Dubai, UAE - More than $19.8 billion (AED 72.6 billion) worth of homes were sold in Dubai in Q3 2026, with transaction volumes reaching 34,000, according to real estate advisory and property consultancy Cavendish Maxwell.
Total sales values were down 47% while transactions dropped 38% compared to Q3 last year, the company said, adding that the declines now reflect the impact of reduced activity as the lag in property sales registrations begins to clear.
The off-plan sector continued to dominate residential sales in Q3, accounting for 65% of sales values and 72% of property purchases, according to Cavendish Maxwell’s latest analysis.
Ronan Arthur MRICS, Director, Head of Residential Valuation at Cavendish Maxwell, said: “The Q3 2026 data captures a mix of recent and earlier buying activity, reflecting the time between a purchase being agreed and formally registered as a sale. This confirms what we have suggested before: purchasing activity became more measured, with buyers being more cautious in the weeks and months following the start of the conflict.
“While the fundamentals driving Dubai real estate demand remain, near-term activity will continue to be shaped by a number of factors, including the frequency and number of launches, regional uncertainty and a broader normalisation in buyer activity,” he added.
Cavendish Maxwell data shows that residential sales values reached nearly $6.3 billion (AED 23.2 billion) across 10,300 transactions in September 2026, with year-to-date values at approximately $79.5 billion (AED 292 billion) from 112,580 property purchases.
Compared to the first nine months of last year, sales values are down 27% and volumes have dropped 23%.
