Questions

It can be, project by project. Off-plan works when the developer has a delivery record, the payment plan fits your cash, the supply completing nearby is known, and the entry price sits below comparable finished units. It fails when a buyer pays for a brochure. I check those four things before I say yes.

Count the projects the developer has actually handed over, and when, against the dates they marketed. The Dubai Land Department lists registered projects and their completion status, and the escrow account of every off-plan project is registered with the DLD. I keep that history for the developers I follow and share it before any recommendation.

Eight: how many projects has the developer delivered; were they on time; what is planned around the site; how many similar units complete around the same date; who will rent or buy the unit from you; what is due when and after handover; can you resell before handover and at what percentage paid; how does the price per square foot compare with finished units nearby. The checklist on the home page walks through each.

Yes. Non-UAE nationals can buy freehold property in designated areas set by the Dubai Land Department, which include Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Business Bay, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Hills Estate among others. Before you reserve, confirm the project sits in a freehold zone. I check that first.

I am paid by the buyer, not by the developer, so the recommendation does not change with the commission. On off-plan launches a developer pays a fee to whoever registers the sale, and I tell you when that applies to a project I bring you. Ask any advisor the same question before you start, and ask what happens when the answer is no.

The UAE Government portal sets the property route at AED 2 million of property value, which can be one property or several, held without a mortgage at the time of application, for a ten-year renewable residence visa. Rules change; I confirm the current conditions with the Dubai Land Department before you plan a purchase around the visa.

The Dubai Land Department charges a 4 percent transfer fee on the purchase price, plus registration and trustee fees. Off-plan purchases register an Oqood with the DLD. Brokerage commission on off-plan is usually paid by the developer, and on ready property is typically 2 percent; confirm in writing before you sign. Service charges per square foot are published per building.

Ready property pays rent from day one and its price is what you see. Off-plan spreads payments over construction and can be priced below finished units, but you carry delivery and supply risk. I compare the two on the same street when a client asks, with the yield on each after service charges.

Yields differ by area and by building, and they change each quarter. As a rule of thumb from the portals' published data, affordable communities such as JVC list higher gross yields than prime areas such as Downtown and the Palm, which trade on capital value and liquidity. I quote a yield only for a specific unit, net of service charges, with the source.

A developer sets a schedule, for example 20 percent on booking, instalments during construction and the balance at handover, or a post-handover plan that continues after keys. Every plan has a resale condition: usually you may sell only after a set percentage is paid. I read the plan and the resale clause with you before you commit.

Usually yes, once a percentage of the price set by the developer has been paid, often between 30 and 50 percent, and with the developer's no-objection certificate. Some launches restrict resale until later. It is one of the eight checks, because it decides how quickly you can exit.

An expression of interest: a refundable deposit that puts you in line for units at a launch before prices and floor plans are final. It is useful for launches that sell out; it is not a reason to buy. I register EOIs only for projects that pass the checks, and I tell you when to withdraw one.

It is a master developer's waterfront community still being built, with Dubai Square and Dubai Creek Tower still to come. That is the case for it: value that arrives as the masterplan completes. The check is the same as anywhere: developer record, supply completing at the same time, entry price against finished towers, and the payment plan.

The UAE has no personal income tax on rental income and no capital gains tax for individuals, per the UAE Government portal. There is a 4 percent DLD transfer fee on purchase and annual service charges. Your home country may tax foreign income; that part needs your own tax adviser.

Yes. Reservations, sale agreements and DLD registration can be completed remotely with a power of attorney or through the developer's process, and payments go to the project's DLD-registered escrow account. I handle the viewing, the documents and the developer contact on the ground, and we speak on WhatsApp.

Ask three things: how they are paid, the delivery record of the developers they recommend, and whether they will tell you not to buy. Then watch whether they talk about handovers or about renders. My own answer to all three is on this site.