Every week at Cresco, a Dubai-based investor asks us the same question: “I’ve built my portfolio here — can I actually buy property in America?” The short answer is yes. The useful answer is the rest of this guide.
The simple answer: yes — with full ownership rights
The United States places no citizenship or residency requirement on property ownership. A UAE resident — Emirati or expatriate — can hold American residential or commercial real estate outright, with the same freehold title an American holds. You do not need a green card, a visa, or a US credit history to own. What ownership does not do is grant residency: buying a home in Los Angeles or Miami does not by itself change your immigration status.
Why Gulf capital is looking west in 2026
Henley & Partners’ 2026 report forecasts up to 165,000 millionaire relocations this year — the largest wealth migration ever recorded — with the UAE and the United States as the two great poles of that movement. The American market’s records tell their own story: California’s median price reached an all-time high of $930,260 in May, million-dollar homes hit a record 38.5% of all sales (C.A.R.), and Miami’s luxury segment grew 21% year over year while 44% of closings were all-cash — the signature of international money (Miami Association of Realtors).
How Dubai-based buyers actually do it
Most of our UAE clients follow the same path: hold the asset either personally or through a US LLC (a low-cost company structure offering liability separation and privacy), fund the purchase in cash or through a foreign-national mortgage designed for overseas buyers, and complete the entire closing remotely from Dubai — escrow, signatures and all. From accepted offer to keys is typically 30–60 days.
Three taxes deserve early attention: annual property tax (set locally, commonly 1–2% of value), tax on rental income, and FIRPTA withholding when you eventually sell. None are obstacles; all are manageable with a cross-border accountant engaged before you buy.
Los Angeles or Miami?
The two Gulf-facing gateways serve different strategies. Los Angeles is the scarce, premium market — a median around $1.00M and homes selling in 48 days. Miami is the growth-and-leverage market — a median near $652K, 113 days on market, and nearly thirteen months of condo supply handing patient buyers real negotiating power (Redfin, May 2026). There is no universal “best” — only the right market for your objective.
One firm, both shores
Cresco was built for exactly this corridor: our Dubai headquarters has closed 2,580+ transactions worth AED 6.8B+, and our US office at 8605 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood serves the American end — so the advisor who understands your Dubai portfolio is the same firm executing your Los Angeles or Miami purchase.
Go deeper: our complete step-by-step guide — ownership structures, financing without US credit, taxes in plain language, and the full LA vs Miami data — is on Cresco Global: How GCC Capital Buys American Real Estate: The Complete Guide. Or request our free Global Property Report.
This article is educational and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Sources: Henley & Partners (2026); California Association of Realtors (May 2026); Miami Association of Realtors; Redfin; Freddie Mac.