A report from Dubai-based real estate player fam Properties states that the Emirati city’s property market made a solid start to the year 2026, with the primary segment accounting for 11,351 sales transactions worth AED42.1 billion in February, compared with 5,628 resales valued at AED18.6 billion. While first sales from developers remained dominant, cash buyers accounted for more than two thirds of resales during the month.
“Just over 69% of all sales transactions in the secondary market were conducted in cash, as the sector accelerated well beyond the levels seen in the first two months of 2025, which ultimately set all-time annual sales records in value and volume,” the report stated.
The corroborates with the latest data from the local Land Department, that showed the growing resilience of the market, despite the ongoing conflict in the region. Up to February 28, while over 4,800 transactions worth nearly AED 16 billion (approximately USD 4.3 billion) got recorded, most of them were for apartments, with villas, plots, and commercial properties constituting the remaining.
Also, all the major real estate players, including UAE government-backed Emaar Properties, Nakheel Properties, and Dubai Properties, reported extensive sales, while private developers like Damac and Danube also experiencing greener pastures. Despite regional tensions, flagship projects such as Dubai Islands, Jumeirah Village Circle and Dubai Investments Park have continued to attract buyers.
Data from PropTech platform DXBinteract further showed that sales transactions in February climbed by 18.4% in value YoY to AED60.8 billion from 16,979 deals, a 5.1% YoY increase in volume. In January and February 2026, total sales transactions climbed 38.8% in value to AED133.3, as the number of deals rose by 13.32% to 34,452 compared with the same period in 2025.
“The data tells a clear story of how Dubai continues to strengthen its position as one of the world’s most dynamic real estate markets, after a record-breaking month in January. All the early growth we have seen so far this year has been built from firm foundations. That has been reinforced by the enormous lengths that the UAE government goes to in order to safeguard all its citizens, and the country’s business infrastructure, during uncertain times,” said Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fam Properties.
“This is something that we have all witnessed over the last few days, and it sends a powerful message of stability, security, and unwavering commitment, reinforcing why Dubai and the UAE remain premier global destinations for living, working, and investing in property,” he added.
Dubai’s commercial sector was the top performer in February, with office and retail sales totalling 804 deals worth AED4.1 billion, an 81.5% volume jump. The number of apartments sold, on the other hand, climbed by 13.4% to 12,916 deals, thereby amounting to AED 26.6 billion.
“Plots sales also increased in volume by 25.3% YoY to 446 deals worth AED 11.2 billion, while villa sales were down 29.3% in volume YoY to 2,802 valued at AED18.8 billion. The average property price per sqft was up by 12.2% YoY to AED1,740. Overall, Dubai property sales in February have grown steadily over the past five years, from AED7.4 billion (3,800 transactions) in 2021 to AED15.5 billion (6,200) in 2022, AED27.2 billion (9,400) in 2023, AED36.9 billion (12,000) in 2024 and AED 51.3 billion (16,200) in 2025,” the report noted.
“The most expensive villa sold in February was a luxury property at La Mer, which fetched AED350 million, while the most expensive apartment went for AED226 million at The Alba Residences at Palm Jumeirah. With properties worth more than AED5 million accounting for 12.68% of sales, 12.67% were between AED3-5 million, 18.14% between AED2-3 million, 32.41% between AED1-2 million and 24.1% were below AED1 million,” fam Properties concluded.