May closed with AED 28.5 billion in property transactions across 10,218 deals — extending the rebound that began in April and confirming that the spring slowdown has fully reversed. The headline numbers are loud, but the more useful story for buyers is in the composition: off-plan continues to take the majority of demand, the top of the luxury market is running hot, and Dubai's authorities have now removed the AED 750,000 investor-visa minimum entirely.
When we covered the April figures in our last update, the recovery was real but tentative — transaction volumes had just turned positive month-on-month, and rental enquiries had snapped back 40%. The May data has now removed any ambiguity. Dubai Land Department recorded AED 28.5 billion in residential and commercial transactions across 10,218 deals during the month. Including mortgages and gifts, total market activity reached AED 51.81 billion. Year-to-date, Dubai's residential sector alone has now logged close to AED 53.4 billion across roughly 67,000 sales in the first five months of 2026.
The composition of May's residential activity is the part worth dwelling on. Off-plan properties accounted for 7,079 transactions worth AED 14.18 billion. The secondary market — completed homes traded between owners — recorded 2,422 transactions worth AED 7.74 billion. In other words, for every secondary deal, roughly three off-plan units changed hands. That is consistent with what we have been seeing on the ground at our own developments. Buyers continue to favour off-plan for the same reasons they have for the past two years: structured payment plans that spread capital over construction, a fixed entry price agreed today against a market most analysts still expect to appreciate, and the ability to specify finishes and unit selection before stock thins out closer to handover.
Luxury apartments dominated the highest-value transactions in May. The single largest sale crossed AED 112 million, and Palm Jumeirah alone accounted for five of the ten highest-value deals of the month. A hot top-end is meaningful for the mid-market for two reasons. First, it confirms ongoing inbound capital from international and ultra-high-net-worth buyers, which has historically pulled demand down through the price stack over the following quarters. Second, it sharpens the value proposition of well-located developments outside the AED 5,000+/sqft luxury cluster — communities like Jumeirah Village Circle, where the average is closer to AED 1,400–1,500/sqft, are the natural next stop for buyers and tenants priced out of the top.
In our 1 May post we covered the revised rules on the two-year property-linked residency visa, where the AED 750,000 minimum had been quietly eased on the DLD-affiliated Cube Centre platform. Since then, the position has firmed up: the AED 750,000 minimum has been removed entirely for individual buyers as a measure to stimulate market demand. The practical consequence for NYX buyers is unchanged from our earlier note, but now stands on firmer regulatory ground. A sole purchaser of any title-deed property in their own name is, on the current rule, eligible for the two-year residency visa — meaning every available unit at Xenia Residence in JVC, starting from AED 637,000, now qualifies. As always, we recommend confirming current eligibility with a registered Dubai immigration consultant before making a purchase decision on visa grounds alone.
Several research desks have updated their 2026 forecasts in the past month. The consensus has settled into a 5–8% appreciation range for Dubai residential prices in 2026, down from the 12–22% annual growth recorded across 2024 and 2025. That is a meaningful step down, but it is still appreciation, not decline — and it matches what a maturing market typically looks like once supply catches up with the first wave of demand. For a buyer holding an off-plan unit over the construction window, the relevant question is not whether the market will keep posting double-digit annual gains. It is whether the combination of appreciation on the fixed purchase price, the developer payment plan spreading capital across two to three years, and the rental yield available on handover still produces a sound return. The current numbers — particularly in JVC, where rental yields sit in the 7–9% band — say they do.
Early June activity has continued the May pattern. On a single Friday in the first week of the month, Dubai's property market processed roughly AED 1.04 billion in sales across 468 transactions, including AED 517 million of land plots in Umm Suqeim and Dubai Maritime City. New residential launches concentrated around MBR City, Business Bay and JVC continue to come to market. The shape of the rest of the year, on current trends, looks straightforward: continued strong volumes weighted toward off-plan, moderating but positive price growth, and a regulatory backdrop now actively pulling new investors in.
Our two current developments sit squarely in the parts of the market doing the heavy lifting. Xenia Residence in Jumeirah Village Circle hands over Q4 2026 — a near-term completion in a community with sector-leading rental yields and entry prices that qualify a sole purchaser for the two-year residency visa under the new rule. Calla Isle on Dubai Islands completes Q3 2028, in a waterfront destination whose pricing is still set against an emerging-area baseline rather than the established premium of comparable beachfront communities.
If you have been holding off through the spring uncertainty waiting for a clearer signal, May has provided it. Speak with our team directly to discuss current availability, payment plans, and the practical visa position on your preferred unit type.