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Who Has Sold the Most Properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates This Year: What the Data Tells You
By Zarak Khan
September 26, 2026 · 10 min read
If you have been wondering who has sold the most properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this year, you are not alone. Volume data matters whether you are choosing an agent, benchmarking a price, or simply trying to understand where the market is moving in 2026. This article breaks down what the transaction data shows, which brokerages are leading by volume, and what all of it actually means for your buying or selling decision.

1. Why Property Sales Volume Data Matters in Dubai
Sales volume is one of the clearest signals of market activity. In Dubai, every property transaction must be registered with the Dubai Land Department (DLD), which means the city has one of the most transparent and complete transaction records of any real estate market in the region. When you look at who has sold the most properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this year, you are drawing on a verified public dataset rather than self-reported marketing claims.
What the Dubai Land Department Records
The DLD logs every sale, including the property type, location, price, and the brokerage involved. These records are updated continuously and feed into the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) system. By September 2026, the DLD had already recorded over 120,000 residential transactions for the calendar year, a figure that puts 2026 on track to surpass 2025's full-year total. That volume creates a rich dataset for understanding which firms are genuinely active in the market.
Why Volume Is Not the Whole Picture
A high transaction count tells you about reach and scale, but it does not automatically tell you about service quality or the ability to achieve the best price for your specific property. A brokerage that closes 3,000 transactions per year in Dubai operates very differently from a specialist agent who closes 80 transactions in one district and knows every comparable sale on that street. Both types of expertise have genuine value depending on what you need.
If you are selling a villa in Arabian Ranches or an apartment in Dubai Marina, understanding both the macro volume leaders and the agents who specialise in your specific community gives you the clearest picture. For more on what drives pricing and timelines in those communities, see the companion article on selling a home in Arabian Ranches.
2. Which Brokerages Have Sold the Most Properties in Dubai This Year
Several large brokerages consistently appear at the top of DLD transaction rankings. By volume of registered sales in 2026, the firms that recur most frequently in verified data include Emaar Properties' own sales arm (which benefits from being the developer behind Downtown Dubai, Dubai Hills Estate, and Creek Harbour), along with large independent brokerages such as Betterhomes, Allsopp and Allsopp, Haus and Haus, and fäm Properties. Each of these firms operates across multiple communities and handles both off-plan and secondary market transactions.
The Brokerages Leading by Transaction Count
fäm Properties has publicly reported being among the highest-volume independent brokerages in Dubai for several consecutive years, citing DLD data to back that claim. Betterhomes, which has been operating in Dubai since 1986, maintains a large secondary market share particularly in established communities such as Jumeirah, Mirdif, and the Springs. Allsopp and Allsopp built its reputation on residential sales in communities from JVC to Emirates Hills. Haus and Haus has a strong footprint in Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, and the Palm Jumeirah apartment segment.
How the Dubai Land Department Recognises Top Performers
The DLD formally recognises top-performing brokerages through its annual awards programme. White and Co. Real Estate, for example, has been publicly named by the DLD as one of Dubai's highest-selling brokerages. According to their own published account of that recognition, the firm attributes its volume to a structured approach to both buyer qualification and listing presentation. DLD recognition of this kind is one of the more reliable external signals available to consumers, because it is based on verified transaction data rather than self-reported figures.
It is worth noting that the DLD rankings shift from year to year depending on which developers launch major off-plan projects and how aggressively brokerages push into new communities. A firm that dominates in one calendar year may rank differently the next if its primary developer partner delays a launch.
3. What High-Volume Brokerages Actually Do Differently
The firms that consistently close the most transactions in Dubai share a few structural characteristics that separate them from smaller operators. Understanding those characteristics helps you decide whether a high-volume firm or a specialist agent is the better fit for your transaction.
Scale of Listings and Market Coverage
High-volume brokerages typically maintain hundreds or even thousands of active listings simultaneously across Property Finder, Bayut, and Dubizzle, the three dominant portals in the UAE. That scale gives them broad exposure and the ability to match buyers with listings quickly. Many of the leading firms also have dedicated teams for each major community, so a buyer looking at Dubai Marina apartments is handled by agents who work that district exclusively.
For sellers, that reach can translate into faster time to offer. For buyers, it means access to a wider inventory pool, including listings that may not yet be widely advertised. The trade-off is that in a large brokerage, individual attention can vary significantly depending on which specific agent you work with.
Off-Plan Versus Secondary Market Specialisation
Dubai's transaction volume in 2026 is split roughly 60 to 40 between off-plan and secondary market sales, with off-plan continuing to dominate by count. Brokerages that have formal agreements with major developers, including Emaar, Nakheel, Damac, Sobha, and Aldar, tend to accumulate very high off-plan transaction counts because they receive direct access to new project inventory before it reaches the open market. This is a significant structural advantage in a year when new launches in communities such as Dubai South, Dubai Creek Harbour, and Rashid Yachts and Marina have attracted strong demand.
Secondary market specialists, by contrast, build volume through resale transactions in established communities. These transactions are generally more complex, involving mortgage approvals, NOC processes, and DLD registration steps that require closer coordination. If you are buying a ready property rather than an off-plan unit, the agent's secondary market experience matters more than their off-plan volume.
For a detailed look at what the off-plan payment structures actually look like from a buyer's perspective, the site's guide on investment property ownership costs and rental yields in Dubai covers the numbers in full.
4. How to Use Volume Data When Choosing an Agent in Dubai
Knowing which brokerage has sold the most properties in Dubai this year is useful context, but your decision should go one level deeper. The brokerage's overall volume tells you about institutional strength; the individual agent's transaction history in your specific community tells you about practical expertise.
Brokerage Volume vs. Individual Agent Volume
A brokerage with 500 agents closing 5,000 transactions per year averages 10 transactions per agent. That is a very different profile from an individual agent who personally closes 40 to 60 transactions per year in one or two communities. Both figures are real; they measure different things. When you are interviewing agents, ask for their personal transaction count in your target community over the past 12 months, not just the brokerage's headline number.
RERA-registered agents in Dubai must carry a valid RERA card, and their licence number can be verified through the DLD's online portal. This is a basic check worth doing before you sign any listing agreement or buyer representation arrangement.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign
Before committing to any agent or brokerage in Dubai, there are several concrete things worth verifying. How many properties has this specific agent sold in the past 12 months, and in which communities? Can they provide DLD-registered transaction references rather than just testimonials? What is their average days-on-market for listings in your price range? Do they have existing buyer relationships that could accelerate a sale? For more on how agent speed actually plays out in the Dubai market, the article on who sells homes the fastest in Dubai breaks down the data in detail.
Commission in Dubai is not fixed by law, but the market convention sits at around 2 percent of the sale price for secondary market transactions, paid by the seller. Some brokerages negotiate this figure, particularly on higher-value properties above AED 5 million. Understanding what you are paying and what service that covers is worth clarifying before any agreement is signed.
5. What Dubai's 2026 Transaction Numbers Reveal About the Market
The raw volume of who has sold the most properties in Dubai this year sits within a broader market context that is important for buyers and sellers to understand. Dubai's residential market in 2026 has been defined by sustained demand from international buyers, a continued influx of relocating professionals, and a pipeline of new launches that has kept transaction counts elevated across all price points.
Record-Setting Activity Across Key Districts
By September 2026, several districts had already set new transaction records for a nine-month period. Business Bay recorded over 9,500 apartment transactions, driven by a mix of investor purchases and end-user demand for units priced between AED 900,000 and AED 2.5 million. Dubai Marina continued to be one of the most actively traded apartment communities in the city, with median prices per square foot sitting above AED 2,100 for the month. Palm Jumeirah's villa segment saw fewer transactions by count but significantly higher average values, with completed villa sales regularly clearing AED 20 million.
Jumeirah Village Circle remained one of the highest-volume communities by transaction count, largely because its entry-level price points, studios from around AED 450,000 and one-bedroom apartments from around AED 700,000, attract a wide pool of first-time buyers and investors. That volume concentration in JVC means several brokerages have built dedicated teams there.
Where the Sales Are Concentrated
Off-plan sales in 2026 are heavily concentrated in three corridors: the Dubai South and Expo City area, where new master-planned communities are launching in phases; the Mohammed Bin Rashid City belt, which includes District One and Sobha Hartland; and the Creek Harbour and Ras Al Khor corridor, where Emaar's waterfront projects continue to draw strong pre-launch demand. Brokerages with formal developer relationships in these corridors are naturally accumulating the highest off-plan transaction counts.
For secondary market activity, the highest volumes are in JVC, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai, and Arabian Ranches. These communities have large existing housing stocks, established resale histories, and deep pools of both buyers and sellers, which gives active agents in those areas a structural advantage in accumulating transaction numbers.
For a broader view of how the overall Dubai market is positioned right now and what pricing looks like across these communities, the comprehensive Dubai real estate market guide for 2026 covers each district in detail.
6. What This Means If You Are Buying or Selling in Dubai Right Now
Volume data gives you a useful starting point, but it does not make the decision for you. The brokerage that has sold the most properties in Dubai this year may or may not be the right fit for your specific transaction. What matters is whether the agent you are working with has deep, current knowledge of your target community, a track record of achieving strong prices in that area, and the capacity to give your sale or search the attention it deserves.
If you are relocating to Dubai and trying to understand the market from the outside, the volume leaders are a reasonable starting point because their scale means they have seen a wide range of transactions across price points and property types. But for a relocation, local knowledge of commute times, community infrastructure, and realistic price expectations often matters more than raw transaction count. The Dubai relocation guide for expats covers those practical considerations in full.
Sellers should also consider that the agent who sells the most units in a given community often does so because they price listings accurately from the start, rather than testing the market at an inflated figure and reducing later. Days-on-market data from the DLD and the major portals consistently shows that correctly priced listings in Dubai's current market attract offers within 30 to 45 days, while overpriced listings can sit for 90 days or more before a price correction. That distinction has a direct impact on your net proceeds.
For a full breakdown of what to expect when selling, including realistic timelines and pricing strategy by community, the guide on selling a home in Dubai: pricing, timeline, and what to expect is a practical companion to the volume data discussed here.
FAQ
Who has sold the most properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this year according to official data?
By September 2026, the brokerages that appear most frequently in Dubai Land Department transaction records include fäm Properties, Betterhomes, Allsopp and Allsopp, Haus and Haus, and White and Co. Real Estate, alongside developer-affiliated sales arms such as Emaar's own sales team. These firms benefit from large agent rosters, formal developer relationships that give them early access to off-plan inventory, and broad coverage across multiple communities. The DLD's own awards programme formally recognises top performers based on verified transaction counts, which is one of the more reliable ways to cross-check brokerage volume claims. Rankings do shift from year to year depending on which major projects launch and which communities see the most secondary market activity.
Does choosing the highest-volume brokerage guarantee the best result for my sale or purchase in Dubai?
Not automatically. A high-volume brokerage signals institutional scale and broad market access, but the quality of your individual experience depends heavily on the specific agent assigned to your transaction. In a large firm with hundreds of agents, some will have deep expertise in your target community and some will not. The most useful approach is to look at both the brokerage's overall track record and the individual agent's personal transaction history in your specific area, asking for DLD-verifiable references where possible. An agent who closes 40 to 60 transactions per year in one community will often have more granular pricing knowledge and buyer relationships in that area than a generalist agent at a larger firm.
How can I verify a Dubai real estate agent's transaction history before hiring them?
Every licensed real estate agent in Dubai must hold a valid RERA registration card issued by the Dubai Land Department. You can verify an agent's licence status through the DLD's official online verification portal using their RERA number. Beyond licence verification, you can ask the agent to provide a list of transactions they have personally completed in your target community over the past 12 months, including the registered sale prices and approximate days on market. The major property portals, Property Finder and Bayut, also display agent activity metrics including listing counts and average response times. Cross-referencing these sources gives you a reasonable picture of an agent's genuine market presence before you commit to working with them.