from sale of commercial properties and plot sales took a major hit, generating only Dh109 million compared with Dh798.4 million in the prior-year period.

Emaar is one of the better performers among property companies in Dubai as the sector recovers from a roughly 60 per cent drop in real estate prices from their peak in 2008.

The builder of the world's tallest tower, reported a 4.7 per cent drop in third-quarter revenue in October, missing analyst's forecasts.

Emaar launched three new real estate projects this year, with residential units generating strong interest.

The report also showed that Emaar is owed Dh242 million by troubled mortgage affiliate Amlak, down from Dh595 million in 2011.

This amount earns an average interest of 1.45 per cent per annum compared with 3.13 per cent to 4 per cent last year, Emaar said.