Sharjah's real estate market booked Dh46.8 billion in transactions during the first nine months of 2026 — up 5.6% year on year. Total deals rose 14% to 91,560. According to the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department (SRERD), demand is supported by sustained investor appetite and a widening development pipeline.
Key numbers for 9M 2026
The Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department (SRERD) — the emirate's government real estate registrar — published its results for the first nine months of 2026. Total transaction value reached Dh46.8 billion, up from Dh44.3 billion a year earlier (+5.6%). The number of transactions grew from 80,320 to 91,560 — a 14% year-on-year increase.
By transaction type, SRERD reports the following breakdown:
- title deed registrations — 34,420 transactions, up 11.2%;
- initial sales contracts — 11,258;
- mortgage transactions — 3,839 worth Dh10.2 billion, involving 31 financing institutions;
- property sales — 24,749 transactions, up 2.1%, worth Dh35 billion, across 216 areas covering roughly 138 million square feet.
What is being bought: 80.5% of the market is residential
The sales mix for 9M 2026 shows the residential segment firmly in the lead:
- residential — 19,910 transactions, 80.5%;
- industrial — 3,524 transactions, 14.2%;
- commercial — 1,295 transactions, 5.2%;
- agricultural — around 0.1%.
That mix reflects Sharjah's role as the emirate where families buy their first affordable home in the UAE, rather than a speculative asset. For expats weighing cost of living and price-per-square-foot, this is a meaningful argument: the current level of mortgage activity — 3,839 deals worth Dh10.2 billion with 31 banks — shows standard UAE mortgage financing is working for buyers. We cover the broader picture of residential yield in the UAE in our ROI breakdown for an investment apartment in the UAE, with gross and net rental yields by location.
Where activity is concentrated
SRERD highlighted the five most active locations over the nine months:
- Muwaileh Commercial — 3,440 transactions worth Dh3.9 billion (the clear leader by both volume and value);
- Al Btayha's Al Bleida — 2,728 transactions worth Dh1.8 billion;
- Al Khan — 1,581 transactions worth about Dh2 billion;
- Mazerah — 1,115 transactions;
- Al Saja'a Industrial — 991 transactions.
Muwaileh Commercial — a district next to the University City of Sharjah — has been actively developed in recent years and remains the top choice for families working in Sharjah and the northern emirates. Al Khan is a coastal area and a working compromise for those balancing Dubai with a quieter Sharjah.
22 new projects and the regulator's position
During the reporting period Sharjah registered 22 new real estate developments — residential, industrial and commercial. That signals the pipeline for new construction permits is still running, not just secondary-market resale activity.
Director General of the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al Shamsi attributed the results to the development vision set by the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member. According to Al Shamsi, the figures reflect the "strength and sustainability" of the emirate's real estate market.
What this means for investors and expats
For private investors and expats considering real estate as part of a UAE relocation or investment portfolio, 9M 2026 delivers three signals:
- Growth on a "quieter" market. A 14% jump in deal count is not Dubai-style heat, but a steadily expanding demand base. For expats priced out of Dubai, Sharjah remains a working alternative.
- Mortgage channel is open. 31 lenders and Dh10.2 billion in mortgage deals — a key signal that standard mortgage schemes are available to resident expats.
- Pipeline into 2027–2028. 22 new projects — properties that will reach the primary market in the next couple of years.
Sharjah operates within the UAE's unified framework on trade, corporate tax and residency. For the macro context behind these numbers, see our UAE economy 2026 outlook: non-oil sector growth, demographic trends and demand resilience that support the regional property market.
