Latest market report reveals a shift towards ready homes during the quarter, record leasing demand and more competitive pricing across Dubai’s residential market.
Dubai, UAE, October 2026: betterhomes, Dubai’s longest-standing independent real estate brokerage, has released its Q3 2026 Dubai residential market report. According to the report’s findings, the city’s residential market moved towards ready homes during the quarter. Secondary transactions rose 16% quarter-on-quarter, while the brokerage recorded its highest quarterly level of leasing enquiries on record.
Dubai recorded 34,615 residential sales in Q3, broadly in line with Q2. However, the report shows that the movement sits beneath that headline figure: in the balance between secondary and off-plan sales, in rental demand, and in how prices and rents are holding across communities.
Secondary sales rise 16% as buyers favour ready homes:
According to the report, secondary transactions reached 10,055 in Q3, lifting their share of all residential sales from 24% to 29%. Their share of sales value also rose from 30% to 37%, reaching AED 27.1 billion.
Secondary properties offer buyers the advantage of immediate occupancy or rental income, alongside greater visibility over comparable transactions and established community performance. With secondary sales increasing while off-plan volumes declined, Q3 marked a shift in the balance of market activity towards completed homes.
Apartments accounted for much of the increase, with secondary apartment transactions rising 22% to 7,879, while secondary villa and townhouse volumes were broadly unchanged.
Prices eased over the quarter while remaining above last year. In September, median prices stood at AED 1,404 per sq ft for apartments and AED 1,638 for villas and townhouses, 2.4% and 2.3% below their June levels but 2.2% and 4.1% higher than a year earlier. Around three quarters of the communities covered in the report recorded lower prices per sq ft than in Q2, while around two thirds remain above their level of a year ago. The breadth of that movement makes recent comparable transactions increasingly relevant when setting asking prices.
“Q3 tells us the market is moving into a more selective phase. Buyers are showing a clear preference for ready homes they can use or let straight away, while record leasing enquiries show that rental demand remains strong. At the same time, rents are becoming more competitive. As we move into the final quarter, I expect the strongest activity to stay concentrated in well-priced homes in established communities, rather than lifting the whole market equally. That puts much more emphasis on pricing, property type and location.”
Richard Waind, CEO, betterhomes
Leasing enquiries rise 45% to a record
Rental demand was the quarter’s standout finding. betterhomes leasing enquiries rose 45% from Q2 and 15% year-on-year, reaching their highest quarterly level on record. September was the busiest month, with enquiries 31% above September 2025.
Dubai’s population reached 4,807,185 on 29 September, an increase of 226,885 since the start of the year, providing an underlying source of accommodation demand. The enquiry data does not distinguish new arrivals from existing residents moving home. (Source: Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment)
Record leasing demand coincided with more competitive rental pricing. Between June and September, median rents per square foot declined 3.8% for apartments and 2.3% for villas and townhouses.
The findings highlight an important distinction between rental interest and achievable rents. While enquiry levels reached new highs, pricing continued to vary across communities and property types. For landlords, understanding recent comparable lettings is increasingly important when setting rental expectations. For tenants, easing rents across many locations offer greater opportunities to compare options before renewing or relocating.
“September brought the highest level of leasing enquiries we have recorded, while rents became more competitive in parts of the market. That is good news for tenants, but it also gives landlords a clear message: demand is there, provided the property is priced correctly for its community and property type.”
Jacob Bramley, Leasing Manager, betterhomes
Sales enquiries rebound in September as market enters Q4:
betterhomes recorded a 27% increase in sales enquiries in September compared with August, well above the 5% month-on-month increases recorded over the same period in both 2024 and 2025.
While overall quarterly sales enquiries remained below last year’s levels, the September improvement signals renewed buyer interest towards the end of Q3. Looking ahead, the report highlights the importance of realistic pricing and community-level performance as buyers continue to assess their options more carefully.
About betterhomes:
betterhomes is Dubai’s longest-standing independent real estate brokerage, part of Cencorp, a group spanning sixteen companies across residential, commercial and professional real estate services. Since 1986, betterhomes has supported buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants across Dubai with data-led market insight and end-to-end property services.
