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The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre placed total real estate transaction value at AED117 billion for the first six months of 2026, marking a 112 per cent rise year on year. Transaction volume increased 62 per cent during the period while sales activity accounted for AED86.1 billion across 16,838 deals that rose 164 per cent in value. Mortgage transactions contributed an additional AED26.7 billion, the centre’s data showed.
Residential unit sales reached AED70.4 billion with off-plan properties representing 89 per cent of sales value and 82 per cent of transaction volume, according to the same report. Repeat sales prices climbed 20 per cent for apartments and 12 per cent for villas compared with the first half of 2025. The emirate also recorded 233,000 active residential lease contracts worth AED9.3 billion, an 8 per cent increase in value.
Foreign direct investment into Abu Dhabi’s property sector surged 309 per cent to AED13.8 billion in the first half of 2026 and already exceeded the full-year total for 2025, an Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre assessment found. Investors from 116 nationalities participated, up from 82 a year earlier, led by the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States, Germany and France. Investment zones open to all nationalities drew AED75 billion, a nearly threefold annual increase.
Hudayriyat Island led sales value with AED19 billion, accounting for 27 per cent of residential transactions in the period and marking its second consecutive quarter at the top, the report indicated. Saadiyat Island followed with AED13.3 billion while combined activity on Al Reem Island, Al Maryah Island and Yas Island added substantial volume and value. These four locations together represented the bulk of market activity.
The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre projected residential supply to reach approximately 409,000 units with an additional 71,000 units expected by 2030 and peak deliveries in 2028. The emirate completed 5,700 new homes in the first half of the year, lifting total stock to 323,600 units. Industry analysis from Cavendish Maxwell indicated another 10,500 units would be delivered by year-end.
Dubai complemented the UAE-wide expansion with real estate sales exceeding AED286 billion in the first half, data compiled by W Capital Real Estate Broker using Dubai Land Department figures showed. The emirate completed 104 projects valued at more than AED111 billion, a 52 per cent rise in project value from a year earlier. New unit deliveries increased 36 per cent to 24,537 while completed built area grew 23.4 per cent to 1.95 million square metres.
