Dubai home sales value drops 47% in third quarter of 2026

Dubai recorded Dh72.6 billion ($19.7 billion) in home sales between July and September 2026, a fall of 47% on the same quarter of 2025, according to consultancy Cavendish Maxwell. The number of deals dropped 38% to about 34,000.

Off-plan homes made up 65% of sales value and 72% of purchases. Over the first nine months, transactions were down 23% at 112,580 and their value fell 27% to Dh292 billion. Ronan Arthur, head of residential valuation at Cavendish Maxwell, linked part of the drop to the gap between agreeing a sale and registering it, and said buyers had become more cautious after the regional conflict began.

S&P Global Ratings, using Dubai Land Department figures, said sale transactions averaged 12,644 a month from March to September, against 17,198 in January and February. Industry reports cited by S&P put the price decline from late 2025 to September 2026 at 5% to 15%. The agency expects a gradual correction rather than a sharp fall.

Savills arrives at similar totals: roughly 34,500 residential deals worth Dh70.8 billion in the quarter. It traces most of the slowdown to off-plan, where launches shrank to about 5,000 units from 36,400 in the second quarter. Ready homes moved the other way, with sales value rising from Dh21.3 billion to Dh25.1 billion. The average apartment price stood at Dh1,817 per sq ft, 4.8% lower than three months earlier.

For buyers, the picture is fewer new launches and more activity in completed homes. Ready and off-plan listings are in the property for sale section.

The National reported the Cavendish Maxwell figures, and Khaleej Times carried the Savills data.