AED 978m in property sales registered across Dubai as off-plan leads

DUBAI — Dubai real estate registrations reached AED 978m on Thursday, 22 October 2026, across 484 property sales, according to official Dubai Land Department figures.

Sales volume rose 9.3% compared to the previous registration day, while overall transaction value experienced a minor contraction of 2.0%. The daily median property purchase price stood at AED 1.25m, with a median rate of AED 1,677 per square foot across all residential property classifications.

Where the money went

Damac Lagoons claimed the top position among communities by total registered sales value, logging 35 transactions valued at AED 63.4m with a median rate of AED 1,583 per square foot. It was followed closely by Dubai Hills Estate, which posted AED 62.9m across 9 transactions at a higher median rate of AED 2,728 per square foot.

Business Bay maintained consistent transaction velocity with 26 sales totalling AED 50.3m (AED 2,385 per square foot), while Dubai Islands contributed AED 45.4m across 7 registered transactions. Jebel Ali First recorded 15 transactions yielding AED 32.9m, and Azizi Venice led in overall transaction count with 40 individual property registrations generating AED 30.9m. Downtown Dubai and Jumeirah Village Circle rounded out the top locations, registering AED 28.9m and AED 28.0m respectively.

Off-plan keeps its grip

Off-plan property registrations continued to dominate the market structure, accounting for 317 sales or 65.5% of total transactions. Ready property sales comprised the remaining 167 registrations. Within the off-plan segment, 40 transactions represented off-plan resales.

Developer activity in the off-plan sector was led by Sobha Real Estate L.L.C, which registered AED 104m across 46 sales. Nakheel PJSC captured AED 60.4m across 5 higher-value sales, while Damac Properties logged 40 sales worth AED 56.9m. Emaar Properties PJSC generated AED 52.2m from 15 registrations, and Azizi Developments secured 47 sales totalling AED 37.9m.

Apartment sizes and prime deals

Unit distribution by bedroom count reflected strong buyer concentration in smaller formats. A total of 158 one-bedroom units and 144 studio apartments were registered during the day. Two-bedroom properties accounted for 95 sales, followed by 39 three-bedroom units, 32 four-bedroom properties, and 13 five-bedroom residences.

The single largest registered sale of the day occurred at Eden Hills in Dubai Hills Estate, an off-plan secondary transaction recorded at AED 28.9m. In Palm Jebel Ali, a 5-bedroom off-plan secondary home on Frond E traded for AED 22.4m. The highest-value ready transaction was a 5-bedroom villa at Redwood Avenue (Fireside) in Jumeirah Golf Estates, selling for AED 22.0m on the secondary market. Additional prominent secondary sales included a 4-bedroom villa at District One Villas Phase 3 for AED 18.0m and a 2-bedroom apartment in the Burj Khalifa for AED 13.0m.

Rents and yields

The rental sector recorded 2,606 tenancy contracts on the day, comprising 1,199 new leases and 1,407 lease renewals. Across all active tenancy agreements logged, the median annual rent reached AED 68k.

What to watch

Market participants should monitor whether off-plan registrations continue to maintain a near two-thirds share of daily transaction volume, as well as the balance between new tenancy agreements and lease renewals in the rental market.