Sharjah's property market in five numbers

2. 29,235 transactions, of which 9,978 were sales

The quarter recorded 29,235 transactions in total, up 18.9%. Of those, 9,978 were sales, up 22.8%, worth AED 14.3 billion between them.

The gap between the two numbers matters. The larger figure includes mortgages and other registered dealings; the sales figure is the one that reflects ownership actually changing hands. When you see a Sharjah statistic quoted with no definition attached, check which of the two it is.

3. 113 nationalities transacted, up from 97

One hundred and thirteen nationalities bought property in Sharjah during the quarter, against 97 in the same period a year earlier.

This is the number we find changes people's minds most often, because it contradicts the most common assumption about the emirate — that Sharjah is a local market that foreign buyers cannot access. Sharjah Law No. 2 of 2022 opened ownership to non-UAE nationals inside approved projects, and the buyer base has been widening since.

It does not mean every project is open to every nationality. The right you are granted depends on the specific development, and that is a question to answer in writing before you pay a deposit, not after.

4. One regulation worth more than any statistic

Under Sharjah Executive Council Resolution No. 37 of 2024, off-plan buyer payments go into a bank-supervised escrow account tied to the project, released against construction progress, rather than into a developer's general account.

For anyone weighing up off-plan for the first time, this is the single most useful fact in this article. The most common way buyers lose money in any property market is paying the wrong account, and the regulation exists precisely to remove that risk.

Three things to demand before you transfer anything: the project's escrow account details in writing, payment made from an account in the buyer's own name, and confirmation that the contract is registered with SRERD.

5. The infrastructure behind the demand

Market commentary on the quarter points to Etihad Rail passenger services and the expansion of Sharjah airport as medium-term drivers of demand, alongside continued delivery in the emirate's large master-planned communities.

Treat infrastructure as context, not as a promise. A rail link or an airport expansion can change how a location functions over a decade. Neither guarantees what a particular apartment will be worth in 2029, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing with your money.

What a buyer should actually take from this

• The market is liquid: more sales, at higher total value, than a year ago. That makes exiting easier than it was, and it makes hesitation more expensive at the entry price.
• The buyer base is international and widening, so competition for the better layouts is no longer only local.
• The legal protections around off-plan are stronger than most people outside the emirate realise.
• None of the above tells you whether a specific unit is well priced. That still requires comparables, a look at the service charge, and an honest conversation about the handover payment.