Payment schedules can range from increments of 10% up to 20%. It is at the discretion of the developer how they structure it
The benefit of buying off-plan is that re-sales command relatively high premiums therefore reducing any profit margin in the investment considerably.
Who Can Buy?
Any investor, overseas or resident, can purchase in Dubai’s luxury property developments.
Table of contents
Home Financing
If you are looking for home financing options in Dubai, most developers offer finance packages. However, Tamweel is certainly one of the best options. Tamweel offer a wide range of products for you to choose from. Tamweel finance properties that are ready to move into, as well as those that are under construction. They will even pre-approve your loan before you start looking so that you will know exactly what your budget is. In addition, Tamweel offer you the option of owning the property outright, or leasing it from them with an unconditional offer to own it at the end of the lease period – whatever suits you better. All of their products have been designed keeping your individual needs in view, especially the need for stability and peace of mind, and that is what makes us sure that they have a solution that is just right for you.
Payment Terms
In general, a deposit representing 10% of the buying price is required at the contract-signing stage for all new development properties. This is followed by what are known as stage payments that are made at regular intervals through to completion. Contact us for project-specific details.
Bank Accounts
Buyers do not need a local bank account to arrange purchases, though these can easily be arranged through our partners in Dubai.
Appreciation
Property prices in Dubai have experienced considerable growth, and are forecast to remain this way for some time. This can be clearly seen if comparing current prices with those of 6 months ago. Like all investments, however, property prices can go down as well as up.
To Buy on the Secondary Market or the Resale Market:
If during the construction stage of a property a second party wishes to purchase the property from the owner then the process is straight forward.
The buyer pays the owner an agreed sum which includes those payments the owner has already made to the developer and any premium applied by the owner.
Exchange of contracts with owner at the developers head office usually within two week period.
The developer will then charge a percentage of the original price of the property (typically between 2% to 7%) to reissue the PSA with a new name on it and update their title records. This must be done either in person or with the buyer’s authorised representative. The whole process takes a matter of minutes.
Contract re-issued in buyers name – there is no legal representation for either party or any stamp duty implications.
The buyer will then continue to pay the remaining instalments to the developer as laid out in the PSA. Commission, typically 2 to 3% is paid to the agent. The transfer fee is paid by the purchaser.
What exactly is freehold in Dubai?
Purchasing a freehold property in Dubai now means that you own the property forever or until you decide to sell it. You are allowed to pass this property to your family for example, and they enjoy the same level of ownership as you do.
Most important for investors, your resale rights are guaranteed, as is your freedom to rent out your property to a third party, though some restrictions apply to individual developments.
You should note that although these are freehold properties, some conditions on their owners apply, because they are “private community” developments. These conditions will restrict what owners can do with their properties, and oblige them to maintain their properties to certain standards, according to the themes and quality of the communities.
When buying an apartment, the nature of ownership is different from that of a villa, because an apartment is a unit in a building. These are normally classed as “common hold”. Sale agreements for apartments do, however, usually warrant effective full ownership of the unit, subject to restrictions applying to the building, such as renting out the unit, and making modifications.
Where can you buy freehold properties?
Most property developers in Dubai offer freehold, but so far most of the freehold developments have mostly been limited to the Sheikh Zayed Road, and the area of Jumeirah (including Palm Island). However, exceptions to this include the Arabian Ranches and Emaar Towers in downtown Diera. Other future developments include Nakheel’s International City project.
What about buying in other emirates?
So far, the UAE as a whole does not have laws regarding the sale of freehold property to non-GCC nationals. Each emirate makes its own property laws, as Dubai has done. Recently Abu Dhabi announced the availability of freehold, limited to “surface rights” for non-GCC nationals in the Al Raha beach area, outside the main city limits. Ras Al Khaimah, in the north, has created a similar development. The other emirates are expected to follow suit, but there have been no definitive announcements at the federal level yet.
Are property owners eligible for residence visas in the UAE?
Many developments give you the opportunity to gain a residency visa through purchase. Read about Procedures for obtaining a residence visa in our articles under Immigration.
Property Law
The freehold property market in Dubai really started in 1998 when the Dubai Marina project was launched. At that time there was no freehold property law, and villas were sold “leasehold”, on 99 year leases. In 2002 a decree was issued by the Dubai government granting freehold rights to non-GCC nationals (The GCC is the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.) This provided the impetus that has led to the size and dynamism of Dubai’s property market today.
Dubai Residency
The Government has stated that a special category of residence visa will be granted to people buying ‘foreigner’s’ properties. The visa will allow a purchaser to live, but not work in Dubai. The arrangements for granting, and the terms of the visa, are at this time unclear.
Only the Government of the UAE can grant these visas, not the developer or estate agent.