Imlaak News | 2 October 2026
Dubai property sales reached approximately AED29.66 billion in September 2026, according to two reports published on 1 October using Dubai Land Department data. Argaam’s survey put sales value 45.6% below September 2025, with about 11,430 transactions, down 43.8% year on year.
The figures provide an important checkpoint as the market enters the final quarter. They show a substantial reduction in the value and number of sales against the same month last year, while the latest monthly comparison points to a modest improvement in turnover.
September Dubai property sales and total transactions
Emirates Today independently reported the same approximate September sales value. Its breakdown assigned AED16.03 billion to ready-property sales and AED13.63 billion to off-plan sales.
The newspaper also reported AED16.79 billion in mortgage registrations and AED4.33 billion in property gifts, taking the month’s broader transaction value to approximately AED50.78 billion. These categories measure different activity, so the larger total should not be presented as property sales.
Dubai Land Department’s official data service distinguishes transaction type, registration type, property type, transaction date and amount. Those separate fields are important when reading market statistics: a sales count measures registered deals, while sales value measures their combined monetary amount. Neither, by itself, describes the movement in comparable property prices.
A monthly rebound within a weaker annual picture
Argaam’s published series recorded AED27.89 billion in sales for August. Comparing that figure with September gives an increase of approximately 6.3%, calculated from the rounded values. Its transaction count eased from about 11,600 to 11,430 over the same period.
That combination matters: the total amount changing hands can rise even when fewer properties are sold. A shift towards larger transactions, different locations or different property types can alter the monthly result. The aggregate figures alone do not establish which of those factors drove September’s change.
Imlaak analysis: reading turnover and prices
The reported 45.6% decline measures aggregate sales value, not a like-for-like fall in property prices. Turnover reflects how many transactions were registered and the mix of assets sold. Measuring changes in comparable property prices requires a separate analysis that controls for differences in the assets involved.
The department’s published 2020 house-price-index methodology explains why this distinction matters. Different periods can contain different mixes of properties, creating a misleading impression of price movements unless their characteristics are accounted for. This methodological point remains relevant when interpreting a monthly sales headline.
For buyers and sellers, the practical implication is to give greater weight to recent evidence from the specific development and unit type. A citywide total cannot establish the achievable resale price, expected rental income or likely time needed to find a buyer for an individual property.
The ready and off-plan segments also require different questions. An operating property can be assessed against its actual condition, occupancy and running costs. A development awaiting completion calls for attention to construction progress, the delivery timetable and the obligations set out in its purchase documents. September’s combined total cannot answer those project-level questions.
What to watch in the final quarter
The next useful signals will be whether transaction volumes stabilise, whether comparable prices move consistently across several months, and how completed supply and leasing activity develop in individual communities. One month’s increase over August is insufficient to establish a sustained recovery.
For readers following Imlaak’s latest property news, September’s takeaway is substantial activity alongside weaker annual turnover and a modest month-on-month improvement in sales value. Buyers and owners need both comparisons, together with evidence from their relevant property segment.
Data note
Figures are attributed to the two surveys published on 1 October 2026. Their full extraction cutoffs and filters were not disclosed, and the underlying registry download was not independently reproduced for this article. Comparisons with other reports should use matching periods and definitions. The monthly growth calculation uses Argaam’s own August and September figures. Sources were checked on 2 October 2026.