Prices didn't move in September. The mix did. DLD registered 25 new projects with 5,941 units and 357 villas, and off-plan homes sold at a median AED 1,735 per sq ft, the same as in each of the three months before. Studios dropped to 31% of registered off-plan sales from 42% over June to August, and almost all of that drop comes from one developer, Azizi, whose studio-heavy sales in Dubai South fell back.
For scale, DLD's own September figures, as reported by Emirates 24|7, put off-plan sales at 7,476 transactions worth AED 13.63 billion. Those totals are DLD's. The shares, medians and rankings below are ours, read from the same registrations. One caveat on scope: our figures cover apartments and villas as DLD files them, and that takes in some offices and shops recorded as units. They were 4.5% of September's off-plan sales.
How much new supply did DLD register in September?
DLD registered 25 projects with 6,298 homes between them and a declared project value of about AED 4.03 billion. Most were small: 18 of the 25 had fewer than 300 homes. Two big schemes account for a third of the month's homes on their own. One is Shahrukhz Residences by Danube in Dubai Maritime City, with 1,143 units. The other is The Yards Plaza by Beyond in Dubailand, with 937.
Table: projects and homes registered by DLD in September 2026, by area. Homes = units plus villas as registered. Declared value is the project value on the register. Source: DLD project register, Peak Trust Research.
| Area | Projects | Homes | Declared value (AED m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Maritime City | 1 | 1,143 | 618 |
| Dubailand (Wadi Al Safa 4) | 1 | 937 | 484 |
| Dubailand (Wadi Al Safa 5) | 2 | 698 | 204 |
| Jebel Ali Industrial Second | 2 | 536 | 203 |
| Dubai South | 5 | 514 | 167 |
| Dubai Islands | 3 | 510 | 1,045 |
| Dubai Sports City | 1 | 444 | 93 |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle | 3 | 409 | 154 |
| Business Bay | 1 | 338 | 772 |
| Five other areas | 6 | 769 | 290 |
| Total | 25 | 6,298 | 4,030 |
Dubai Islands had the most declared value, AED 1.05 billion across three projects. AED 900 million of that is one scheme, Nakheel's Bay Estate, with 357 villas. Dubai South had the most projects, five, and none had more than 184 homes. Samana was the only developer to register three projects in the month. Every project, with its registration date and scheduled completion, is in Launch Watch 2026.
Which developers sold most off-plan?
Binghatti had the most registered off-plan sales in September. Most came from Binghatti Skyterraces in Motor City and the two Skyflame towers in Majan. Azizi was second with 873 sales, a long way below its June to August average of 3,139 a month. Emaar was third by count and first by value, led by Valia at Dubai Creek Harbour with 263 sales.
Table: share of registered off-plan home sales by developer brand, September 2026 (n = 7,370). Developer entities consolidated to brand. Source: DLD registered sales, Peak Trust Research.
| Developer | Off-plan sales | Share | Value (AED bn) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binghatti | 1,026 | 13.9% | 1.17 |
| Azizi | 873 | 11.8% | 0.75 |
| Emaar | 517 | 7.0% | 1.55 |
| Damac | 448 | 6.1% | 0.78 |
| Reportage | 402 | 5.5% | 0.45 |
| Sobha | 383 | 5.2% | 0.88 |
| Imtiaz | 377 | 5.1% | 0.48 |
| Samana | 248 | 3.4% | 0.32 |
| Danube | 217 | 2.9% | 0.55 |
| Nakheel | 208 | 2.8% | 0.74 |
| Developer not recorded | 279 | 3.8% | 0.49 |
We have left out month-on-month moves for most brands this time. The register left the developer blank on far more sales in June to August (an average of 854 a month) than in September (279), so a comparison would flatter any brand whose blanks were filled in. Azizi's fall is too big to be explained that way.
What unit types are buyers choosing?
One-bedroom flats overtook studios in September. That looks like a turn in demand until you take Azizi out.
Table: unit-type share of registered off-plan home sales, September 2026 vs June–August 2026, with September median price. Source: DLD registered sales, Peak Trust Research.
| Unit type | Share, Sep | Share, Jun–Aug | Median AED/sq ft, Sep | Median price, Sep (AED) | n, Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 31.4% | 41.9% | 1,709 | 656,563 | 2,311 |
| 1 bedroom | 36.2% | 32.1% | 1,701 | 1,268,828 | 2,669 |
| 2 bedrooms | 16.9% | 14.4% | 1,774 | 2,127,750 | 1,248 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2,105 | 3,697,486 | 275 |
| 4+ bedrooms | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2,784 | 8,669,000 | 45 |
| Villa / townhouse | 6.7% | 4.9% | 1,541 | 2,900,000 | 493 |
| Offices and shops filed as units | 4.5% | 3.2% | 2,341 | 2,195,000 | 329 |
Between 70% and 76% of Azizi's off-plan sales were studios each month over the summer, and Azizi alone made up 37% of all off-plan sales in June. Take Azizi out and the studio share of everyone else's sales was 25.2% in June, 29.0% in July, 24.6% in August and 26.6% in September. That's flat.
The year-to-date figures say the same. From January to August 2026, studios were 28.2% of registered off-plan sales, against 22.4% over the same months of 2025. Dubai South's share of those studio sales went from 5.2% to 20.3%, and Azizi's from 7.1% to 31.7%. Take Azizi out and studios were 22.4% of sales, against 21.4% a year earlier. The studio surge happened, but most of it sat in one master community and with one developer. Outside Azizi, buyers have not swung towards studios, which matters to anyone setting the mix for a launch.
Which price bands carried demand?
Table: share of registered off-plan home sales by price band, September 2026 vs June–August 2026 (Sep n = 7,370; Jun–Aug n = 27,994). Bands use the full sale price. Source: DLD registered sales, Peak Trust Research.
| Price band | Share, Sep | Share, Jun–Aug |
|---|---|---|
| Under AED 1m | 37.2% | 46.4% |
| AED 1m–2m | 35.3% | 32.3% |
| AED 2m–3m | 15.0% | 11.1% |
| AED 3m–5m | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| AED 5m–10m | 3.3% | 2.5% |
| AED 10m+ | 1.1% | 1.1% |
The median off-plan ticket rose to AED 1.24 million in September, from between AED 1.03 million and AED 1.10 million over June to August. The cause is the same as in the unit mix: fewer sub-AED 1 million studios sold in Dubai South. Excluding Azizi, the under-AED 1 million share was 31.9% in September, inside its summer range of 27.6% to 33.6%.
Where were September's busiest off-plan areas?
Table: areas with at least 50 registered off-plan sales in September 2026 (top 12), with June–August monthly average, off-plan median AED/sq ft and the leading developer's share of the area's sales. Area names are DLD registry areas. Source: DLD registered sales, Peak Trust Research.
| Area (DLD) | Off-plan sales, Sep | Jun–Aug monthly avg | Median AED/sq ft (n) | Studio + 1 bed | Leading developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai South (Madinat Al Mataar) | 662 | 2,255 | 1,697 (662) | 77% | Azizi, 69% |
| Majan | 504 | 229 | 1,409 (504) | 91% | Binghatti, 83% |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 439 | 399 | 1,532 (439) | 84% | Danube, 13% |
| Jebel Ali Industrial Second | 345 | 355 | 1,790 (345) | 72% | Imtiaz, 86% |
| Dubai Investment Park First | 329 | 222 | 1,052 (329) | 40% | Reportage, 99% |
| Motor City (Al Hebiah First) | 309 | 83 | 2,035 (309) | 80% | Binghatti, 84% |
| City of Arabia | 297 | 591 | 1,738 (297) | 83% | Beyond, 49% |
| Dubai Creek Harbour (Al Khairan First) | 294 | 83 | 2,594 (294) | 55% | Emaar, 100% |
| DAMAC Lagoons (Al Hebiah Fifth) | 271 | 219 | 1,695 (271) | 68% | Damac, 80% |
| Downtown Jebel Ali | 268 | 385 | 1,629 (268) | 70% | Azizi, 51% |
| Dubailand Residence Complex | 245 | 355 | 1,400 (245) | 80% | Peace Homes, 18% |
| Al Furjan (Jabal Ali First) | 204 | 236 | 1,763 (204) | 55% | JAG, 41% |
Dubai South still topped the table, but at under a third of its summer pace. Three areas jumped, each on the back of one launch: Majan and Motor City on Binghatti's towers, and Dubai Creek Harbour on Valia. Jumeirah Village Circle behaved differently. Its volume barely changed and no developer had more than 13% of its sales, so no single launch drives the numbers there.
Where are launches priced against their area?
For each project DLD registered in 2026, we set its median AED per sq ft in September against the median for all other registered home sales of the same type (apartment or villa) in its area that month. Twenty-seven projects qualified: each had at least 20 home sales, sat in an area with at least 50 other sales and made up less than half of its area's sales. Offices and shops are left out on both sides. The median project priced 7% above the rest of its area. Seven priced 20% or more above, and nine priced below.
Table: September 2026 median AED/sq ft of the ten best-selling qualifying 2026 projects vs the rest of their DLD area (homes only, same type, same month). Projects with n ≥ 20; areas with n ≥ 50 other sales; projects that are half or more of their area's sales left out. Binghatti Wraith (37 sales) ties for tenth and is not shown. Source: DLD registered sales, Peak Trust Research.
| Project | Developer | Area (DLD) | Project AED/sq ft (n) | Rest of area AED/sq ft (n) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghatti Skyflame 1 | Binghatti | Majan | 1,399 (226) | 1,420 (296) | −1.4% |
| Arancia Yards 2 by Beyond | Beyond | City of Arabia | 1,806 (146) | 1,683 (154) | +7.3% |
| Binghatti Skyflame 2 | Binghatti | Majan | 1,399 (135) | 1,418 (387) | −1.3% |
| Azizi Abraham | Azizi | Downtown Jebel Ali | 1,549 (72) | 1,625 (153) | −4.7% |
| Verdana Residence 5 | Reportage | Dubai Investment Park First | 853 (69) | 1,032 (138) | −17.3% |
| Sobha Central | Sobha | Al Furjan (Jabal Ali First) | 3,225 (60) | 1,668 (131) | +93.4% |
| Serenz by Danube | Danube | Jumeirah Village Circle | 2,376 (47) | 1,386 (725) | +71.4% |
| RAW District by Imtiaz (R) | Imtiaz | Jebel Ali Industrial Second | 1,795 (42) | 1,708 (235) | +5.1% |
| Portside by Samana Developers | Samana | Downtown Jebel Ali | 1,673 (39) | 1,558 (186) | +7.4% |
| Sera Gardens by Vision | Clear Vision | Dubai Production City | 1,526 (37) | 1,454 (164) | +4.9% |
The two Skyflame towers sold more than any other project in this group, and both priced slightly under their area. Across the whole third quarter the pattern was similar. Of 74 qualifying projects, the 16 priced 20% or more above their area were 22% of the group but took 15.2% of its Q3 sales. For the full measure, see Launch pricing vs the area, Q3 2026.
For investors
Off-plan entry prices have held: AED 1,735 per sq ft in September, and between AED 1,729 and AED 1,739 in each month since June. Ready homes sold at a median AED 1,452. On those two medians, off-plan cost about a fifth more per sq ft than completed homes, though the two groups differ in location and unit type, and the off-plan buyer pays years before handover. Before you commit at a launch price, look up where it sits in the area table above.
What it means for developers
- Read the unit mix with the biggest seller taken out. The headline studio share moves with one developer's volume, and without Azizi studios have stayed at about a quarter of off-plan sales all summer.
- Area volumes follow launches. Majan, Motor City and Dubai Creek Harbour each jumped on a single project, so expect the month after your launch to look nothing like the month of it.
- Buyers can see the area's registered prices. Sobha Central and Serenz priced well above theirs and still sold, but the two best-selling projects in the comparison sat just below their area.
- Most of September's new supply came in small schemes. Eighteen of the 25 registrations had fewer than 300 homes, and the five in Dubai South had 184 or fewer each. A mid-market launch is up against many small projects, not a few big ones.
Briefing a launch? See Peak Trust for developers. Every 2026 registration is in Launch Watch 2026, and market-wide figures are on /analytics.
Peak Trust advises developers and investors. Rankings use registered DLD data only.