Dubai Off-Plan Trends: What Investors Need to Know
Nearly three in four Dubai home sales in 2025 were off-plan. How the market works, where the risks sit, and the checks every buyer should make before paying a dirham.
- Off-plan made up about 73% of Dubai residential sales in 2025 — 146,400 transactions, up 25%.
- Delivery is the swing factor: only about half of the homes projected for 2025 were completed.
- Your protection is the escrow system — pay only into the project's DLD-registered escrow account.
Off-plan is now the market
Off-plan — buying a home before it is built — has become the main way people buy in Dubai. According to Cavendish Maxwell, there were 146,400 off-plan transactions in 2025, up 25% on 2024, compared with 54,400 sales of ready homes. Off-plan's share of residential activity rose to 72.9%, from 69.3% a year earlier.
Why buyers choose off-plan
- Staged payment plans — a booking amount, then instalments during construction, with the balance at or after handover.
- Launch pricing — early buyers often pay less than the expected value of a finished home in the same area.
- New stock — modern layouts and amenities in master-planned communities.
The supply question
Announced pipelines are large: developers projected more than 110,000 homes for 2026 alone. But Dubai has a long record of completions running behind schedule — in 2025, only about 49% of projected units were actually delivered. Analysts quoted by Khaleej Times expect roughly 55,000 units in 2026 and 75,000 in 2027.
Where that supply lands matters. About 45% of homes under construction are concentrated in five districts — JVC/JVT, Dubai South, MBR City, Business Bay and Dubailand Residence Complex — and about two-thirds of upcoming units are studios or one-bedroom apartments.
How you're protected
Dubai's off-plan rules are among the most developed in the region. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, buyers' payments must go into a project escrow account supervised by RERA, and under Law No. 13 of 2008 your purchase is recorded in the interim real estate register (Oqood) until the building is complete.
| Check | Where | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Project registration | Dubai REST app | Project is registered and the developer matches |
| Escrow account | Dubai REST / DLD project record | Account number matches your payment instructions |
| Broker licence | Dubai REST — broker card | BRN active, agency matches |
| Advert permit | Trakheesi / QR code | Permit active and matches the unit |
| Oqood registration | After signing | Your purchase is registered in your name |
Five questions to ask before you buy
- What is the developer's delivery record on comparable projects?
- How much of the price is due before handover, and when?
- Can I resell before completion, and what does the developer require (NOC, minimum paid)?
- What will service charges be once the building is complete?
- How much similar stock is completing nearby at the same time?
“Pricing is increasingly differentiated by location, asset quality and unit size.”
— Khaleej Times market analysis, February 2026