Al Mana Global and Al Shafar Investment: what selling actually involves

Every investment case ends in a sale, and almost nobody researches that half. The mechanics in Dubai are straightforward but they have a sequence, and the sequence has costs and waiting periods that belong in your model from the beginning.

The sequence

• Price it against real transactions. Dubai publishes transaction data, so both you and your buyer can see what comparable units actually sold for. Optimistic listing prices are visible as such.
• Appoint an agent, or several. Commission is typically two per cent plus VAT.
• Agree terms and sign a memorandum of understanding, with a deposit — commonly ten per cent — held by the agent or trustee.
• Obtain the developer's no-objection certificate. The developer confirms service charges are settled and issues the NOC. There is a fee, set by the developer and variable, and this step takes days to weeks depending on the developer.
• Settle any mortgage. If a loan is outstanding it must be discharged before transfer, and where the buyer is also using finance the choreography adds time.
• Transfer at a registration trustee office, where the land department fee is paid and the new title deed is issued.

What it costs you as seller

• Agency commission plus VAT.
• The NOC fee.
• Mortgage discharge costs, if applicable.
• Outstanding service charges, which must be clear — the NOC depends on it.
• The transfer fee is customarily the buyer's, but it is negotiable and in a soft market sellers do contribute.

There is no capital gains tax on the sale in the UAE. Your country of residence may take a different view of the gain, and that is a question for advice where you are taxed, not here.

The timeline nobody plans for

• Finding a buyer is the long part, and it varies enormously by segment. Mid-market apartments in deep districts move quickly; villas, branded homes and prime waterfront take months, sometimes many.
• A tenanted property is harder to sell with vacant possession. Recovering possession for a sale requires the prescribed notice — twelve months is the long-standing period — so a sale on that basis has to be planned a year ahead.
• From agreed price to transfer, a straightforward cash deal takes weeks; NOC delays and mortgage discharges extend it.

What this means for the purchase decision

Illiquidity is a cost even when it never appears in a spreadsheet. In thin segments — branded, prime, low-rise waterfront — model a long sale and ask whether the case still works. If it only works on a quick exit, it does not work.

Fees and procedures change. Confirm current rates and requirements with the land department and your agent.