Real estate

Dubai Real Estate Q3 2026: AED 92.9bn Across 37,429 Deals

The fäm Properties quarterly report, drawn from Dubai Land Department transactional data, puts the primary market at 57% of value, deals under AED 3 million at 81% of volume, and keeps Dubai South leading off-plan sales for a seventh consecutive month.

Alexander MartsCo-founder and Partner, Garant Business Consultancy · UAE economy, visas and investments

October 7, 20267 min read

Illustration for the article on Dubai's residential real estate market in the third quarter of 2026. According to the analytical report from brokerage fäm Properties, based on transactional registrations from the Dubai Land Department (DLD), from July through September 2026 the emirate recorded thirty-seven thousand four hundred and twenty-nine sales transactions totalling ninety-two point nine billion dirhams (equivalent to twenty-five point three billion US dollars). The primary market accounted for twenty-five thousand four hundred and forty-one transactions worth fifty-two point six billion dirhams; the resale market for eleven thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight transactions worth forty point three billion dirhams. Properties priced below one million dirhams represented thirty-four point one per cent of deals; those between one and two million dirhams, thirty-two point four per cent; those between two and three million dirhams, fourteen point six per cent. Dubai South held the top spot for primary market sales volume for the seventh consecutive month with seven hundred and thirty-seven off-plan transactions worth nine hundred and eighty point five million dirhams. The freehold rental sector registered two hundred and ninety-eight thousand nine hundred and eighty-four contracts across the first nine months of 2026 — a six point eight per cent year-on-year increase. This material was prepared for the Garant.consulting business portal on the UAE, published by Garant Business Consultancy DMCC.

Common questions on this topic

What does the Q3 2026 Dubai real estate report show?

In short: thirty-seven thousand four hundred and twenty-nine sales transactions worth ninety-two point nine billion dirhams (approximately twenty-five point three billion US dollars). The primary market closed twenty-five thousand four hundred and forty-one deals at fifty-two point six billion dirhams; resale, eleven thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight deals at forty point three billion dirhams. The data is drawn from Dubai Land Department registrations and compiled in a quarterly report by brokerage fäm Properties. Sixty-seven per cent of secondary market deals were settled in cash.

What share of deals fell in the affordable segment?

The bulk of demand sits in the mid-price band. Deals below one million dirhams made up thirty-four point one per cent of volume; one to two million, another thirty-two point four per cent; two to three million, fourteen point six per cent. Combined, eighty-one point one per cent of Q3 transactions were below three million dirhams. The three-to-five-million band delivered ten point three per cent, above five million — eight point three per cent. This is a mass-market story, not just a luxury one.

What is happening on the primary market and in off-plan?

The primary (developer) market closed about fifty-seven per cent of total value — twenty-five thousand four hundred and forty-one deals at fifty-two point six billion dirhams. Dubai South held the top spot for primary market sales volume for a seventh straight month with seven hundred and thirty-seven off-plan deals worth nine hundred and eighty point five million dirhams. The sustained lead reflects buyer confidence in infrastructure-anchored locations around Al Maktoum International and Expo City Dubai.

How is the rental market performing?

Two hundred and ninety-eight thousand nine hundred and eighty-four freehold rental contracts were registered in the first nine months of 2026, up six point eight per cent year-on-year. At that pace, fäm Properties expects the full-year total to overtake the previous annual record of three hundred and seventy-seven thousand nine hundred and twenty-six contracts. September alone saw a twenty-two point six per cent month-on-month jump — a typical post-summer surge.

What does this mean for investors and resident buyers?

Three practical takeaways. First, liquidity is high — thirty-seven thousand quarterly deals mean a quality asset moves in weeks, not months, which lowers rebalancing risk. Second, the one-to-three-million-dirham band holds about forty-seven per cent of deals and lines up with the Golden Visa property threshold of two million dirhams by DLD valuation — the Visa route is reachable without a super-prime budget. Third, with primary deals at sixty-eight per cent of volume, developer selection matters more than ever: RERA-registered large builders (Emaar, DAMAC, Sobha, Nakheel, Aldar) and project due diligence come before any price negotiation.

The headline numbers: AED 92.9 billion changed hands across 37,429 Dubai residential deals in Q3 2026, per fäm Properties analysis of Dubai Land Department records. The primary market held 57% of value; 81% of all deals closed below AED 3 million.

The Q3 2026 Dubai residential real estate report (July–September) was published on October 6. The data is aggregated by brokerage fäm Properties from Dubai Land Department (DLD) transactional registrations — a full census of registered deals, not a sample.

What the numbers show

Across the quarter, Dubai closed 37,429 sales transactions worth AED 92.9 billion (≈USD 25.3bn). The split:

primary market — 25,441 deals at AED 52.6 bn;
resale market — 11,988 deals at AED 40.3 bn.

Primary (new-build) deals took roughly 57% of value and 68% of volume — a split that has defined 2026 so far: buyers continue to prefer off-plan with developer payment plans over fully funded resales.

Where demand actually sits — the sub-AED 3M band

The price distribution is the headline chart for investment strategy:

below AED 1M — 34.1% of deals;
AED 1M–2M — 32.4%;
AED 2M–3M — 14.6%;
AED 3M–5M — 10.3%;
above AED 5M — 8.3%.

Combined, 81.1% of all Q3 transactions closed below AED 3 million. The ultra-prime bracket (above AED 5M) is under 10% of the market. This is a mass-market story — not just Palm Jumeirah.

Dubai South leads primary sales for a seventh month

A standout line item: Dubai South holds the top spot for primary market sales volume for seven consecutive months. In Q3 — 737 off-plan deals worth AED 980.5 million. The concentration is tied to the infrastructure story: Al Maktoum International airport, Expo City Dubai, and the industrial corridor along the E-611 axis.

Rentals are growing faster than headline rates suggest

A parallel trend — the rental market. Over the first nine months of 2026, Dubai's freehold zones registered 298,984 rental contracts, up 6.8% on the same period in 2025. If the pace holds, fäm Properties expects the full-year total to overtake the 377,926-contract record set the previous year. September 2026 showed an outsized monthly jump of 22.6% versus August — a classic post-summer surge.

Cash transactions on the resale market stood at 67%. The read-through: mortgage demand is concentrated in the primary segment, where developers offer bespoke payment plans — typically around 30% during construction and 70% on handover.

What this means for investors and buyers

Three practical takeaways.

First — liquidity. 37,000 quarterly deals mean the market isn't a slow burn: a quality asset exits in weeks, not months. That lowers execution risk when rebalancing a portfolio.

Second — mid-market dominance. The AED 1-3M band, which closed 47% of Q3 deals, is the heart of the market. It aligns exactly with the Golden Visa property threshold — AED 2 million by DLD valuation. If you're weighing Golden Visa via a mortgaged or off-plan unit, this quarter's pricing shows the threshold is reachable without a super-prime budget.

Third — off-plan execution. With primary deals at 68% of volume, developer selection carries more weight than ever. Priority goes to large builders with a track record of deliveries (Emaar, DAMAC, Sobha, Nakheel, Aldar, Meraas) and mandatory RERA checks before any deposit. The detailed breakdown of where Dubai real estate investors actually earn — and what eats into the net yield is in the portal's companion piece.

What's next

The fäm Properties October report lands in early November and will show whether the market held the pace it set in September. Factors to watch for Q4 2026 — the CBUAE base rate (3.65% since July, held steady), the launch of the second retail T-Sukuk tranche for residents, and quarterly population numbers from the Dubai Statistics Center.

For investors making their first purchase, the sensible sequence is: define the price band (AED 1-3M), pick a district tied to an infrastructure story (Dubai South, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Business Bay, JVC), vet the developer through RERA, and only then negotiate price and payment plan.

Data from the Dubai Land Department and fäm Properties. This is editorial material from Garant.consulting, prepared for a UAE business audience — expats, investors and entrepreneurs.

Topics:Real estateDubaiDLDInvestmentsOff-planGolden VisaHousing marketQ3 2026