The value of real estate transactions in Saudi Arabia fell 15% year-on-year to around SAR 24.4 billion in August 2026, down from about SAR 28.7 billion in August 2025, according to Real Estate General Authority (REGA) data reported by Argaam. Residential transaction value declined 8% to SAR 17.9 billion, while non-residential value dropped 29% to SAR 6.5 billion. The number of transactions fell 7% to around 21,800, with residential and non-residential counts down 7% and 5% respectively.
Within the residential segment, land accounted for the largest share of value at SAR 7.8 billion, or about 44%, followed by apartments at SAR 3.2 billion and villas at SAR 3 billion. Argaam reported that residential transaction counts fell across most property types, with villas and floors the exceptions, rising 21% and 40% year-on-year. Riyadh accounted for 38% of total transaction value and 28% of the number of transactions, followed by Makkah at 23% and the Eastern Province at 15% by count. The rental market moved the other way: rental transaction value rose 32% year-on-year to SAR 10.6 billion, and the number of rental transactions climbed 37% to 446,300.
A separate dataset covering the earlier quarter gives context for the residential segment. Arab News reported that Knight Frank recorded 45,740 residential transactions in the second quarter of 2026, up 9% on the first quarter, with their total value rising 6% quarter-on-quarter to SAR 41.9 billion. On an annual basis, however, Knight Frank’s figures showed residential volumes 12% below the second quarter of 2025 and value down 24.6%. Riyadh recorded 10,667 residential transactions in the quarter, Jeddah 6,669 and the Dammam Metropolitan Area 3,896.
Knight Frank associate partner Amar Hussain told Arab News that the headline figures reveal “a market moving at two different speeds”, with residential buyers becoming more measured as affordability pressures and regional uncertainty influence confidence, while Riyadh’s office market remains tight. The consultancy expects the market’s progression to depend increasingly on actual delivery rather than announced pipelines, noting that construction material costs have risen about 20% since the start of the year. The two datasets differ in scope and period — REGA’s August figures cover all sectors on a year-on-year basis, while Knight Frank’s cover residential deals for the second quarter — and are not directly comparable.
References
Argaam – Saudi real estate transactions fall 15% to SAR 24.4B in August / Arab News – Saudi housing deals rebound 9% in Q2: Knight Frank
