175.88 billion dirhams record sales of Dubai real estate in the first quarter of 2026

The real estate market in Dubai recorded record results during the first quarter of the current year 2026, paving the way towards a new exceptional year for the sector. This performance reflects the continued momentum and high investor confidence, in addition to the stability of the market despite regional tensions, and Dubai’s ability to maintain its attractiveness and provide promising investment opportunities for various groups.

According to a monitoring prepared by Emirates Today, based on data from the Dubai Land Department, Dubai real estate sales jumped, during the first quarter of 2026, by 23.85% on an annual basis, reaching more than 175.88 billion dirhams, compared to sales amounting to 142 billion dirhams in the same period in 2025.

Monitoring showed that the real estate sector in the emirate recorded 47,735 sales during the period from January to the end of March 2026, compared to 44,796 sales in the same period in 2025, a growth of 6.56%.

In the first quarter of this year, “ready real estate” sales amounted to about 97.06 billion dirhams, through the implementation of 16,672 transactions, distributed by 11,76 sales of residential units, 1,039 sales of buildings, and 4,557 sales of lands, while “off-plan” real estate sales, during the same period, amounted to about 78.82 billion dirhams through 31 sales. One thousand and 63 transactions divided into 27 thousand and 213 sales of residential units, and 3850 sales of buildings.

In turn, mortgage operations recorded a value of 59.67 billion dirhams during the first quarter of 2026, compared to 40.44 billion dirhams in the same quarter of last year, a growth of 47.55%.

Mortgage transactions also increased by 8.3% on an annual basis, recording 11,795 transactions, compared to 10,890 transactions during the same period last year.

For its part, donations recorded 15.37 billion dirhams through the implementation of 2048 transactions, during the period extending from January to last March, compared to 9.52 billion dirhams, through the implementation of 1992 transactions in the same period in 2025, a growth of 61.44% in terms of value, and 2.8% in terms of number.

Thus, the total value of real estate transactions in Dubai during the first quarter of 2026 increased by about 30.71% on an annual basis to 250.92 billion dirhams, compared to 191.96 billion dirhams in the same quarter of 2025, while the total number of transactions increased, in the period from last January to March 2026, to 61 thousand and 578 transactions, compared to 57 thousand and 678 transactions in The period from 2025, with a growth of 6.76%.

The “Al Yalayis 1” area topped the list of the highest areas, in terms of sales value during the first quarter of this year, with sales estimated at about 12.7 billion dirhams, followed by the “Meaisem 2” area with about 9.7 billion dirhams, then “Business Bay” with 7.7 billion dirhams, followed by “Al-Ruwayyah 1” in fourth place with 6.3 billion dirhams, and “Palm Deira” with 5.8 billion dirhams. Billions of dirhams.

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Continued local and international demand

Dubai real estate continued to ignore the tensions in the Middle East region, achieving sales exceeding 42.7 billion dirhams last March alone, through the implementation of 13,243 transactions, confirming the strength of the market and its ability to maintain strong levels of activity, supported by continued local and international demand.

The real estate sector in the emirate recorded 13,243 sales during March 2026, distributed by 10,854 transactions for residential units, 1,247 transactions for buildings, and 1,142 transactions for lands, while “ready real estate” sales amounted to about 19.9 billion dirhams, through the implementation of 3,989 transactions, and “off-plan” real estate sales amounted to about 22.8 billion dirhams through 9254 deals.

As for mortgage transactions, they recorded a value of 10.92 billion dirhams through 3,645 transactions, while the value of gifts exceeded 2.4 billion dirhams through 452 transactions.

Thus, the total real estate transactions in Dubai during last March amounted to about 56.02 billion dirhams, resulting from about 17,340 deals, which highlights the continued investment momentum and reflects the great confidence of investors in the real estate market in Dubai.

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“Property Finder”: There are no pressures that lead to price corrections

The “Property Finder” real estate platform confirmed the continued strength and flexibility of the real estate market in the Emirates, and the absence of any indications of sales operations out of concern, or pressures pushing towards price corrections.

The company reported to Emirates Today that the general indicators reflect a shift in consumer behavior rather than an actual decline in market performance, in light of the continued high levels of confidence among investors, and the data showed that prices are still maintaining stability, which reflects the adherence of sellers and owners to asset values ​​and their confidence in their performance in the long term, despite global challenges.

She stressed that this level of price stability is remarkable in light of the global turmoil, as sellers do not tend to offer discounts, nor do landlords reduce rents on a large scale. Indicators also showed continued buyer activity with a noticeable shift towards selectivity and a focus on quality and value, rather than a decline in demand.

Demand for luxury real estate, with a value exceeding five million dirhams, recorded an increase during March 2026, as its share increased from 21.5% to 24.5%, which reflects the continued confidence of the segment of high-net-worth investors. The share of demand for villas also increased from 16.5 to 18%, supported by the continued registration of large deals, including huge sales in Abu Dhabi worth six billion dirhams within 72 hours, in addition to a qualitative deal in Dubai worth 422. One million dirhams.

On the other hand, the behavior of tenants showed a greater orientation towards value, with an increase in demand for units whose rents are less than 75 thousand dirhams, as their share increased from 40.2% to 44.7% compared to the highest price categories.

. 250.9 billion dirhams in Dubai real estate transactions in 3 months, a growth of 30.7%.