Dubai, UAE — Azizi Developments says more than 2,000 channel partners passed through its new brokerage academy during a nine-day opening run at the developer’s Dubai sales centre. The programme, branded the Azizi Center of Excellence, ran modules on construction methodology, engineering fundamentals, customer service and market analytics.
Set against Dubai Land Department figures, that turnout is substantial. DLD recorded 32,294 registered real estate brokers in the emirate at the end of 2025, which places roughly one in sixteen licensed agents inside a single developer’s classroom in under two weeks.
13,083 Brokers Joined Dubai’s Market in 2025
The broker base grew fast last year. DLD data shows 13,083 new brokers registered during 2025, a 38% increase on 2024, taking the total to 32,294 across 9,785 brokerage offices. Commissions paid to brokers rose to AED 13.59 billion, up 31%, while broker-executed transactions climbed 54% to 96,440.
Composition matters more than the headline total. If 13,083 of 32,294 registered brokers entered within twelve months, close to 40% of the licensed pool has only ever worked a rising market. The mandatory RERA route covers legal and procedural competence. It does not teach an agent how to read a construction programme or explain to a client why a handover date moved.
Secondary Volumes Fell 41.8% in Q2
JLL’s Q2 2026 UAE report put Dubai residential sales near AED 87.9 billion for the quarter, with overall transaction volumes down about 28.6% year on year. Secondary market activity fell close to 41.8% annually and 30.3% on the quarter. Off-plan held better, easing 23.1%. Prices did not follow volumes down: JLL still showed annual growth in the 2% to 6% range, led by villas.
Fewer deals across a broker base that keeps expanding means more agents chasing each transaction. For a developer carrying scale, distribution becomes the binding constraint. Azizi states around 150,000 units under construction. fäm Properties recorded roughly 48,000 transactions worth AED 176.7 billion in Q1 2026, with off-plan near 70% of activity, and chief executive Firas Al Msaddi described the market as showing “clear resilience” against regional uncertainty. Resilient volume still has to be sold by somebody.
Dubai Broker Training Modules Cover Ground the RERA Exam Leaves Out
Dubai broker training is mandated at the entry point through the Dubai Real Estate Institute: a certified course, an exam, then a broker card renewed annually against continuing professional development. The syllabus weights law, ethics and transaction mechanics. Azizi says its masterclasses were led by its engineering and construction partners and covered project development practice alongside technical detail.
For an off-plan buyer, the distinction carries money. Off-plan accounted for around 70% of Q1 2026 transactions, which means most buyers are purchasing a schedule rather than an asset they can inspect. How long each module ran, whether attendance was assessed, and whether any of it carries DLD-recognised credit are not addressed in the announcement.
Indian Buyers at 20.6% of Activity Depend Most on What the Agent Knows
Indian nationals accounted for an estimated 20.6% of Dubai property purchasing activity in early 2026, ahead of British buyers at 13.3% and Egyptians at 12.6%, according to Harbor Real Estate citing DXB Interact data. A large share of that capital arrives from outside the UAE, and the buyer never walks the site.
Remote exposure runs through the broker. Payment structure is where it concentrates. Independent platform Dealr.ae reports that several Azizi plans, Burj Azizi among them, are triggered by calendar dates rather than construction milestones, so instalments fall due whether or not visible progress supports them. An agent who raises that before booking is worth materially more than one who does not.
A Broker Trained by the Developer Whose Stock They Sell Is Not an Independent Adviser
Product knowledge and product advocacy sit close together. A developer-run academy improves what an agent can explain about that developer’s buildings. It does not make the agent neutral on whether those buildings are the right purchase for a given client. Dubai’s regulator polices the marketing layer through Trakheesi permits, a three-brokerage listing cap and fines reaching AED 50,000 per advertising violation. Advisory bias is not regulated in the same way.
Delivery risk stays with the buyer regardless. Property research platform Propsearch records Burj Azizi’s estimated handover as having moved from 2027 to 2029, and Azizi has not published a revised completion date. Buyers should verify project registration and escrow status directly with DLD rather than treat a training credential as delivery assurance.
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