Dubai and Abu Dhabi Off-Plan Market Report: September 2026

Three themes stood out this month: financing is widening who can buy Off-Plan, construction costs are changing how new projects are priced, and buyer demand is moving toward particular property types.

Financing is broadening the Off-Plan buyer base

This month, Aldar completed Abu Dhabi's first Off-Plan mortgage under the new framework from ADREC (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre), with ADCB (Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank) as the lender. Buyers who have paid 50% of the price can now take a mortgage during construction. The bank covers the remaining instalments and the handover payment, so buyers fix their financing early and keep their cash free.

This follows the July launch by Modon and ADIB (Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) of Abu Dhabi's first Off-Plan home finance product, offering eligible buyers up to 75% financing on future Modon projects.

Together, these changes make Off-Plan property easier to finance. Over time, that should open new communities up to more end users, beyond cash-rich investors.

Construction inflation is changing development economics

Container traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply because of higher insurance costs and security risks. Many businesses now use longer, more expensive road and shipping routes, which pushes up transport and material costs.

It is already showing on site. Since January, cement is up 16%, concrete 10% and reinforcement steel 8%.

Projects launched before these increases were priced on the old costs. New launches will carry the higher costs, and we expect that to show in their prices.

In short, when a project launched now directly affects what a buyer pays.

Buyer demand is rotating toward particular product types

Seven in ten UAE SMEs are micro-enterprises, typically run by five people or fewer. Most are set up in free zones on flexi-desk packages, which usually come with one to three visas, and suit solo founders, freelancers and small digital teams that do not need an office.

The UAE also aims to almost double the digital economy's share of GDP, to close to 20%. More businesses run online, and more of them run from home.

Buyers are already asking for this. Demand for two-bedroom homes keeps growing, with the second bedroom used as a home office. For dual-income households, a 1.5-bedroom layout gives them a study for less than a full two-bed.

At Atlas, we advise clients to look at how a layout works day to day, as well as its size. A well-designed 1.5-bedroom appeals to more owners and tenants, which helps both rental and resale.

What the numbers tell us this month

September points to a rotation in demand between property types. In Dubai, villa and townhouse Off-Plan volumes rose 64.1% year on year while apartment volumes fell 52.9%, with villas and townhouses increasing their share of sales value from 9.8% to 28.4%. Abu Dhabi showed an even stronger shift, with villas and townhouses accounting for 71.7% of sales value, up from 41.6% a year earlier.

High-value transactions matter disproportionately to both markets, particularly Abu Dhabi, where transactions of AED 10 million and above generated 46.1% of residential sales value from just 13.3% of transactions. Dubai recorded only 122 transactions above AED 10 million, 1.7% of volume, yet they accounted for 16.0% of total sales value.

Shifting demand, easier financing and rising build costs all point the same way: buyers who enter now can secure stock priced before those costs reach the market.

Jordan Zakaria, Co-Founder, Atlas Advisory Real Estate

Dubai recorded 7,157 Off-Plan sales worth AED 14.3 billion in September 2026, compared with 14,044 sales worth AED 28.8 billion in September 2025. Apartments drove the decline, while villas and townhouses grew in both volume and value.

Villas and townhouses are reported as one category. Apartments exclude villas and townhouses.

Villas and townhouses take a larger share of sales value

Atlas view: The scale of the annual decline should be interpreted in context. September registrations reflect a quieter summer launch cycle, with fewer new projects brought to market, while monthly Off-Plan volumes remain sensitive to the timing of major launches and subsequent registrations.

Most Dubai Off-Plan units sold in September 2026 were priced below AED 2 million: 5,065 units, or 70.7% of the total. Sales of AED 10 million and above were 1.7% of units but 16.0% of all sales value.

Sobha Group and Emaar led Dubai's Off-Plan market by value in September 2026, each recording just over AED 1.8 billion.

Blended price per sq ft is the average sales price per square foot across each developer's September Off-Plan transactions, as reported by Property Monitor.

Sobha Group and Emaar were separated by less than AED 4 million at the top of the value table, each recording just over AED 1.8 billion from 518 and 546 units respectively. Binghatti recorded the month's highest volume at 1,056 units, at a blended AED 1,778 per sq ft.

Reportage, Sobha and DAMAC occupied the top three positions for villa and townhouse volume in September 2026, with 209, 129 and 121 units. Sobha's 129 units carried AED 973 million in value, almost a quarter of the segment's AED 4.1 billion.

*Standard developer terms shown. Contact us to discuss the exclusive Atlas terms available on this release, which has limited remaining inventory. **Alternatively 25/75 with ADIB financing, subject to approval.

Eltiera Views by Ellington, Jumeirah Islands, Dubai

Atlas view: Eltiera Views brings together the fundamentals we look for in a premium Off-Plan investment: a prime Jumeirah Islands location, limited comparable supply, strong demand from JLT, Uptown and DMCC, and Ellington's proven design-led product. With entry pricing below nearby premium benchmarks such as Uptown Tower, there is a compelling case for capital appreciation, supported by strong rental fundamentals and long-term end-user demand.

Expo Valley Views, Expo City Dubai

Atlas view: Expo Valley Views offers a particularly compelling entry into Expo City because of the payment structure. With 40% payable over two years post-handover, investors benefit from significantly reduced capital deployment during construction and additional flexibility once the asset is complete. Combined with Expo City's growing residential and commercial ecosystem, direct Metro connectivity and proximity to Al Maktoum International Airport, this provides exposure to one of Dubai's key long-term growth corridors with an investor-friendly payment plan.

Wadeem Gardens by Modon, Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Atlas view: Wadeem Gardens adds a new family-led villa community to Hudayriyat Island, with large plots and a 2.3km lifestyle spine bringing schools, retail, healthcare, sport and the waterfront into one walkable ecosystem. The investment case goes beyond the villas themselves. Hudayriyat is being deliberately built as a low-density, government-backed island around genuine lifestyle infrastructure, with each new phase adding depth and progressively establishing the island's residential benchmark. Against an Abu Dhabi market where demand growth is materially outpacing supply, we see Wadeem as an early opportunity within a masterplan that has the ingredients to become one of the capital's legacy residential communities.

Abu Dhabi home sales registered with ADREC between 24 August and 24 September 2026 totalled AED 12.92 billion across 2,449 units, up 60.9% in value and 3.9% in volume on the same dates in 2025. Figures cover apartments, villas and townhouses and are provisional.

Off-Plan and the villa shift in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi's home sales value rose 60.9% on the same period last year, while volume rose 3.9%, as buyers moved towards villas, townhouses and higher-value homes. Villas and townhouses accounted for 71.7% of home sales value, up from 41.6% a year earlier, and sales of AED 10 million and above more than doubled to 326 deals from 146.

Note: Figures cover sales registered with ADREC between 24 August and 24 September 2026, compared with the same dates in 2025. Recent sales may still be added as registrations are completed, so figures are provisional.

The AED 3M to 5M bracket was the largest in Abu Dhabi, with 702 units or 28.7% of the total. Sales of AED 10 million and above accounted for 13.3% of units but 46.1% of all sales value.

Secondary Off-Plan sales, meaning resales before handover, rose to 7.8% of deals from 3.3% a year earlier, pointing to a growing resale market within Off-Plan projects.

Hudayriyat Golf Estates took the top two positions in Abu Dhabi by sales value, with its villas recording AED 2.05 billion from 127 units and its townhomes AED 1.84 billion from 350 units.

Abu Dhabi prices are shown per square metre (ADREC), while Dubai prices in this report are per square foot (Property Monitor).

From January to 24 September 2026, Abu Dhabi home sales reached AED 93.7 billion across 21,021 units, up 105.4% in value and 46.5% in volume compared with January to September 2025. Off-Plan accounted for 89.0% of home sales value, against 75.0% in 2025.

All Abu Dhabi real estate transactions (all asset classes)

Year to date values as published on adrec.gov.ae on 1 October 2026, compared with ADREC's January to September 2025 figures.

The largest deal in the period was an Off-Plan villa at Four Seasons Private Residences on Al Saadiyat Island, registered at AED 350 million on 16 September. All five of the largest transactions were primary Off-Plan villas.

Hudayriyat Island accounted for 37.2% of Abu Dhabi home sales value between 24 August and 24 September 2026, with AED 4.80 billion across 596 units.

September's data points in the same direction across both emirates: demand is concentrating in villas, townhouses and higher-value homes, Off-Plan financing is widening in Abu Dhabi, and rising construction costs are set to reach the pricing of new launches. For buyers, that makes timing and product selection as important as location.

The full monthly data is also available in our Market Insights section. The edition of this report we send directly includes bonus insights. To request a copy, or to discuss the terms currently available on Eltiera Views, Expo Valley Views or Wadeem Gardens, contact the Atlas Advisory team.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi figures come from different sources and cover different periods, so they should not be compared directly.

How much did Dubai Off-Plan sales fall in September 2026?

Dubai recorded 7,157 Off-Plan sales worth AED 14.3 billion in September 2026, down 49.0% in volume and 50.5% in value from September 2025, according to Property Monitor. Atlas attributes much of the decline to a quieter summer launch cycle, with fewer new projects brought to market. Against August 2026, volume eased 9.4% and value 6.7%.

Which segment of the Dubai Off-Plan market grew in September 2026?

Villas and townhouses. Volume rose 64.1% year on year to 763 units and value rose 44.3% to AED 4.1 billion, while apartment volume fell 52.9%. Villas and townhouses accounted for 28.4% of Dubai Off-Plan sales value, up from 9.8% in September 2025.

Which developers sold the most Off-Plan property in Dubai in September 2026?

Sobha Group and Emaar led by value, each recording just over AED 1.8 billion, from 518 and 546 units respectively. Binghatti ranked third by value with AED 1.18 billion and recorded the highest volume of the month at 1,056 units. DAMAC Properties and Azizi completed the top five.

How did the Abu Dhabi property market perform in September 2026?

Abu Dhabi home sales registered with ADREC between 24 August and 24 September 2026 reached AED 12.92 billion across 2,449 units, up 60.9% in value and 3.9% in volume year on year. Villas and townhouses accounted for 71.7% of value, and Off-Plan accounted for 90.8%. Figures are provisional.

Can you get a mortgage on Off-Plan property in Abu Dhabi?

Yes. In September 2026, Aldar completed Abu Dhabi's first Off-Plan mortgage under ADREC's new framework, with ADCB as the lender. Buyers who have paid 50% of the price can take a mortgage during construction, with the bank covering the remaining instalments and the handover payment. In July 2026, Modon and ADIB launched an Off-Plan home finance product offering eligible buyers up to 75% financing on future Modon projects.

How are construction costs affecting Off-Plan prices in the UAE?

Since January 2026, cement is up 16%, concrete 10% and reinforcement steel 8%, partly because reduced container traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up transport and material costs. Projects launched before these increases were priced on the old costs, while Atlas expects new launches to carry the higher costs into their prices.

Why is demand growing for two-bedroom and 1.5-bedroom homes in the UAE?

More UAE businesses are small and run from home: seven in ten UAE SMEs are micro-enterprises, and the UAE aims to raise the digital economy's share of GDP to close to 20%. Buyers increasingly use a second bedroom as a home office, and a 1.5-bedroom layout gives dual-income households a study for less than a full two-bedroom.

Which Abu Dhabi areas recorded the highest sales value in September 2026?

Hudayriyat Island led with AED 4.80 billion across 596 units, 37.2% of Abu Dhabi home sales value between 24 August and 24 September 2026. Hudayriyat Golf Estates villas (AED 2.05 billion) and townhomes (AED 1.84 billion) were the top two projects. Ramhan Island, Al Saadiyat Island, Yas Island and Al Reem Island completed the top five districts.