Emaar Properties is Dubai’s largest listed developer and the company behind Downtown Dubai, the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall. Founded in 1997 and listed on the Dubai Financial Market since 2000, its largest shareholders are Dubai’s ruler and Investment Corporation of Dubai, the emirate’s sovereign investment arm. Emaar reported 2025 revenue of AED 49.6 billion, net profit of AED 17.6 billion and property sales of AED 80.4 billion. On the two questions that decide an off-plan purchase, whether the building gets finished and whether the developer can fund it, Emaar is as well covered as a Gulf developer gets.
The figure to watch is the backlog: AED 163 billion of sold but unrecognised revenue at 31 March 2026, up 29% year on year, against more than 50,000 units under construction. New sales have cooled, down 45% to AED 22.4 billion at Emaar Development in the first half of 2026, yet group revenue rose 21% to AED 24 billion and net profit 26% to AED 11 billion. Fewer launches alongside rising delivery revenue is the profile of a developer working through its book.
Delivery record
Emaar has completed Dubai landmarks for over two decades: The Dubai Mall in 2008, the Burj Khalifa in 2010, then Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour and Emaar Beachfront. The record is not spotless. Dubai Creek Tower was meant to complete before Expo 2020, and in June 2026 Emaar pushed its construction tender back by at least four months over material costs. Individual towers and villa phases usually move by quarters, which is normal for Dubai; the flagship megaprojects have slipped by years.
| Measure | Latest reported |
|---|---|
| Group revenue (FY2025) | AED 49.6bn, up 40% |
| Group net profit (FY2025) | AED 17.6bn, up 30% |
| Property sales (FY2025) | AED 80.4bn, up 16% |
| Revenue backlog (31 Mar 2026) | AED 163bn, up 29% |
| UAE land bank | 344m sq ft, down about 25% from its 2023 peak |
Payment plans
Emaar plans follow the standard UAE shape: 10% to 20% on booking, 50% to 75% in instalments across a three to four year build, and the balance at handover, with no interest charged. Two details matter. Instalments are tied to calendar dates rather than construction milestones, so a payment falls due whether or not the build has reached the stage you expected. And the 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee sits outside the plan. Since 2026 Emaar has worked with UAE banks on off-plan mortgages covering up to 75% of cost, a product that was previously rare.
Price positioning
Emaar sells at a premium and makes no secret of it. Dubai’s market-wide average was roughly AED 1,700 per sq ft in 2025; Emaar’s established addresses trade well above that, with Burj Khalifa resales averaging about AED 3,930 per sq ft in October 2024. Emaar owns the masterplanned upper-middle market rather than the ultra-luxury spike. It suits buyers who want a managed community with deep secondary demand and will pay for delivery certainty. It suits pure yield hunters less: the brand is already priced in, so the launch to handover uplift is thinner than with a smaller developer carrying more risk.
What to watch
- You pay for the plan. Off-plan homes across Dubai carried per sq ft pricing around 24% above completed stock in the first half of 2026. Buying off-plan from Emaar is a bet on a community maturing, not a discount.
- The plan is rigid. Payments are date-based, with no mechanism to withhold funds if construction runs late.
- Handovers cluster. Emaar deliveries accelerate from 2026 to 2029 in Dubai South and around Dubai Creek Harbour, and Dubai completed roughly 25,000 units in the first half of 2026 alone. Expect competition at resale and on first letting.
- Older stock is not immune. Service charges in Emaar’s early towers are openly debated, and Burj Khalifa pricing fell from about AED 4,750 per sq ft in 2014 to AED 2,470 in 2020 before recovering.
Frequently asked questions
Is Emaar Properties safe to buy off-plan from?
Emaar Properties carries less completion risk than almost any other UAE developer, being majority controlled by Dubai state entities, reporting AED 17.6 billion of net profit for 2025 and holding AED 163 billion of contracted backlog at the end of March 2026. Buyer instalments also sit in RERA regulated escrow accounts released against construction progress. The residual risk with Emaar Properties is timing and pricing rather than whether the building gets built.
What payment plan does Emaar Properties offer?
Emaar Properties typically asks 10% to 20% on booking, 50% to 75% in interest free instalments over a three to four year construction period, and the remainder at handover. Emaar Properties sets those instalments against fixed dates, not construction milestones. The 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee is payable separately, and bank financed off-plan mortgages of up to 75% are now available on Emaar Properties projects.
Do Emaar homes hold their value on resale?
Emaar communities have held value better than the Dubai average through the 2026 slowdown, with valuers reporting prices in established Emaar masterplans flat to modestly higher year on year while the wider market softened. That resilience comes from finished infrastructure and tenant demand that newer districts lack. Emaar stock is not immune, though: pricing in the Burj Khalifa roughly halved per sq ft between 2014 and 2020 before recovering.
