The UAE property market entered the second half of 2026 with strong activity across its main real estate centres, but the growth is taking different forms.
Abu Dhabi is seeing a surge in foreign investment and off-plan sales, Dubai is putting more money into new projects and housing supply, Sharjah is drawing investors from a wide range of nationalities, while Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah are recording substantial transaction activity at a smaller scale.
Figures for the first six months of the year show how varied the UAE real estate market has become. Abu Dhabi recorded Dhs 117 billion in transactions, Dubai completed projects worth more than Dhs 111 billion, Sharjah registered nearly 60,000 transactions, Ajman crossed Dhs 10.8 billion in transaction value and Ras Al Khaimah recorded about Dhs 2.89 billion.
Rather than pointing to a single nationwide property trend, the figures show different sources of demand, from international capital and off-plan purchases to new construction, mortgages, resale homes and residential transactions.
Abu Dhabi property market
Abu Dhabi posted the sharpest growth in transaction value among the markets covered by the latest figures.
The emirate’s real estate transactions reached about Dhs 117 billion between January and June 2026, an increase of 112 per cent from the first half of 2025. The number of transactions rose by 61.7 per cent.
Sales were the largest contributor, reaching Dhs 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions. Sales value was up 163.7 per cent from a year earlier. Mortgage transactions stood at Dhs 26.7 billion.
The figures also show a major increase in overseas capital. Foreign direct investment in Abu Dhabi property reached about Dhs 13.8 billion, up 309 per cent year on year. That amount was already higher than the total recorded for the whole of 2025.
The investor base expanded as well, with 116 nationalities represented among non-resident foreign investors.
The composition of Abu Dhabi’s sales provides another important clue about demand.
Residential unit sales reached Dhs 70.4 billion, with off-plan properties accounting for 89 per cent of sales value and 82 per cent of all transactions.
That means most of the residential sales activity was linked to properties being sold before completion rather than completed homes changing hands.
Existing property prices also increased. Resale apartment prices rose 20 per cent, while villa prices increased 12 per cent.
The rental market remained active, with about 233,000 residential tenancy contracts recorded. Their combined value reached Dhs 9.3 billion, an 8 per cent increase from the previous year.
Investment zones attracted about Dhs 75 billion during the first half.
Dubai real estate
Dubai’s first-half figures tell a different story, with the scale of development standing out more than transaction growth.
A total of 104 real estate projects were completed during the first six months of 2026, with investment exceeding Dhs 111 billion. During the same period in 2025, 75 projects worth Dhs 73 billion were completed.
The number of projects therefore increased by 38.7 per cent, while their combined investment value grew by 52 per cent.
New supply also expanded. Developers delivered 24,537 new real estate units, more than 36 per cent above the number recorded during the first half of 2025.
Completed and ready-for-handover construction space reached 1.95 million square metres, up 23.4 per cent from 1.58 million square metres a year earlier.
Dubai property projects
Land investment was another major change in Dubai’s development market.
The value of land allocated to projects reached Dhs 19.46 billion, compared with Dhs 8.27 billion during the first half of 2025. That represents an increase of more than 135 per cent.
The amount of land allocated to completed projects also more than doubled, rising from 484,000 square metres to about 1 million square metres.
The figures suggest that Dubai’s 2026 property story is not limited to buyers and sellers. A significant part of the activity is taking place further upstream, with developers acquiring land, completing projects and bringing thousands of new units towards the market.
Sharjah property market
Sharjah’s figures highlight a different part of the UAE property story: the breadth of its investor base and the volume of transactions.
Real estate transactions reached about Dhs 29.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up 9.3 per cent from the same period last year.
Transaction volume grew faster, rising 23.7 per cent to 59,460 deals.
Residential property generated the largest number of sales, with 13,501 transactions, while mortgage transactions reached Dhs 7.6 billion.
The emirate attracted investors from 121 nationalities, exceeding the number recorded among non-resident foreign investors in Abu Dhabi.
UAE nationals accounted for around Dhs 14.9 billion in investment, Arab investors contributed about Dhs 5 billion, and investors from other nationalities accounted for approximately Dhs 8.2 billion.
Sharjah also registered 11 new real estate projects during the six-month period.
Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah
Ajman’s market recorded 6,815 transactions worth more than Dhs 10.8 billion between January and June.
Trading transactions accounted for Dhs 7.64 billion, while mortgage transactions reached Dhs 1.88 billion.
Ras Al Khaimah recorded about Dhs 2.89 billion in real estate transactions during the same period. Sales made up Dhs 1.353 billion across 1,274 transactions, while mortgages reached Dhs 1.160 billion through 463 transactions.
Property transfers accounted for another Dhs 380 million.
Although the two emirates operate at a smaller scale than Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, their figures add to the broader picture of activity across the UAE’s property markets.
The first-half data therefore points to five different versions of the UAE real estate story. Abu Dhabi’s market is being marked by foreign investment and strong off-plan demand; Dubai by project completion, land investment and new supply; Sharjah by transaction volume and investor diversity; Ajman by continued trading and mortgage activity; and Ras Al Khaimah by a mix of sales, financing and property transfers.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
