One project in JVC, two buyers, two decisions
The same starting point, two decisions, and what became of them three years later.
- Goal: apartment under construction, completed within 12 to 18 months
- Budget: up to AED 1.5 M
- Purchase: within two to three months
- Location: Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
- As of: September 2026
The starting point
Two buyers came with almost identical ideas: an apartment in JVC, still under construction but finished within twelve to eighteen months. The budget was up to AED 1.5 M, and they wanted to buy within the next two to three months. Both had projects in view whose completion seemed close.
What was checked
Before any recommendation, the floor plan was not the first question, but two others: who is building, and what is the actual state of the project? For one project of this kind, the picture was clear. The shell had already been sold from one developer to the next, the project had existed for around three years, and there was hardly any progress on site. A handover date twelve to eighteen months away was a claim, not a plan.
The recommendation
Do not buy. A change of developer at shell stage and three years of standstill are not a risk that an early handover date outweighs, because that date is exactly what is least certain there.
Buyer A
He decided on such a project anyway and bought it without my involvement. As of September 2026, around three years later, the building is not finished.
Buyer B
He followed the recommendation and bought a different off-plan project in JVC: a low-rise building by a renowned developer, purchase price around AED 1.2 M, payment plan 30/70. In return, he accepted that the apartment was finished a year later than he had wanted. It was handed over in 2025 and has been let since then for AED 90,000 a year, around 7.5 % gross on the purchase price.
What was confirmed
A handover date is only worth as much as the developer who has to meet it. Finished a year later by a developer who delivers was the better choice than an earlier date on a project that had already changed hands.
Putting the figure in context
The 7.5 % is the gross yield of this one apartment, before service charges, management and any vacancy. The market page shows 6.9 % gross for JVC as a whole. That is a figure across many apartments and not a like-for-like comparison.
Who this case is relevant for
Anyone choosing an off-plan project mainly by its handover date.
Both buyers are anonymised. Names, origin and project names are not given.
Keep checking
If you want to apply this to a specific plan, I am happy to assess it with you, or you can work through the twelve points before a purchase yourself.
