Dubai Property Sales Hit AED286 Billion in First Half of 2026, Second-Highest on Record

Dubai's property market closed the first six months of 2026 with another very strong showing, even if it fell just short of last year's record run. Figures from the Dubai Land Department put total real estate transactions at AED419.94 billion across 112,850 deals for the first half of the year, a level that keeps the emirate firmly among the busiest property markets in the world.

Strip out mortgages, gifts and other registrations, and pure property sales came to AED286.44 billion from around 86,000 transactions. That makes it the second-biggest first half Dubai has ever recorded for sales, sitting only behind the AED326.6 billion peak set in the same period of 2025.

Off-plan drives the volume, ready homes drive the value

The split between new launches and completed stock tells the more interesting story. Off-plan sales accounted for AED139.75 billion across 58,840 transactions, so more than two out of every three deals were for a property still under construction. Buyers clearly kept their faith in developer payment plans and early pricing.

Ready and secondary homes, by contrast, generated AED146.69 billion from just 27,160 transactions. The completed market moved less than half the number of units yet produced more total value, which points to bigger average tickets and steady appetite for villas, townhouses and finished apartments that a buyer can move into or rent out right away. Anyone weighing the two routes can compare live listings across off-plan projects in Dubai and the ready and secondary market to see how that gap plays out by area and price band.

A step back from the 2025 record, not a downturn

It would be easy to read a lower headline number as a market losing steam, but the detail argues against that. First-half sales of AED286.44 billion are still comfortably the second-highest on record, and total transaction value of AED419.94 billion is within touching distance of the AED431 billion booked in the first half of 2025. After a year of exceptional growth, a small pullback from an all-time high looks more like the market catching its breath than turning.

The monthly pattern backs that up. January opened the year with about AED72 billion in sales, the strongest single month, and activity stayed heavy through June, when buyers registered close to AED33 billion in deals. Demand has been fed by population growth, a steady flow of high-net-worth arrivals, long-term residency options and Dubai's continued push into branded and luxury housing.

What it means for buyers and investors

For anyone buying, the message is a market that is deep, liquid and still gaining in value, but no longer running quite as hot as the 2025 rush. That tends to be the healthier setting: more choice, a little less pressure to overbid, and prices that reflect genuine end-user and investor demand rather than pure speculation. With off-plan and ready stock both clearing tens of billions of dirhams every quarter, the real question for most buyers is not whether to enter Dubai's market, but which segment fits their budget and their timeline.

Follow the Dubai market on Doment, where you can browse verified Dubai property listings with prices, payment plans and DLD checks.