INSIDERrealestate — HomeRates are indicative. Contracts and DLD fees are always in dirhams.
I am Oleg Svyatenko — a licensed broker who has spent four years and more than fifty personal transactions in this market. I help international buyers purchase in Dubai without the mark-ups, the invented urgency and the numbers that only work in a brochure.
I record conversations with founders and specialists working in Dubai. Tell me about yourself and what you do — I will bring the questions the audience cares about.
Get in touchAnonymised below-market listings from direct, verified sources. Discounts up to 30%. The base refreshes every day.
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Illustrative photo Full details on a listing are released once the investor confirms interest.
A quick estimate of the monthly payment. The full version adds an offset account, early repayments, EIBOR rate scenarios, the amortisation schedule and saved scenarios.
Open the full calculator →«We bought a two-bedroom in Peninsula facing the canal. Oleg compared the floors and the views on a 3D map, checked the prices against registered transactions rather than the developer brochure, and talked us out of the block whose windows faced the next tower. The difference for resale is obvious.»
«I was looking at a studio in Peninsula to let. Oleg ran three options through his return model and showed where the service charges eat the yield. We took the one he recommended — the first-year numbers came in on forecast.»
«We resold an apartment in Peninsula during construction. Oleg already had a buyer base — we closed without a public listing and above the price the agencies had quoted us.»
«We bought in Peninsula remotely. Oleg went through the SPA clause by clause, explained the payment schedule and what happens if handover slips. Not one surprise surfaced in the contract after signing.»
Who banks lend to and on what terms, how the final payment on an off-plan unit gets covered, what income you need and which documents. Sent over Telegram as soon as you submit.
Yes — any nationality. In freehold districts, of which Dubai has more than fifty, a foreigner registers full ownership with the Land Department, with no requirement to live in the UAE. Buying remotely under a power of attorney is routine: viewing over live video, signing through an attorney, registration without your presence.
The practical entry point in 2026 is around $150,000 — a studio with no view, twenty minutes from the sea. A comfortable choice starts near $300,000. On top, budget the 4% Land Department registration fee. On new builds the developer pays the agency commission; on the secondary market it is the standard 2%. Live prices by district are in the areas section, specific lots in the stock.
There is no annual property tax, no tax on rental income and none on capital gains. The one-off cost is the 4% Land Department fee at registration. The one running cost is the service charge for the building, at a rate approved by the RERA regulator. The tax regime is half the answer to why capital moves here.
Yes, on three tiers: a two-year investor visa from $204,000, a five-year retirement visa from $272,000 at age 55 and over, and the ten-year Golden Visa from $545,000 (thresholds as of 2026). Properties in different emirates do not add up, and the application is made in person. The visa renews for as long as you own the property and lets you sponsor your family.
Property that is for sale but not on the portals: direct owners, inherited estates, urgent exits, bank repossessions. Sellers like these have a reason to sell fast, and that converts into price — discounts in our base reach 30% below market. The discount is computed by an algorithm against comparable stock, and the base rebuilds nightly. The full stock is in the catalogue; listings stay anonymised until you ask.
Safer than its reputation: since 2007 buyer money goes into a RERA-controlled escrow account tied to the specific project and is released against verified construction milestones, and a developer must own the land and fund 20% of construction before sales open. Delays happen; collect-and-vanish schemes effectively do not. The detailed breakdown is in the FAQ on the projects page.
For housing overall, figures quoted in late 2025 run at 4–7% gross a year; a lot bought at a discount beats that automatically — the rent does not depend on your discount, but the capital you put in does. Rent is collected in dirhams, pegged to the dollar since 1997, so the income carries no currency risk. Deduct the service charge and voids honestly — net is always lower.
A completed apartment with no mortgage on either side — from a couple of weeks between deposit and new title: Form F, the developer’s NOC in about a week, registration at the trustee office in one visit. A mortgage on either side adds two weeks to a month and a half. Off-plan runs on the payment plan rather than the paperwork: reservation to contract takes days.
With the task, not the property: living in, letting out or reselling point to different districts and different lots. Look at the district numbers and the current stock — or faster, send your budget and goal on WhatsApp: I answer personally with the two or three options that fit and the ones that definitely do not. Advice and search are free; on new builds the developer pays the commission.
Tell me your budget and what you are trying to achieve — income, capital growth, a home or residency — and I will tell you which two or three areas fit, and more usefully, which ones definitely do not.
Telegram is the fastest way — I answer personally.
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