Dubai property deals total AED 90.62 billion

Dubai’s residential and commercial property transactions totalled AED 90.62 billion in the third quarter of 2026, with off-plan housing retaining the largest share of residential activity, according to market data released by Springfield Properties.

The dataset recorded 36,738 transactions during the quarter, including residential sales worth AED 72.58 billion across 33,949 deals. Off-plan residential properties accounted for AED 41.58 billion through 23,457 transactions, while secondary-market homes generated AED 30.83 billion from 10,442 deals.

Activity in completed residential property strengthened from the previous quarter. Secondary-market transaction value rose 24.22 per cent from Q2, while the number of deals increased 22.52 per cent, indicating that demand for ready homes expanded alongside continued off-plan sales.

The price distribution showed transactions concentrated heavily below AED 3 million. Properties in that range represented 84.28 per cent of transactions covered by the Q3 price-band data, up from 82.45 per cent in the preceding quarter.

Homes priced between AED 1 million and AED 3 million formed the largest individual bracket, accounting for 44.04 per cent of transactions. Properties below AED 1 million contributed another 40.24 per cent, underlining the importance of lower and mid-priced units to transaction volumes despite Dubai’s high-profile luxury market.

Farooq Syed, chief executive of Springfield Properties, said the breadth of development was giving buyers access to a wider selection of locations, property types and price points. He said off-plan housing remained central to the expansion of new residential communities as Dubai’s resident population grew.

Dubai South was the most active residential location in the dataset, recording 5,165 transactions at an average AED 1,690 per square foot. Jumeirah Village Circle ranked next with 2,312 deals, compared with 1,992 in Q2, while Downtown Jebel Ali recorded 1,890 transactions.

Business Bay, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Marina were also among the most active areas. The distribution indicates that transaction activity was spread between established districts and development corridors where new housing supply continues to enter the market.

Average residential prices differed markedly by property type. Villas recorded the highest average at AED 2,216 per square foot, followed by apartments at AED 1,794 and townhouses at AED 1,341 per square foot.

The quarter’s residential figures also highlighted the difference between transaction volume and pricing. Strong activity below AED 3 million coexisted with higher average prices per square foot for villas, while apartments and townhouses occupied lower average price points. That mix reflects the range of units changing hands across Dubai rather than a single market-wide price level, making segment comparisons important when assessing performance.

Commercial property contributed AED 18.04 billion across 2,789 transactions during Q3, with overall deal volumes broadly in line with the second quarter. Land was the largest commercial category by value, accounting for AED 6.91 billion, or 38.30 per cent of commercial sales.

Offices were the most actively traded commercial asset by number of transactions. The quarter produced 1,123 office deals worth AED 4.35 billion, up from 1,005 transactions in Q2, pointing to higher trading activity in a segment supported by Dubai’s expanding business base.

Whole-building sales also increased their share of commercial transaction value. Eighty-seven such deals generated AED 3.64 billion, representing 20.18 per cent of commercial sales value, compared with 13.40 per cent in Q2.

Land, office and whole-building transactions together represented 82.60 per cent of the commercial market’s transaction value, concentrating most activity in three asset categories.

Syed said investment in infrastructure, connectivity and community development was helping open new residential corridors as established locations continued to attract buyers. He linked the broader geographical spread of transactions to the city’s continuing physical expansion.

The figures also show that off-plan property remained larger than the secondary residential segment in both transaction value and deal count during the quarter. Off-plan transactions represented more than two-thirds of the residential deal count in the Springfield dataset, although the rise in secondary-market activity narrowed the distinction in value terms.