Dubai’s real estate sector has maintained a robust start to 2026, with developer-led primary sales and cash buyers driving the majority of market activity in February.
A new report by fäm Properties revealed that the primary market accounted for 11,351 property transactions valued at Dh42.1 billion last month. In comparison, the secondary market recorded 5,628 resale deals worth Dh18.6 billion.
Cash transactions remained dominant in the resale segment, representing more than two-thirds of all secondary market deals. Specifically, about 69 percent of these transactions were completed without financing.
Market activity has surpassed the performance seen during the first two months of 2025, a year that ultimately set record highs for both transaction volume and value.
According to data from DXBinteract, Dubai recorded 16,979 property deals in February with a total value of Dh60.8 billion. This represents an 18.4 percent year-on-year increase in value and a 5.1 percent rise in transaction volume.
During the first two months of 2026, total property sales reached Dh133.3 billion, reflecting a 38.8 percent growth in value. The number of transactions also increased by 13.32 percent year-on-year to 34,452 deals.
Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties, said the figures highlight Dubai’s growing strength as one of the world’s most active property markets following a record-setting January.
He noted that the growth reflects strong foundations supported by the UAE government’s commitment to ensuring stability, safety and a business-friendly environment, even during uncertain global conditions.
Dubai’s commercial real estate segment also delivered strong results in February. Office and retail property sales reached 804 deals valued at Dh4.1 billion, marking an 81.5 percent increase in transaction volume compared with the same period last year.
Apartment sales climbed 13.4 percent year-on-year to 12,916 transactions worth Dh26.6 billion. Land plot transactions rose 25.3 percent to 446 deals valued at Dh11.2 billion. Meanwhile, villa sales declined 29.3 percent in volume to 2,802 transactions worth Dh18.8 billion.
The average property price increased by 12.2 percent year-on-year to Dh1,740 per square foot.
Dubai’s property market has shown consistent growth over the past five years. February sales grew from Dh7.4 billion across 3,800 transactions in 2021 to Dh15.5 billion (6,200 deals) in 2022, Dh27.2 billion (9,400 deals) in 2023, Dh36.9 billion (12,000 deals) in 2024, and Dh51.3 billion (16,200 deals) in 2025.
The most expensive villa sold in February was a luxury property in La Mer for Dh350 million, while the highest-priced apartment transaction was recorded at The Alba Residences on Palm Jumeirah for Dh226 million.
In terms of price segments, properties valued above Dh5 million represented 12.68 percent of all transactions. Homes priced between Dh3 million and Dh5 million accounted for 12.67 percent, while those between Dh2 million and Dh3 million made up 18.14 percent. The largest share of sales, 32.41 percent, was for properties priced between Dh1 million and Dh2 million, while 24.1 percent were priced below Dh1 million.
