Dubai Records Second Highest First Half Property Sales On Record

Jul 04, 2026
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In the first 6 months of 2026, Dubai’s property market generated AED286.44 billion ($78 billion), making this the second-highest first half of any previous year for Dubai’s property market. The current numbers from W Capital just released, using data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD), show that the market continues to attract a lot of local and international buyers. Although below the record of AED326.6 billion ($88.9 billion) made in the first half of 2025, this shows gross diversity regarding buyer types in Dubai across multiple segments.

This recent activity serves to support the resilience of Dubai properties and demonstrates ongoing buyer confidence across all market segments, as well as the long-term strength of Dubai real estate in spite of the continuing global economic uncertainty.

DubaiPropertySalesReachAED286bnInH12026

Excellent First-Half Performance

According to the report from W Capital, each of the following statistics confirm the continued outstanding first-half sales performance in 2026:

AED286.44 billion ($78 billion) total sales of real estate properties
Greater than 86,000 completed transactions involving real estate properties
71,500 residential units sold
7,296 new building transactions
7,129 sales of land

Total combined sales for the first half of 2026 equal AED419.94 billion ($114.3 billion) with a total of 112,850 transactions with completed sales of real estate. Ongoing activity in Property purchases displays continued strong confidence in property investment in Dubai, and is representative of the overall buyer’s demand, in a diversified manner, across residential, commercial and land properties. Due to continued population growth and increased employment opportunity, strong buyer demand for apartments in Dubai continues to exist.

Ready Properties Narrowly Outperform Off-Plan Market

Ready properties were responsible for 25% of resale value in the first half; following this trend, finished properties accounted for major portions of the total number of sales in July.

As such, total finished sales figures included:

AED146.7 billion in total AED40 billion USD
27200 Transactions
18300 Total Residential Unit Transactions
1738 Total Building Transactions
7135 Total Land Transactions

Unfinished properties also provided good results—again an increase in demand—recording:

Total Sales of 139.8 billion AED 38.1 billion in USD
58800 Total Transactions
53270 Total Residential Unit Transactions
5563 Total Building Transactions

This performance showed significant continued interest as evidenced in part by the demand for properties outside Dubai real estate market as well. Many buyers appear to be very interested in off plan properties for sale in Dubai however most are focusing their efforts on purchasing properties located within master-planned communities with long-term growth potential and attributes.

Mortgage and Gift Activity Continues to Show Significant Strength

For the first half of 2026, mortgage activity continued to contribute positively to the overall performance of the real estate market in Dubai.

Some highlights from the statistics include:

Total mortgage transaction volume exceeded AED102 billion (USD27.8 billion)
Mortgage transaction count exceeded 22,000 transactions
14,500 mortgage transactions were for Residential Units, while
2,582 were for Buildings
5,234 were for Land Plots

Gifting properties remained active as well during this same period with a total of:

AED31.4 billion in gift volume (USD8.6 billion)
4,501 gift transactions
3,506 gifted Residential Units, while;
260 gifted Buildings and
735 gifted Land Plots.

These strong numbers in mortgages and property gift transactions continue to provide additional proof of confidence, among both investors and end-users, in practicing real estate investments Dubai. Stable financing conditions, because of these healthy borrowing activities, encourage potential Buyers to consider purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment for sale in Dubai.

Second Quarter Maintains Positive Momentum

Between April-June 2026, the Dubai real estate market continued to exhibit strong transaction activity.

The report includes:

Property sales totaling AED110 billion ($30 billion)
38,300 total property sales transactions
AED42.6 billion ($11.6 billion) of mortgage financing through 10,522 transactions
Total value of all property gifts of AED16 billion ($4.4 billion) (from 2449 transactions)
Total of all real estate transactions = AED169.04 billion ($46 billion) across 51,170 total real estate transactions

The report includes the entire emirate, though overall transaction activity in most communities continues to support the overall market. The communities mentioned in this report include the following; Dubai Marina, Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Hills Estate, and Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC).

The established communities that have strong infrastructure continue to be viewed as having some of the best real estate in Dubai and attract investors and end users. In addition, there remains a healthy demand from investors for luxury properties for sale, particularly in the well-established premium communities.

W Capital Foresees an Increase in Growth for 2026

W Capital's Activity Report for 2026 was released and according to W Capital's CEO, Walid Al Zarooni, the results from the first half of 2026 confirm the strength of the real estate market and will continue to show strong growth with sustainable long-term performance. Al Zarooni stated that achieving the second-best total sales numbers for a first half this year compared to last year, is proof that the demand for real estate is as strong as ever, and investors have confidence in the economic health of the UAE.

Al Zarooni went on to point out that several factors contribute to support this growth trend:

Government Support
Flexible Legislative Framework
Infrastructure Development
Competitive Tax Environment
Ongoing Launches of New Quality Developments

As a result of the expanding market, many investors are analyzing properties for rent in Dubai for both rental demand as well as future investment value. This continuing growth in the market will lead to additional opportunities being created for all real estate company in Dubai who invest in either or both residential and commercial projects.

Optimistic Future For The Second Half

According to W Capital, property markets in Dubai should perform well during Q3 and Q4 of 2026, helping to create positive growth trends.

Growth projections will remain favorable due to the following factors:

Increasingly larger population
Growing demand for residential properties
Establishment of new corporate headquarters
Continued launches of major development projects
Improving geopolitical conditions across the globe
Rising global tensions decreasing overall (primarily due to Russia/Ukraine)
Increasing levels of foreign direct investment into Dubai from many countries
Ongoing growth in all segments of the non-oil economy
Sustained level of international demand for property assets in Dubai

This overall growth in investor confidence will further create strong demand for commercial properties for sale in Dubai as new businesses continue to open and expand in the emirate. To confirm the strong growth and continued strength of the Dubai property market and development pipeline, continued investment by investors into both commercial & residential land will continue.

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