Insights

What to settle before deciding.

Background on the market, the law and the process. No hard sell, no promises of returns — just the points that usually do not come up in a sales conversation.

Case studies 13 September 2026 2 min

One project in JVC, two buyers, two decisions

The same starting point, two decisions, and what became of them three years later.

Buying process 23 August 2026 2 min

Buying remotely — what works without being there, and what does not

Most steps of a property purchase in Dubai can be handled from abroad. What matters is knowing the few that cannot — and planning for them early.

Market knowledge 23 August 2026 2 min

AED, dollar, euro — which currency risk you actually carry

The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar for decades. For an investor who thinks in euros, that shifts the question: it is not AED against euro, but dollar against euro.

Law & tax 23 August 2026 2 min

The developer contract — five clauses that decide things later

The price gets negotiated; the contract rarely does. Yet it sets the rules for exactly those situations in which things turn awkward.

Buying process 23 August 2026 2 min

Handover — the appointment with the greatest leverage

Before acceptance you hold something; afterwards you make a request. Knowing that difference changes how you prepare for the day.

Areas 23 August 2026 2 min

New infrastructure — what it does to a location, and what it does not

An announced metro line is a powerful selling point. As a reason to buy it is weaker than it sounds, because the market priced it in long before anything was built.

Buying process 23 August 2026 2 min

A bank account as a non-resident — what you need one for, and what you do not

An account in the Emirates is often not strictly required for the purchase itself. For everything that follows it becomes a daily matter — which is exactly why it should be settled early.

Buying process 23 August 2026 2 min

When the date passes — delay on an off-plan purchase

Delays are the rule rather than the exception in off-plan. The question is not whether it happens, but what your contract provides for when it does.

Buying process 23 August 2026 2 min

The payment plan — leverage and tether at once

Staged instalments lower the capital committed at the outset. They also bind: anyone wanting out faces the plan, not the market.

Law & tax 23 August 2026 2 min

Moving rent and sale proceeds home — what it actually depends on

Getting money out of the Emirates rarely fails because something is forbidden. It fails on evidence nobody collected — years after the purchase.

Law & tax 23 August 2026 2 min

Two jurisdictions, one estate — where wills contradict each other

A registered will in the Emirates governs your assets there. As soon as a second one exists in your country of residence, a question arises that neither answers on its own.

Market knowledge 18 August 2026 2 min

Service charges — the number that decides every yield calculation

Purchase price and rent appear in every listing. The line item that decides your actual return rarely does — and it varies several-fold between comparable properties.

Buying process 12 August 2026 2 min

Off-plan or completed — the decision that comes before choosing a property

Buy before completion, or buy a finished apartment? These are not two variants of the same investment but two different transactions with different risk profiles.

Law & tax 05 August 2026 2 min

What a registered will in the UAE settles — and what it does not

The point almost everyone postpones because it is uncomfortable. Without provision, the succession law of your country of residence does not automatically govern your assets in the Emirates.

The guide

Twelve points to settle before buying property in Dubai — as one connected framework rather than separate articles.

Read the guide