The total value of properties requested for valuation in Dubai during the first half of 2013 rose by 70 percent compared to the same period last year, the official government agency responsible for appraisals said on Monday.

The Government of Dubai Land Department announced that its Valuation Committee - in cooperation with Dubai's Real Estate Appraisal Centre, valued 2,388 properties worth AED89bn ($24.2bn) during the first six months of the year.

It said that the number of transactions received in the first half of 2013 grew by 41 percent while the total value of properties undergoing evaluation rose by 69.8 percent.

Mohammed Khodr AlDah, head of Dubai's Real Estate Appraisal Centre, said: "The amount of transactions that the committee sees serves as a gauge for progress of the market - with growth thus far being a clear indication of a recovering market and increased investor confidence."

The Land Department's report showed that the average value of land in the Burj Khalifa area reached AED1,960 per sq ft, six times higher than the likes of Mirdiff (AED320 per sq ft).

The report also showed that more than 50 percent of valuation requests were made for empty land plots, with the remaining percentage (49.7 percent) of the share going to completed buildings.

"Systemised real estate valuation plays an integral role in the growth of investments and the economy by doing away with random prices, providing a balance between supply and demand and having a direct impact on the resolution of property disputes," the report added.

Last week, the Government of Dubai's Land Department said that the emirate saw a total of AED53bn ($14.4bn) worth of real estate investments in the first half of 2013.

Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, director general of the Land Department hailed Dubai's real estate market as a "lucrative one for its stability, diversity and promise of high return on investment".