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Built for buyers who want returns, not just real estate.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since 1966, when designers at Letraset and James Mosley, the librarian at St Bride Printing Library in London, took a 1914 Cicero translation and scrambled it to make dummy text for Letraset’s Body Type sheets.

Built for buyers who want returns, not just real estate.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since 1966, when designers at Letraset and James Mosley, the librarian at St Bride Printing Library in London, took a 1914 Cicero translation and scrambled it to make dummy text for Letraset’s Body Type sheets.

What's Driving the Shortage

Three factors stand out in our data. First, coastal land banks in Dubai, Miami and Singapore are largely built out, with remaining plots concentrated in a handful of master-planned communities. Second, construction financing for large waterfront projects has become more selective, slowing the pipeline of new launches. Third, remote and hybrid work continues to widen the pool of buyers who can justify a primary residence — not just a holiday home — on the water.
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Marcus Odhiambo

Head of Market Intelligence, Gateway Group Worldwide

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Foreign nationals who don’t live in the UAE may acquire freehold ownership rights without restriction in Dubai’s designated freehold areas, under Article 3 of Regulation No. 3 of 2006. There is no residency visa requirement, no local sponsor, no minimum age, and no cap on the number of properties one person may hold — individuals, corporate entities and offshore structures can all take title. The freehold map covers most of the addresses our clients care about: Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, Downtown, Emaar Beachfront, Dubai Hills. A purchase can be completed remotely under Power of Attorney, and an acquisition of AED 2 million or more qualifies the buyer for a ten-year Golden Visa.
Structurally, yes — Dubai’s framework is among the strictest anywhere. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, every off-plan project must hold a dedicated, project-specific escrow account with a DLD-approved bank, ring-fenced so funds cannot be moved between a developer’s schemes. Money is released only against construction milestones certified by an independent engineer and approved by RERA, and the developer must place at least 20% of estimated construction cost into escrow — or post an equivalent bank guarantee — before sales can launch. A further 5% is retained for a year after units are registered in buyers’ names. We verify project registration, escrow status and genuine build progress before any client signs — and every payment goes to the escrow account, never to an agent.

The principal cost is the Dubai Land Department transfer fee at 4% of the contract price. The law splits this 2% buyer / 2% seller, but market practice is that the buyer carries the full 4%. Beyond that: Binghatti

  • Title deed issuance — around AED 580 for apartments; AED 40 on off-plan contracts Binghatti
  • Trustee office registration — AED 4,200 above AED 500,000, fixed regardless of value Realestateclubdubai
  • Developer NOC — typically AED 500 to 5,000 Realestateclubdubai
  • Agency commission — 2% is the market standard
  • Mortgage registration, if financing — 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290In practice, budget 7–10% above the purchase price for the full transaction. RealestateclubdubaiProperty Finder

One point that catches overseas buyers: since February 2025, Central Bank rules require these costs to be paid upfront in cash — banks can no longer roll them into the mortgage. There is no property tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax in Dubai, though your home jurisdiction may still tax the asset. Letsprosper

Yes. Our private office operates on client hours, not Gulf hours — viewings, calls and signings are scheduled around London, New York, Singapore or wherever you happen to be. Documents move through secure digital channels, and where a client cannot travel, a Power of Attorney allows us to complete the transfer at the trustee office on their behalf. Most of our buyers acquire in Dubai without ever having to interrupt a working week.