Sales of ready residential properties in Dubai reached their highest monthly level since March 2026, with transactions worth more than Dh10.1 billion in October, as the market for completed homes showed signs of recovery despite an overall slowdown in property sales, according to Cavendish Maxwell.
The property consultancy said 3,702 ready home transactions were recorded during the month, with sales increasing more than 20 per cent compared with September.
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Ready properties accounted for 36 per cent of all residential sales in October, while off-plan homes continued to dominate the market.
Total residential sales, including both ready and off-plan properties, reached nearly Dh25.35 billion across 10,252 transactions during the month. Off-plan sales declined 6.4 per cent compared with September.
Residential sales fall year-on-year
Despite the monthly improvement in ready property sales, Dubai’s wider residential market continued to record a decline compared with last year.
Total property transactions fell nearly 44 per cent year-on-year in October, while the value of sales dropped 45.5 per cent compared with the same month in 2025.
During the first 10 months of 2026, residential property sales totaled Dh320.1 billion across 122,452 transactions, representing a 29 per cent decline in value and a 26 per cent decrease in transaction volumes compared with the corresponding period last year.
Developers slow project launches
Ronan Arthur, Director and Head of Residential Development at Cavendish Maxwell, said the slowdown in new project launches was affecting overall market performance.
“While the off-plan sector continues to dominate overall property sales, the last few months have seen a slowdown in new project launches as developer caution deepens, which in turn is impacting overall market performance,” he said.
He added that the ready property market had recorded its strongest monthly sales since regional tensions began in March.
Arthur said the factors supporting Dubai’s property market remained in place, although slower project launches, continued uncertainty and a cyclical market correction were expected to influence activity in the near term.
“The fundamentals that have always driven Dubai real estate demand are still in place, but launch activity, continued uncertainty and our recently reported cyclical correction will continue to influence the near-term market performance,” he said.
Source: Khaleej Times