Luxury brokerage Oppenheim Group launches Middle East operations with December Dubai offic

Oppenheim Group’s Dubai office opens in December, occupying a 6,500-square-foot space in the Bluewaters district. The US brokerage firm, known internationally through the Netflix series Selling Sunset, is making its first move into the Middle East, betting on continued demand for premium residential services in a market that has recently shown signs of cooling.

The operation’s structure is already taking shape. Omar Abaza, a longtime business associate of founder Jason Oppenheim, will lead the UAE office and has already completed the initial recruitment phase, reviewing more than 150 applications for broker positions. The opening team will consist of 20 brokers managing a luxury residential portfolio across Dubai, with Abu Dhabi earmarked for expansion as the operation matures.

The launch lands at a complicated moment for Dubai’s luxury segment. According to Luxury Price Drops, asking prices fell on 3,428 premium properties in August alone, with cumulative reductions in stated value reaching approximately 2.4 billion dirhams, or $653.5 million. That is a meaningful correction after years of record growth. Yet high-end transactions have not stopped. In March, a roughly 1,000-square-meter apartment on the 87th floor of Burj Khalifa leased for approximately 12 million dirhams, or $3.2 million, annually, a figure that signals the top of the market remains active even as the broader luxury tier adjusts.

Oppenheim cited Abaza’s role as instrumental in organizing the expansion, framing the UAE as a logical next destination for the company. The decision reflects a calculated read on regional demand rather than a reaction to short-term price movements.

Meanwhile, the new office carries a secondary layer of interest. Abaza expressed optimism that the Selling Sunset production team will visit Dubai after the launch, and suggested a separate Dubai-based version of the show could eventually grow from the operation. The series, currently in its ninth season, follows premium brokers across Los Angeles, Orange County, and Tampa. One signature detail: a bell that agents ring after closing deals. Whether a bell will hang in the Bluewaters office has not been decided.

What the December opening actually delivers, in terms of deal volume, portfolio depth, and broker performance, will determine whether the Oppenheim Group’s regional ambitions hold up against a market that is still finding its post-peak footing.