Real estate careers are often shaped by the markets professionals enter and the perspectives they develop along the way. For James Walsh, that journey has crossed the UAE, the UK and Saudi Arabia, giving him experience on both the sales and acquisitions sides of the property industry.
His career began in the UAE in 2008, expanded into the UK in 2013 and took a new direction in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Across these markets, he has worked with developers, investors and sales teams, building an understanding of how property opportunities are structured, priced and brought to market.
Understanding Real Estate From Both Sides of the Table
How a project acquisitions role in Riyadh reshaped one property professional’s view of the market
Most property sales professionals encounter a development once it is ready to be presented to buyers, with the pricing and commercial structure already established. James Walsh has also worked on the other side of that process, where projects are sourced, assessed and prepared for market.
That experience has influenced how he evaluates developments today, giving him a perspective that connects property sales with the economics and commercial decisions behind each project.
A Career Across Three Markets
James holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Leeds and studied Real Estate Economics and Finance at the London School of Economics.
He sold his first property in Dubai in 2008 before building his career in the UK property market from 2013 onwards. Over the years, he held senior roles with developers in both the UK and the UAE, selling projects to investors in domestic and international markets while also building and scaling sales teams.
In 2025, his career took him to Saudi Arabia, where he moved into project acquisitions and gained direct exposure to another side of the development process.
Riyadh: The Other Side of the Table
James moved to Riyadh to take up a senior project acquisitions role with the largest brokerage in Saudi Arabia. The firm is part of one of the region’s largest proptech groups, which operates across 11 countries and also runs the largest brokerage in Pakistan, with more than 1,100 brokers.
His role involved sourcing and securing developments for the brokerage to sell. This included identifying projects, assessing their feasibility, negotiating commercial terms with developers and landowners, and acting as the connection between developers and the sales team once projects launched.
In 2025, he onboarded and sold more than 1,800 units.
The role also expanded his professional network across Saudi Arabia. He developed relationships with fund managers, family offices, major developers and the developers behind projects associated with the Public Investment Fund’s giga-projects.
“In sales, you work from a price list that has already been set. In acquisitions, you are involved in how it is put together,” he says. “That changes how you assess every project afterwards.”
Understanding How a Development Is Priced
One of the most significant aspects of the acquisitions role was developing a deeper understanding of pricing.
Before an off-plan development launches, each unit needs to be priced within a structure that allows the project to achieve its targeted Gross Development Value, representing the total revenue expected from the completed sale of the development. Pricing too high can affect sales velocity, while pricing too low can reduce the developer’s potential margin.
The process involves examining comparable developments, unit mix, floor and view premiums, payment plans and the market’s ability to absorb available inventory.
Working through these considerations gave James a closer understanding of how developers approach pricing, how commercial terms are structured and how marketing works alongside the underlying economics of a project.
“It gave me a holistic view of how off-plan property is priced,” he says. “When I look at a development now, I ask why it is priced the way it is and whether the pricing is justified.”
Working With Clients Across More Than 30 Countries
Since entering the property industry in 2008, James has worked with clients from more than 30 countries.
Between 2021 and 2024, his international activity included frequent visits to Nigeria and South Africa. His client base today includes investors in the UK and US, which he identifies as his fastest-growing markets for investment into the UAE.
He is scheduled to travel to both markets during the final quarter of 2026 and throughout 2027 as he continues developing those relationships.
What He Is Doing Now
James is currently an associate director at One Investments, a Dubai real estate brokerage, where he works with large institutional investors. He is also a general partner of a real estate investment fund regulated in the United States and in Dubai’s DIFC.
His approach is informed by his academic background in Real Estate Economics, with a focus on understanding supply, demand and pricing before looking at the marketing narrative surrounding a development.
Having worked in property sales in the UAE and UK and in acquisitions in Saudi Arabia, he has experienced the development process from different points of view.
“In the current global climate, very few real estate markets combine stability with room to grow in the way the UAE does,” he says. “Private and institutional investors alike need an environment with a long-term vision, robust fundamentals and healthy returns. For many of them, the UAE continues to sit near the top of the list.”
Today, his focus is on sourcing real estate opportunities, partnering with established developers and bringing an economics-led perspective to investment decisions across the property market.
From the UAE to the UK and Saudi Arabia
The UAE was the starting point of James’s professional connection with international real estate. His first property sale in Dubai in 2008 introduced him to a market that has since become a major destination for global property investment.
In 2013, his career expanded into the UK, adding experience within another established real estate environment. Saudi Arabia became the latest chapter in 2025, when he moved into project acquisitions in Riyadh.
Each market has offered a different perspective.
The UAE combines a highly international investor base with continued development and infrastructure expansion. The UK provides exposure to a mature property market with established investment structures. Saudi Arabia has brought experience within a market undergoing significant economic and urban development.
Working across all three has broadened the way James approaches real estate opportunities, particularly when considering the relationship between property, investment and wider economic conditions.
Looking Beyond the Property Itself
A real estate opportunity does not exist in isolation.
Location, supply and demand, development plans, market conditions, pricing and the strength of the developer can all influence how a project should be understood.
This is central to James’s current approach. Rather than looking only at the property being offered, he considers the wider environment surrounding the development and the factors that have shaped its commercial position.
The perspective is particularly relevant across the Gulf, where large-scale developments are changing established urban areas while creating new destinations for residents, businesses and investors.
For clients and investment partners, finding a development is only the beginning. Understanding the market behind it can be just as important.
Partnering With Developers
Relationships with developers are an important part of James’s current work.
His focus on partnering with best-in-class developers reflects the role that the development company plays in any property investment decision. Track record, project execution, product quality and the broader strategy behind a development can all influence how investors assess an opportunity.
His experience in acquisitions has given him direct exposure to these considerations, from identifying projects and negotiating commercial terms to connecting developments with sales and investment channels.
That places his work at the intersection of developers, investors and the broader property market, with the economics of each opportunity remaining an important part of the conversation.
The Economics Behind Real Estate
Property decisions can be influenced by lifestyle, personal ambition and financial objectives. But beneath those considerations are the economic fundamentals that shape markets and individual developments.
Supply and demand, pricing, development activity, market cycles and investment dynamics can all affect how an opportunity is viewed.
This is where James’s background in Real Estate Economics informs his approach. His focus is not simply on what a property looks like or how it is marketed, but on understanding the forces that influence its value and commercial position.
That perspective has become particularly relevant as investors increasingly consider property across multiple international markets rather than limiting their decisions to one geography.
Building the Next Chapter
James Walsh’s career continues to develop across the three markets that have shaped his professional experience.
From his first property sale in the UAE in 2008, to his expansion into the UK in 2013 and his move into Saudi Arabian project acquisitions in 2025, each stage has added another dimension to his understanding of real estate.
His current focus brings those experiences together: sourcing opportunities, developing relationships with established developers, working with investors and applying an economics-driven perspective to property decisions.
As the UAE and wider Gulf region continue to attract international capital and undergo large-scale development, his experience across sales, acquisitions and multiple markets provides the foundation for the next stage of his career.
For James, real estate is not simply about the property itself. It is about understanding the economics behind it, the people developing it and the investors looking for the right opportunity.
Follow James Walsh on Instagram to explore his latest real estate opportunities, market insights and property partnerships across the region.
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