Share of sales recorded as cash, 2026 so far
- Business Bay: 89%
- Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC): 86%
- Dubai Marina: 80%
- Dubai Hills Estate: 74%
Read it carefully
Off-plan purchases are almost always registered as cash, because a developer's payment plan is not a mortgage. In areas full of off-plan sales, the cash share looks higher than the share of buyers who could have borrowed and chose not to. Dubai Hills, with more ready homes bought by families, shows the most borrowing.
Why it matters
In most cities, mortgage rates set the pace of the housing market. In Dubai, most buyers bring cash, so the Central Bank's rise in September changes the price of a flat far less than it would in London or Toronto. It still changes your numbers if you borrow: on a AED 1 million flat, 80% financed, about AED 110 more a month.
Our read
Do not expect a rate rise to bring prices down on its own. Negotiate on the things that do move price here: new supply, how long a unit has been on the market, and what it rents for today. And decide whether to borrow on your own numbers, not on the headlines.
Waiting for prices to fall? Negotiate on supply and rent instead.
Source: Dubai Land Department transaction data, 2026 so far. Cash shares are our own calculation from recorded sales.