Dubai Land Department now reports 132,500 off-plan project sale transactions in 2025, confirming how important new-build property became to Dubai’s residential market. For buyers entering in 2026, Oplus International Realty uses that historical demand as context — not proof that every new launch is a good investment.

Dubai Off-Plan Market: The Verified Numbers

The most useful starting point is separating figures that can be reproduced from figures that appear only in market commentary.

Period	Verified Market Metric	Figure	Source
2023	Off-plan property transaction value	AED 160.48B	Dubai Land Department
2024	Off-plan property transaction value	AED 230.61B	Dubai Land Department
2024	YoY growth in off-plan transaction value	43.70%	Dubai Land Department
2025	Off-plan project sale transactions	132,500	Dubai Land Department
Q1 2026	Total Dubai real-estate transactions	AED 252B	Dubai Land Department
Q1 2026	Number of real-estate transactions	60,303	Dubai Land Department
Q1 2026	Real-estate investments	AED 173B	Dubai Land Department
Q1 2026	Number of investments	57,744	Dubai Land Department
Q1 2026	New investors	29,312	Dubai Land Department

The data shows a large and active market.

It does not show that every off-plan development will appreciate, rent quickly or outperform a ready property.

That’s the distinction investors need to keep.

What Changed From the Earlier Version of This Report?

The original edition of this article included several third-party 2025 area benchmarks and described off-plan as 62.6% of transactions.

Those figures were useful market signals at publication time, but the updated report now separates official DLD evidence from portal and third-party estimates.

The DLD figure we can currently verify directly is:

132,500 off-plan project sale transactions during 2025.

That figure replaces the previously quoted 134,623 total in this article.

This matters because market reporting should become more precise as better primary-source information becomes available.

What 2025 Actually Tells a 2026 Buyer

The 132,500 transaction figure establishes one thing clearly:

Off-plan property attracted substantial buyer activity.

It does not establish which project a buyer should choose in September 2026.

For that decision, six current variables matter more:

1. purchase price;
2. price per square foot;
3. payment schedule;
4. handover period;
5. developer and project verification;
6. competing supply at delivery.

A 2025 market statistic cannot replace a 2026 unit-level comparison.

What Has Happened in Dubai in 2026?

Dubai Land Department reported AED 252 billion in total real-estate transactions during Q1 2026.

That represented 60,303 real-estate transactions.

DLD also reported:

• AED 173 billion in real-estate investments;
• 57,744 investments;
• 48,448 investors;
• 29,312 new investors.

This confirms that capital continued entering Dubai’s property market in early 2026.

But the official Q1 release reviewed for this report does not provide the off-plan-versus-ready breakdown needed to state a fresh DLD off-plan market-share percentage.

So this report does not manufacture one.

For the wider market rather than only off-plan property, see Oplus’s Dubai Real Estate Investment Guide 2026.

The 2026 Off-Plan Market Is Really Several Different Markets

“Dubai off-plan property” is too broad to function as an investment strategy.

Consider the difference between these two buyers:

Buyer A: AED 700,000 budget, studio or 1BR, delivery in 2027–2028.

Buyer B: AED 10 million budget, ultra-prime residence, delivery within months.

Both are buying off-plan.

They are not competing in the same market.

This is why current project examples are more useful than one Dubai-wide forecast.

Current Dubai Off-Plan Examples by Budget and Handover

The following Oplus project records were reviewed on 10 September 2026.

Current Project	Area	From	Property Type	Payment Shown	Handover
SAMANA California 2	Al Furjan	AED 769K	Studio–2BR	20/80	Q4 2026
ART BAY	Al Jaddaf	AED 1.05M	Studio–3BR	70/30	Q4 2026
Ellison	Town Square Dubai	AED 1.17M	1–3BR	Check current schedule	Q4 2027
Bluewaters Bay	Dubai	AED 2.85M	1–4BR	80/20	Q1 2027
Samana Skyviews	Dubai Production City	AED 650K	Studio–2BR	20/80	Q3 2028
The Valley 2	Dubai	AED 2.48M	3–4BR townhouses	80/20	Q4 2028
Ocean House	Palm Jumeirah	AED 9.80M	2–6BR	60/40	Q4 2026

This is a much better picture of the current market.

There isn’t one “Dubai off-plan buyer”.

There are different combinations of:

budget × property type × location × payment plan × handover.

Near-Handover Off-Plan: Q4 2026

A project close to scheduled completion should be assessed differently from a new development delivering in 2029 or 2030.

Two current examples are SAMANA California 2 in Al Furjan and ART BAY in Al Jaddaf.

Both currently show Q4 2026 handover.

Why near-handover can matter

The remaining construction period is shorter.

A buyer may be closer to:

• physical inspection;
• completion;
• potential occupancy;
• potential leasing;
• clearer operating-cost visibility.

But that does not mean near-handover property is automatically safer or better value.

The buyer still needs to compare the current purchase price against ready alternatives.

A project that was attractive at launch can become expensive if its current asking price has already risen substantially.

Longer-Horizon Off-Plan: 2027–2028

Longer handover periods create a different cash-flow decision.

Current examples include Ellison at Town Square Dubai with Q4 2027 handover and Samana Skyviews with Q3 2028 handover.

A buyer has more time before completion, but also more time exposed to:

• construction progress;
• market conditions;
• future launches;
• competing supply;
• personal financial changes.

Do not interpret “more time to pay” as “lower risk”.

Those are separate concepts.

Villa and Townhouse Off-Plan Requires Another Model

Apartment investors and townhouse buyers should not be evaluated through the same liquidity assumptions.

The Valley 2 by Emaar currently shows 3–4 bedroom townhouses from AED 2.48M, areas from 2,450 sq ft and Q4 2028 handover.

That’s fundamentally different from buying a AED 650K studio.

The future buyer pool is different.

The financing requirement is different.

The household use case is different.

And the amount of cash exposed during construction can be several times larger.

Ultra-Prime Off-Plan Is a Separate Category Again

At the other end of the market, Ocean House at Palm Jumeirah currently starts from AED 9.8M.

The current Oplus record includes residences extending from 2-bedroom apartments to large duplexes and penthouses, with Q4 2026 handover.

An ultra-prime purchase should not be compared with mid-market Dubai using a simple gross-yield table.

At this capital level, buyers may place much more weight on:

• scarcity of the exact product;
• waterfront position;
• architecture;
• branded or design credentials;
• wealth preservation;
• personal use;
• long-term resale depth.

That is a different investment objective.

Payment Plan Is Not the Same as Affordability

A 20/80 plan may look easier than 70/30.

But percentages do not show the buyer’s actual exposure.

Consider:

20% of AED 10M = AED 2M

while:

70% of AED 1M = AED 700K.

The more useful calculation is:

Property price × each payment milestone = actual AED required.

Then place every payment on a calendar.

For an off-plan purchase, model:

Stage	What the Buyer Should Calculate
Booking	Actual AED due immediately
Registration	DLD and applicable transaction costs
During construction	Every scheduled instalment
Before assignment	Contract/developer requirement
Handover	Final amount
Post-handover	Mortgage or remaining payment if applicable
Ownership	Service charges, management and maintenance

Only then can two payment plans be compared properly.

Should You Choose the Area or Project First?

Start with the area shortlist, then go down to project level.

Oplus’s updated Dubai Investment Areas 2026 comparison separates areas by budget, property type, handover and strategy rather than promising one universal ROI winner.

Once the area works, compare:

• developer;
• project;
• building or cluster;
• floor plan;
• exact unit;
• price;
• payment schedule.

A strong area cannot rescue a badly priced unit.

How to Check a Dubai Off-Plan Project Before Paying

Dubai’s regulatory framework provides buyers with tools that should be used before relying on marketing material.

Verify the project

Dubai REST provides information on off-plan projects including:

• percentage of completion;
• actual project images;
• escrow account information;
• payments due.

Verify the developer

Check that the developer and project details correspond with Dubai Land Department records.

Oplus also maintains a detailed guide on how to choose and verify a real-estate developer in Dubai.

Verify the transaction

DLD’s initial-sale registration process records an off-plan transaction in the provisional register through Oqood.

The current DLD service conditions state that the SPA should be registered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing.

The buyer should therefore distinguish between:

reservation

and:

registered off-plan sale.

They are not the same milestone.

What Does DLD Charge on an Initial Off-Plan Sale?

Dubai Land Department’s current initial-sale registration schedule lists:

Seller: 2% of sale value

Purchaser: 2% of sale value

plus applicable Knowledge and Innovation fees.

This is why buyers should be careful with the common shorthand:

“The buyer pays a 4% DLD fee.”

DLD’s published statutory schedule divides the percentage between purchaser and seller.

The commercial contract or developer promotion may allocate costs differently, so the transaction documents need to be checked separately.

Escrow Is a Project Check, Not a Marketing Phrase

The statement:

“Dubai off-plan is protected by escrow”

is too broad to complete due diligence.

The relevant question is:

What is the escrow information for the exact project I am buying?

Dubai REST allows off-plan project beneficiaries to view project information including escrow account details and completion status.

That should be checked alongside:

• project name;
• developer;
• construction status;
• unit details;
• SPA.

Developer Selection Matters More in Off-Plan

When buying a completed property, you can physically inspect the asset.

With off-plan, a large part of the decision depends on future execution.

Developer due diligence should include:

• project registration;
• delivery history;
• current construction progress;
• financial transparency where available;
• previous completed projects;
• contractual terms;
• quality record;
• after-sales and handover process.

A famous developer is not automatically the best choice at every price.

A smaller developer is not automatically a bad choice.

The question is whether the risk is understood and priced properly.

Off-Plan vs Ready Property in 2026

The fact that off-plan attracted 132,500 sales in 2025 does not make ready property obsolete.

Decision	Off-Plan	Ready Property
Inspect finished unit	No	Yes
Immediate normal rent	No	Usually possible
Staged payments	Often	Usually limited
Construction exposure	Yes	No
Handover uncertainty	Yes	Minimal
Current service-charge history	Often limited	Usually available
Current rent evidence	Future estimate	Observable
Developer execution risk	Higher relevance	Lower relevance

A buyer needing immediate rental income should compare ready property seriously.

A buyer prioritising staged construction payments may prefer off-plan.

Neither category wins automatically.

Can You Mortgage an Off-Plan Property?

Potentially, but buyers should not assume every developer payment plan converts into bank finance at handover.

Mortgage eligibility depends on:

• borrower profile;
• income;
• debt burden;
• property value;
• lender;
• project eligibility;
• construction stage.

Oplus’s Dubai Mortgage Eligibility 2026 guide covers the financing side separately.

This matters particularly when a payment plan leaves a large balance for handover.

If the financial model only works when a future mortgage is approved, the financing assumption should be tested before reserving.

What About Flipping Before Handover?

Do not buy solely because you expect to sell the contract at a premium before completion.

Pre-handover assignment can depend on:

• the SPA;
• developer rules;
• minimum payments;
• NOC requirements;
• market demand;
• developer inventory still competing with your unit.

If the developer is still selling comparable units directly, your resale price has to compete with new stock.

That can limit the exit even in an active Dubai market.

Five Red Flags in an Off-Plan Investment Case

1. “Guaranteed appreciation”

Future capital growth cannot be guaranteed.

2. “Guaranteed ROI”

Ask for the actual calculation, period, costs and contractual basis.

3. Comparing only the booking amount

The total purchase price and cash-flow schedule matter more.

4. No ready-property comparison

Always check what a similar completed unit costs.

5. The exit strategy is simply “sell before handover”

That’s an outcome assumption, not a complete strategy.

A Better Way to Compare Two Off-Plan Projects

Imagine Project A and Project B cost roughly the same amount.

Don’t ask which brochure is better.

Compare:

Metric	Project A	Project B
Exact price	AED	AED
Area	sq ft	sq ft
Price/sq ft	AED	AED
Booking	AED	AED
Paid before handover	AED	AED
Handover	Date	Date
Developer history	Evidence	Evidence
Project progress	DLD	DLD
Ready comparable	AED/sq ft	AED/sq ft
Comparable rent	AED/year	AED/year
Service charges	Confirmed/unknown	Confirmed/unknown
Competing delivery supply	Units/projects	Units/projects

That’s the point where an investment decision becomes defensible.

What Should a Buyer Under AED 1M Look At?

Current Oplus inventory demonstrates that sub-AED 1M off-plan property still exists in selected Dubai locations.

Examples currently include Samana Skyviews and SAMANA California 2.

But price should not be the only filter.

At smaller ticket sizes, pay particular attention to:

• studio and 1BR supply;
• layout efficiency;
• price per square foot;
• service charges;
• competing units at handover;
• tenant affordability;
• resale liquidity.

A cheap studio can still be expensive relative to its building.

What Should a AED 2M–3M Buyer Look At?

At this level, the buyer has much more choice.

The shortlist can include:

• larger apartments;
• premium 1–3BR units;
• selected townhouses;
• waterfront developments;
• master communities.

That makes comparison harder, not easier.

A AED 2.5M investor should compare other AED 2M–3M opportunities rather than a AED 650K studio and a AED 10M ultra-prime residence.

Browse Oplus’s current Dubai properties and off-plan projects to build the initial shortlist.

What Should an International Buyer Check?

An overseas investor should add:

• foreign ownership eligibility for the exact property;
• passport/document requirements;
• fund-transfer arrangements;
• power-of-attorney requirements if used;
• banking;
• currency exposure;
• remote SPA execution;
• property-management plan;
• eventual rental and repatriation process.

Do not reduce an international purchase decision to a WhatsApp payment-plan screenshot.

2026 Buyer Strategy: What the Data Supports

The 2025 off-plan numbers support market depth.

They do not support buying indiscriminately.

The strongest 2026 process is:

Choose strategy → shortlist area → verify developer → compare current projects → compare exact units → model payments → verify DLD records → review SPA → register correctly → monitor construction.

For the first stage, start with Oplus’s 7 Dubai investment areas comparison.

For the broader investment framework, use the Dubai Real Estate Investment Guide 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Browse Current Dubai Off-Plan Projects

The 2025 market data tells us off-plan activity was substantial.

The next decision has to happen using today’s projects rather than last year’s averages.

Browse current Dubai properties and projects or the full Oplus project database and compare projects by total price, area, payment exposure, developer and handover.

If you already have two or three projects shortlisted, speak to an Oplus property adviser to compare the exact units rather than market-wide averages.

2025 market figures re-verified: 10 September 2026
2026 market context reviewed: 10 September 2026
Current project records reviewed: 10 September 2026
Editorial review: Oplus International Realty Editorial Team

Sources

• Dubai Land Department — About Dubai Land Department / 2025 market performance
• Dubai Land Department — Annual Report 2024
• Dubai Land Department — Q1 2026 Real Estate Market Results
• Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Data
• Dubai Land Department — Dubai REST
• Dubai Land Department — Request to Register the Initial Sale
• Oplus International Realty — Current Dubai project database