Dubai's residential real estate market recorded more than 57,300 sales between January and April 2026, with transactions in the off-plan sector rising 3.3% year-on-year, says leading real estate advisory and property consultancy, Cavendish Maxwell. 

Almost 42,500 off-plan properties were purchased in the first four months of the year, including 10,231 in April. The off-plan sector continues to dominate the market, representing 74% of all sales. 

Latest figures from Cavendish Maxwell also show that April 2026’s total transactions – covering both off-plan and ready homes – reached 13,082, a slight increase on the March figure of 12,889. 

Total sales in the first four months of the year declined 2.5% against the same period in 2025, with the ready property market down 16%.  

Overall transactions for April 2026 were around 20% less than April last year, with off-plan down by 14% and ready homes by 39%. 

Ronan Arthur, Director, Head of Residential Valuations at Cavendish Maxwell, said: “Dubai’s real estate market remains strong, with the off-plan sector once again dominating the market and posting an uptick in year-on-year sales. Opportunistic investors remain active, capitalising on attractive deals by motivated sellers. Buyers without an immediate timeline are likely to be adopting a wait and see approach, which is to be expected during periods of uncertainty. 

“It is also important to remember that sales data takes several weeks to be reflected in official statistics, so the figures we are seeing for March and April are for deals signed both before and after the conflict began. We will have a clearer picture of market direction when Q2 statistics are available. 

“Dubai’s structural fundamentals remain intact, as do the factors that have always supported long term market attractiveness. The city’s real estate market has navigated challenges before – and constantly bounced back,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service