Dubai: Dubai’s real estate market recorded AED 574.12 billion in transactions in the first nine months of 2026, according to Dubai Land Department (DLD) data reported by Emirates 24|7. Sales accounted for AED 379.4 billion across 123,416 deals, the second-highest January to September sales value in the emirate’s history.
Only 2025 was stronger. Sales in the first nine months of last year totalled AED 495.8 billion from 157,306 transactions, according to DLD figures cited by W Capital Real Estate Brokerage. That puts 2026 sales about 23.5 per cent lower year on year, but still ahead of the AED 374 billion recorded in the same period of 2024 (PROPERTY TIMES calculations).
Where the AED 574 billion came from
DLD’s total covers three types of registration:
- Sales: AED 379.4 billion across 123,416 transactions (104,198 residential units, 9,514 buildings and 9,704 land plots)
- Mortgages: AED 151.13 billion across 34,910 transactions
- Gifts: AED 43.6 billion across 6,692 transactions
The nine-month total is equal to about 62.5 per cent of the AED 917 billion-plus Dubai recorded in the whole of 2025, a full-year figure confirmed by the Dubai Media Office in January.
Ready property edges ahead of off-plan by value
One of the clearest shifts is in the mix. Ready (completed) property sales reached AED 196.08 billion from 39,320 deals, while off-plan sales totalled AED 183.32 billion from 84,090 deals. Off-plan still makes up about 68 per cent of sales by number, but only about 48 per cent by value (PROPERTY TIMES calculations). The ready figure includes completed buildings and land as well as homes.
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Mortgages and gifts climb
While sales cooled, financed purchases grew. Mortgage registrations reached AED 151.13 billion, up about 14 per cent from AED 132.21 billion in the first nine months of 2025, based on the 2025 comparison published by W Capital (PROPERTY TIMES calculation). Gifts, which are typically transfers between family members, rose about 9 per cent to AED 43.6 billion from roughly AED 40 billion.
Where the money went
Business Bay led all areas by sales value, at more than AED 20 billion, according to the DLD data reported by Emirates 24|7. The top five were:
- Business Bay: more than AED 20 billion
- Airport City: about AED 17.72 billion
- Al Yalayis 1: AED 16.09 billion
- Palm Deira: AED 12.98 billion
- Palm Jumeirah: AED 11.61 billion
Me’aisem 2, Jumeirah Village Circle, Palm Jebel Ali, Burj Khalifa and Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens completed the top ten.
September and the third quarter
September alone recorded AED 50.78 billion across 16,490 transactions. That included sales of AED 29.66 billion from 11,430 deals (AED 16.03 billion ready, AED 13.63 billion off-plan), mortgages of AED 16.79 billion and gifts of AED 4.33 billion.
The quarterly picture is softer. W Capital’s analysis of DLD data puts third-quarter sales at about AED 92.3 billion from 37,124 deals, compared with AED 169 billion from 59,044 deals in the third quarter of 2025, a fall of about 45 per cent by value (PROPERTY TIMES calculation). Consultancy Cavendish Maxwell, quoted by The National, reported a 47 per cent year-on-year fall in third-quarter residential sales value, and said buyers became more cautious after regional conflict broke out this year.
Ronan Arthur, Director and Head of Residential Valuation at Cavendish Maxwell, told The National: “Purchasing activity became more measured.”
What it means for the market
The nine-month numbers describe a market coming down from an exceptional 2025 rather than one in retreat. Sales value is still above every year before 2025, financed purchases are growing, and completed property now accounts for the larger share of spending.
Views on what comes next differ. W Capital’s Al Zarooni said the fourth quarter of 2026 “is showing highly positive indicators”. S&P Global Ratings, citing DLD data, said monthly sale transactions averaged 12,644 between March and September, 26 per cent below the January to February average, and expects a gradual price correction rather than a sharp fall, according to The National. The same report said Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar predicted an adjustment of 5 to 10 per cent in the wider sector.
PROPERTY TIMES will track DLD’s monthly data through the final quarter. Read our Dubai market intelligence coverage for the latest figures.
AT A GLANCE: DUBAI REAL ESTATE, JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER 2026
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