October moved roughly AED 51 billion across about 16,850 registered transactions, level with September. That is the month in one line. Underneath it, the mix kept shifting toward ready property: ready apartment sales hit their highest value since February, while off plan is still working through its weakest stretch in two years. If you only read headlines you would think the market is either booming or breaking. The register says neither.
Volume and value
Dubai Land Department publishes running totals, not a single monthly figure, so we take October as the gap between two of them. On 1 October the nine month total stood at AED 574.12 billion across 165,018 transactions, per Emirates 24|7. By 31 October the ten month total was AED 625 billion across 181,866 transactions, with AED 412 billion of that in sales, per the same outlet. The difference puts October at about AED 51 billion and 16,850 deals, against AED 50.78 billion and 16,490 deals in September.
| Week | Total value | Sales | Sales deals | Mortgages | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 to 16 October | AED 13.47 billion | AED 8.59 billion | 2,676 | AED 3.72 billion | AED 1.16 billion |
| 26 to 30 October | AED 12.26 billion | AED 7.44 billion | 2,579 | AED 3.51 billion | AED 1.31 billion |
Mortgages are the line to watch. Roughly AED 3.5 to 3.7 billion a week of mortgage registrations means a large share of buyers are now financing rather than paying cash, which is what end users and long term investors do, not short term flippers.
Ready property had its best month since February
Ready apartment sales reached AED 5.28 billion in October across 2,988 transactions, up 25.7% in value and 22.6% in count on September, the highest monthly value since February, according to Dubai Land Department data analysed by Arabian Business. Ready units took 34.3% of all apartment deals and 36.9% of apartment sales value.
| Area | Ready apartment sales | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 384 | AED 364.8 million |
| Business Bay | 237 | AED 448.6 million |
| Liwan | 187 | AED 192 million |
| International City Phase 1 | 129 | AED 58.2 million |
| Dubai Marina | 123 | AED 338.6 million |
This fits the quarter. ValuStrat’s Q3 review recorded resale transactions up 18.5% on Q2 to 9,491, the first quarterly increase since late 2025, while off plan sales fell 10.1% to 24,375, a fourth straight quarterly decline and 45.7% below Q3 2025.
Why off plan is quieter
The context matters. The National reported Cavendish Maxwell figures showing Q3 residential sales value down 47% year on year to AED 72.6 billion, and linked the slowdown to buyer caution after the regional conflict that began in late February, fewer project launches and a backlog of earlier sales registrations clearing. S&P Global Ratings said prices fell 5% to 15% between the end of 2025 and September and expects a gradual correction rather than a rapid decline. We covered that in detail in S&P on Dubai apartment prices.
A quieter launch market is not automatically bad news for buyers. It means fewer units competing for attention, more negotiating room with developers who still have inventory, and more time to read the escrow and the developer’s delivery record before signing.
The top of the market: AED 10 million and above
Forty four ready apartments sold for AED 10 million or more in October, worth AED 700 million combined. Palm Jumeirah took 18 of them and about 49% of the segment’s value, including the month’s two most expensive ready apartment sales at AED 55 million and AED 53.7 million, per Arabian Business.
Price discipline is showing up even here. In Sobha’s The S Tower in Dubai Internet City, a 4 bedroom apartment of 4,815 sq ft registered at AED 11.3 million on 24 October. The same layout registered at AED 17.55 million to AED 18 million in February, per DLD transactions on Bayut TruView. Floor and view differ unit to unit, but the direction over eight months is plain. At the top of the market, buyers are negotiating from the register.
Rents
Asking rents fell in nine of ten major apartment communities between Q3 2025 and Q3 2026 while leasing demand set a record, with 55% more apartments listed than a year earlier. Renewals are moving the other way under the RERA index. The full picture, with registered rents for 71 communities, is in our Q3 rental market report and on the Dubai rentals page.
What October means if you are buying
Ready stock is where the action is, and that changes how you should buy. A ready unit has a registered sale history in the same building, a rent you can check and a service charge you can read. Use them. Compare the asking price with the last three registered sales in the building before you make an offer, and model the yield on today’s rent, not last year’s.
If you are looking at off plan, the slower launch market is an advantage, not a warning. Developers with inventory are more willing to talk. Ask for the escrow account details, the construction progress certificate and the developer’s delivered projects, then decide. Our purchase cost calculator adds the fees the listing leaves out.
Questions people ask
How much property did Dubai sell in October 2026?
Dubai Land Department running totals put October at roughly AED 51 billion across about 16,850 transactions, level with September’s AED 50.78 billion and 16,490 transactions. Ten month totals reached AED 625 billion across 181,866 transactions, of which AED 412 billion was sales.
Are ready properties selling more than off plan in Dubai?
Ready sales are growing faster. Ready apartment sales reached AED 5.28 billion in October, the highest since February, and ValuStrat recorded Q3 resale transactions up 18.5% on Q2 while off plan sales fell 10.1%. Off plan still accounts for most deals by count.
Which Dubai area sold the most ready apartments in October 2026?
Jumeirah Village Circle, with 384 ready apartment sales worth AED 364.8 million. Business Bay had the highest value at AED 448.6 million across 237 sales.
Are Dubai property prices falling?
S&P Global Ratings said prices fell 5% to 15% between the end of 2025 and September 2026 and expects a gradual correction rather than a rapid decline. Movement varies widely by building, so compare registered sales in the same building before buying.
How many apartments above AED 10 million sold in Dubai in October 2026?
Forty four ready apartments sold for AED 10 million or more, worth AED 700 million in total, with Palm Jumeirah accounting for 18 of them.
Sources: Emirates 24|7 on DLD nine month figures, 1 Oct 2026; Emirates 24|7 on DLD ten month figures, 31 Oct 2026; Arabian Business on October ready apartment sales, 2 Nov 2026; Arabian Business weekly DLD figures, 18 Oct 2026; Arabian Business weekly DLD figures, 31 Oct 2026; ValuStrat Q3 2026 review via Zawya; The National on Cavendish Maxwell and S&P, 7 Oct 2026; DLD transactions via Bayut TruView. The October total is the difference between two published DLD running totals and is approximate. Figures are as published by each source; Cresco has not restated them.