Off-plan property demand spreads across Dubai, Abu Dhabi residential projects

By Anoop Menon

Off-plan residential developments across Dubai and Abu Dhabi continued to attract buyer interest in the third quarter of 2026, with demand spanning luxury waterfront properties, master-planned communities and affordable housing projects, according to property portal Bayut.

Bayut's latest market reports identified popular off-plan projects based on searches on its platform and tracked changes in average advertised property prices per square foot between the second and third quarters of 2026.

Dubai apartment developments

In Dubai, search interest in the ultra-luxury apartment segment was focused on The Palm Beach Towers and Orla on Palm Jumeirah, Bluewaters Bay on Bluewaters Island, and Sobha One, Sobha Creek Vistas Heights and Riverside Crescent, Bayut said.

Popular mid-tier off-plan apartment projects included Lagoon Views at Damac Lagoons, Binghatti Skyterraces in Motor City, Binghatti Hillcrest in Arjan, Azizi Venice in Dubai South, Raw District by Imtiaz in Downtown Jebel Ali and Binghatti Skyflame in Majan.

Villa developments

Popular ultra-luxury villa projects searched on the platform included Palmiera at The Oasis at Me'aisem Second, Nad Al Sheba Gardens 3 in Nad Al Sheba 1, Jouri Hills in Jumeirah Golf Estate, The Palm Crown on Palm Jumeirah, Amali Island on The World Islands and Pearl Jumeirah Villas in Jumeirah 3.

In the mid-tier off-plan villa segment, popular projects included Bay Villas on Dubai Islands, and Portofino and Morocco at Damac Lagoons. Search interests included Fiji 1 at Damac Islands, Verdana 2 in Dubai Investments Park and Violet at Damac Hills 2.

Palm Jumeirah was a prominent location in ultra-luxury off-plan apartments and villas.

Al Barari recorded the highest estimated rental yield for ultra-luxury apartments and villas at 6.30 percent and 4.90 percent respectively, according to Bayut's calculations.

Among surveyed buyers, 72 percent selected personal use as a purpose for their interest, while 41 percent selected investment, with respondents able to choose both.

Prices remain broadly stable

Average advertised prices per square foot in popular affordable and mid-tier communities generally fluctuated by less than 3 percent during the quarter, while most luxury and ultra-luxury areas recorded changes within 2 percent, according to Bayut.

Haider Ali Khan, CEO of Bayut and Board Member of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, noted that across many popular areas, asking prices have remained broadly steady, giving people more room to compare their options and plan their next move.

Matt Gregory, Senior Director of Strategy at Dubizzle Group told Zawya Projects that the arrival of new stock had not resulted in widespread price declines as feared.

Property consultancy Cavendish Maxwell’s full year delivery forecast, announced in May 2026, put the number at approximately 77,500 residential units.

“At a community level, we haven’t seen prices being suppressed as this new stock moves in,” said Gregory, noting that a clearer picture of the impact of new stock will emerge in Bayut’s fourth-quarter report slated for release in the first quarter of 2027.

He added that a lot of new stock was entering the secondary market through real estate agents, resulting in additional listings on Bayut.

Ramya Menon, Director of Marketing and Communications at Bayut, said new supply in communities such as Damac Lagoons was attracting immediate search interest.

"When new stock is coming, we can immediately see an appetite," she told Zawya Projects.

In June 2026, Cavendix Maxwell had projected that approximately 47,000 residential units are projected for delivery during the second half of 2026, although, based on historical materialisation rates, it expected actual handovers of between 14,000 and 23,500 units during the period.

Abu Dhabi trends

In Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District and Gardenia Bay on Yas Island emerged as popular off-plan apartment developments in the ultra-luxury and luxury segments, respectively.

Shams Abu Dhabi on Al Reem Island attracted mid-tier searches, while Al Reeman 1 and Reeman Garden 1 were among the preferred affordable apartment projects.

For villas, Saadiyat Lagoons and Yas Park Gate attracted ultra-luxury and luxury buyers, respectively.

Bloom Living in Zayed City was among the popular mid-tier villa developments, while Al Reeman 2 in Al Shamkha led interest in the affordable segment.

Bayut's Abu Dhabi report also recorded increases in advertised apartment prices across selected affordable and mid-tier communities.

Average asking prices per square foot increased by 9.2 percent quarter-on-quarter in Baniyas and 6.2 percent in Al Ghadeer, compared with a 3.2 percent increase on Al Maryah Island.

UAE sentiment survey

A separate UAE-wide market sentiment survey conducted by Bayut and dubizzle found that 60 percent of surveyed buyers were highly confident or cautiously optimistic about the property market over the next five years. Forty-six percent expected prices to rise over the next 12 months while 34 percent expected them to remain stable.

“Six in ten buyers surveyed were very confident or cautiously optimistic about the market over the next five years, and nearly half of renters had considered buying a home,” said Bayut’s CEO Khan. “That speaks to confidence in the UAE’s long-term prospects.”

The survey covered over 2,000 completed responses across Bayut and Dubizzle platforms.

Bayut said its off-plan rankings reflect property search interest on its platform and do not represent confirmed sales, transaction volumes or project absorption rates.

(Reporting by Anoop Menon; Editing by Dennis Daniel)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.