The brief
Why you are buying, the budget, how long you plan to hold, whether you need a mortgage or a residence visa. This decides what is worth looking at.
Service
Real estate in Dubai, matched to what you need it for
No. 1 for buying property in Dubai for English-speaking buyers and investors: a RERA-licensed broker works out your brief, builds a short list across off-plan, ready homes and land plots, checks the documents and stays with the deal until registration at the Dubai Land Department (DLD), then lets the property for you once you hold the keys.
Find a property
Leave your name and number — we will come back with questions about the goal and budget, and a first short list.
Resale in Peninsula: how to buy the best apartment in central Dubai second-hand
The full write-up is on the video page.
People buy in Dubai for different reasons: to live, to let, to sell on at handover, or to put money into land. The reason decides the district, the format and the developer. A ready home needs 100% of the price at once; off-plan asks for 10–20% down and stage payments after that.
The broker runs the purchase personally. For adjacent tasks — a mortgage, a legal review, building on a plot — we bring in independent specialists who are not on our staff and are chosen for the job. We start from your goal and budget, not from a shop window.
Land plots and joint ventures in Dubai: how investors and developers split the profit
Land plots and joint ventures in Dubai: a plot bought for AED 15 million and sold for 30, the 50/50 split, the 20% escrow rule and where land deals go wrong.
Read the full article →What we cover
Letting your apartment in Dubai
We let apartments in Dubai on annual contracts and as short-lets: format chosen for the location, preparation and photography, tenant checks, Ejari registration and management.
More →Off-plan property selection
We select off-plan projects in Dubai by developer track record, payment plan, escrow, assignment terms and liquidity at handover — without borrowed yield promises.
More →Resale property selection
Ready apartments and villas on Dubai’s resale market: price from closed deals in the building, condition and document checks, negotiation, mortgage and registration.
More →Land plots in Dubai
Land plots in Dubai for building or resale, plot due diligence and joint ventures with developers. For investors with significant capital.
More →Vastu-compliant apartments in Dubai
Apartment selection in Dubai to Vastu criteria: compass orientation, the position of the entrance, kitchen and bedrooms, the shape of the plan. With the usual checks on developer, contract and resale.
More →What the work covers
The work has four parts: the brief, a short list, checks with the deal itself, and everything that follows the keys. Five filters — location, developer, layout, price and exit — remove 90 per cent of unsuitable options within minutes.
A short list
Five to ten properties instead of a hundred links, each with the price per square foot, closed deals in the building, rents and anything that could hurt a resale.
Checks and the deal
Documents, payment plan, assignment terms, escrow on off-plan, encumbrances and unpaid service charges on resale. We stay with you until registration at the Land Department.
After the keys
Handover inspection, furnishing and letting — the property earns without you having to be in Dubai.
Off-plan or a ready home: which should you choose?
Choose a ready home for cash flow and off-plan for capital growth. A ready flat lets from the first month but takes the whole price up front; off-plan spreads the payments and gives you a new product, yet earns nothing until handover.
If you will not need the money for three or four years, off-plan from a developer with a long delivery record makes sense. If you need a home and a visa now, only ready property works. Model the rent on year two: the first season after a mass handover is the weakest.
How much cash do you need to enter a deal?
On top of the price, allow for the 4% Land Department fee and closing costs: on a ready home bought in cash that comes to 7–8% extra. On off-plan the 4% is paid at the start, when the contract is registered in Oqood, not at handover.
With a non-resident mortgage, expect to put in about 50% yourself at a rate of around 4% a year; registering the mortgage costs 0.25% of the loan. Since February 2025 banks no longer lend against transaction costs, so about 6% of the price is needed in cash beyond the deposit.
What is checked before buying off-plan?
The developer, the escrow account and the contract terms. Payments must go to the project’s escrow account registered with the Land Department, and the true state of construction is the completion percentage in the RERA register, not the date written in the contract.
In the contract, look for the assignment threshold — usually around 30–40% of the price paid — below which you cannot sell your position. An example: the 36-storey One Residence tower, 453 flats, is still listed for early 2027 while published progress is in single digits.
When does land or a bulk package of flats make sense?
At a budget of AED 20–30 million retail ends and the wholesale market begins: a package of 15–40 ready flats, a freehold plot, or land with construction. A case from practice: 28 mortgaged flats in Sobha Hartland at AED 1,400 per square foot while off-plan next door sold at 2,500.
Land is the right to build: construction runs at roughly AED 900–1,600 per square foot plus a 10–15% reserve, and the full cycle takes 18–30 months. Without time, a second tranche of capital and a team, a plot is simply frozen money.
Does buying property give you a residence visa?
Yes: property valued by the DLD at AED 2 million or more qualifies you for a 10-year Golden Visa. Since January 2024 it makes no difference in Dubai whether it was bought in cash, on a mortgage or off-plan; a mortgaged property also needs a bank NOC.
A flat at AED 2.1 million with an 80% loan gives the visa on roughly 420 thousand of your own money plus fees. The visa does not bring citizenship or tax residency automatically.
How do you let the property after buying?
The format follows the location: a yearly contract registered in Ejari suits family districts, short-term letting under a DTCM permit suits tourist areas. The UAE charges individuals no tax on rental income.
The rent is set by closed contracts in your building, not by the owner’s hopes. In strong tourist locations short lets gross roughly a third more than a yearly contract, but service charges, management and void periods narrow the gap. Increases on renewal are capped by the RERA index.
Who does the work?
A RERA-licensed broker runs the deal personally, from brief to Land Department registration. For adjacent tasks we invite independent practitioners, not employees: a mortgage broker, a lawyer, an architect, a contractor, a site supervisor. We pick the right one, introduce you and stay in touch until the result.
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Find a property
Leave your name and number — we will come back with questions about the goal and budget, and a first short list.
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Reviews and explainers from our English YouTube channel.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I buy property in Dubai remotely?
Yes. Viewings run on video, the contract is signed electronically or under power of attorney, and payment goes by transfer. A resale unit still needs an independent inspection, and off-plan needs the escrow account checked.
Where do I start if I have not chosen a format?
With the goal: live, let or resell. Each goal has its format — off-plan, ready or land — and working it out takes one call.
Do you work with below-market properties?
Yes, that is our speciality: the catalogue collects listings priced under the market, including off-market offers that never reach the portals.
Can I sell an off-plan property before the building is finished?
Yes, by assignment. It goes through the developer and cannot be registered without the developer’s consent, and the contract usually sets a threshold — around 30–40% of the price paid — below which assignment is not allowed. Read those terms before you reserve.
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