IZMSTAR
Buying off-plan in Dubai
Payment plans, escrow protection, and what to check before you reserve a unit.
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Know before you sign
Plain-language guides to buying, renting, investing and selling in the UAE. Written by our agents, updated as regulations change.
First-time buyer checklist
From budget to keys — the full sequence for buying your first UAE home.
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Investment & rental yield
How to read gross vs net yield and where the returns actually come from.
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Buying off-plan in Dubai
Off-plan means buying directly from a developer before completion, usually on a staged payment plan (for example 60/40 or 80/20 post-handover). Your instalments go into a DLD-regulated escrow account tied to construction progress — the developer cannot draw funds ahead of build milestones.
Before reserving: confirm the project is registered with RERA, review the sales and purchase agreement for the anticipated completion date and compensation clauses, and budget the 4% DLD registration fee plus the AED 3,000–5,000 Oqood fee. Ask us for the developer's delivery track record before you commit.
Ask an agent +First-time buyer checklist
The sequence: set a total budget (add roughly 7–8% on top of the price for DLD fees, agency commission, mortgage registration and valuation), get a mortgage pre-approval if financing, shortlist communities, view, make an offer, sign the MOU (Form F), obtain the developer's NOC, and transfer at the DLD trustee office.
Expat buyers financing a first home under AED 5M need a minimum 20% down payment. Pre-approval is valid for 60–90 days — get it before viewing so you can move quickly on the right unit.
Ask an agent +Renting in Dubai
Rent is typically paid in 1–4 cheques — fewer cheques usually negotiate a lower total. On signing you'll pay a 5% security deposit (10% furnished), agency commission of about 5%, and register the tenancy in Ejari, which is required for utilities and visas.
Renewals are governed by the RERA rental index: a landlord can only raise rent within the index's permitted band and must give 90 days' notice of any change. Eviction requires 12 months' notarised notice with limited legal grounds.
Ask an agent +Investment & rental yield
Gross yield is annual rent divided by purchase price; net yield subtracts service charges, maintenance and vacancy. In Dubai, mid-market apartment communities typically out-yield prime villas — but prime stock historically holds value better in down cycles.
Check the building's service charge (AED/sq.ft) before buying: it is the single biggest drag on net yield. We provide DLD transaction comparables and realistic rent estimates for any listing in the portfolio — ask before you offer.
Ask an agent +Property & the Golden Visa
Buying property worth AED 2M or more qualifies you for a 10-year renewable Golden Visa. The threshold can be met with a single property or a combination, including mortgaged and off-plan purchases from approved developers (conditions apply to each).
The visa covers your spouse and children, requires no sponsor, and stays valid regardless of time spent outside the UAE. We can confirm whether a specific listing qualifies before you buy.
Ask an agent +Selling your property
A realistic asking price is set from recent DLD transfer prices in your building or community — not from live listing prices, which run higher than what actually transacts. Expect the process to take 4–10 weeks for a cash buyer, longer with a mortgaged buyer.
Your costs as seller: mortgage release fees if applicable and the developer NOC (AED 500–5,000). Buyer pays the 4% DLD fee unless negotiated otherwise. We market with verified photography and pre-qualify buyers before viewings.
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