r/dubairealestate

I have a client with me that has been killing me and finally after losing so many direct options and all we go for a viewing. Now there are 2 agents involved me and another guy but idk what's wrong and how they work tbh, now the issue there is a certain budget hence the reason we chose this unit, but the owner js not willing to pay the 1% or NOC charges and wants to put everything on the buyer, and these things were not informed before only after viewing was done. The guy saying I didnt know either I forgot blah blah. Now if the client pays these amounts it goes over the budget by 4-8k which is not a good look. Since my client was already trying for a discount and yet i convinced them to just go with the same price. What should I do during this situation. Everything was set before the agent had to ruin it. And the owner not being fair and paying his side.

Edit: the unit is in Sharjah but its still the same concept

I was actually supposed to sign a property deal in Dubai in May and move there later this year.

Everything was lined up:

property shortlisted

paperwork discussions started

funds ready

relocation planning underway

Then the regional war situation escalated and something just felt off. I paused the plan at the last minute.

Instead of parking that capital into Dubai real estate,
I redirected a big portion into AI infrastructure & space stocks:

semis

optical networking

datacenter plays

cooling infrastructure

Fast forward ~3 months and that portfolio is already up close to 2x.

Honestly, this experience changed how I think about capital allocation.

Dubai property still has strong long-term fundamentals, but I started questioning whether people are chasing yesterday’s momentum while underestimating the scale of the AI infrastructure cycle.

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As a Dubai landlord, I had one of the worst handover situations ever — looking for feedback from tenants and realtors

I’m a property owner in Dubai and currently rent out around 11 properties. I usually deal with my tenants personally because I genuinely enjoy the hospitality side of it — making people comfortable, solving problems quickly, and trying to handle things properly when something goes wrong.

But this one situation turned into a complete nightmare.

Long story short: it was a fully furnished unit. The previous tenant cut his tenancy short after around 3 months and was extremely difficult with viewings and handover. He had confirmed he would vacate on 15 May 2026, so I lined up a new tenant to move in on the morning of 18 May.

Then, surprise surprise, he refused to leave on time. He kept delaying, and eventually I had to tell him that if he continued staying, I would deposit the next cheque and treat the tenancy as continuing. He finally vacated very late at night, around 11 PM, and sent a video showing the unit was clean and that cleaning had been done.

My property manager and I took it at face value, which in hindsight was a mistake.

At the same time, the new tenant’s agent was constantly pushing us to complete the Ejari because the tenant had to move in the next morning. I explained that we had not physically inspected the unit yet and had not even received final handover items like DEWA cancellation. But the pressure was basically: “I don’t care, just make it happen.”

Ejari was created, the agent disappeared as usual, gave my number directly to the tenant, and that’s where the saga began.

The new tenant first complained that the flat was dirty. We immediately dispatched a deep-cleaning crew. Then a few minor issues came up back-to-back, all of which were resolved within a few hours. At that point, I could already tell she had turned sour, and honestly, I don’t blame her.

Then came the real problem.

She found a bed bug.

I panicked, because that is every landlord’s nightmare. We called pest control, and initially they said the issue was resolved. I arranged a new mattress and sent another deep-cleaning team.

But when the bed was lifted, it turned out there was a serious bedbug infestation underneath. At that point, I felt genuinely terrible for the tenant. Nobody deserves to move into a new home and experience that, especially within the first 48 hours.

The same day the bedbug issue was properly discovered, I gave her the option to exit immediately. No penalty, no drama, no nonsense. Clean refund, plus extra reimbursements for the costs and inconvenience she had already incurred. I made sure every reasonable cost was returned because, in my opinion, it was simply the right thing to do.

Then came the agency fee issue.

She had paid close to 10% of the rent as agency commission. Personally, I don’t understand why tenants are charged that much, but that’s a separate discussion. The agent refused to refund even one dirham.

I tried reasoning with him, but he wouldn’t budge. So I took the tenant and went directly to the brokerage office to meet their leasing manager. I explained the whole situation and asked them, on a human level, to return at least part of the agency fee. I told them this is not my first rental situation and definitely won’t be my last, but sometimes people need to be practical and kind.

They made big promises during the meeting.

Three hours later, they called and said that after looking at it from a “holistic point of view,” they would not refund anything.

They even told me that as a landlord, I shouldn’t involve myself in the agency-fee matter.

But honestly, I couldn’t ignore it. If I didn’t do something, I wouldn’t have felt right about it. So I paid the tenant’s agency fee myself on the agent’s behalf.

The tenant was genuinely shocked and happy. She said this restored her trust in Dubai because this was her first major financial commitment here. That actually made me smile.

This isn’t meant to be a moral science post, but I genuinely want feedback:

As a tenant in Dubai, are you actually protected in situations like this?

If you move into a furnished apartment and immediately discover a serious issue like bedbugs, dirt, and habitability problems, what should happen legally and practically?

And for realtors here — do you think it’s fair for an agent to keep the full commission when the tenant cannot even properly stay in the unit immediately after move-in?

Curious to hear opinions from both landlords and tenants.

June is about to start and we’re slowly seeing transactions which happened after the recent regional war tensions.

What’s everyone’s view on the Dubai property market over the next 2-3 months?

If you find a property you genuinely like and the seller is giving around a 10% discount already, would you buy now? Or would you wait till August/September expecting the market to soften further and discounts to reach 15-20%?

At the same time, buyers still seem cautious because the overall situation feels uncertain, so confidence hasn’t fully returned yet.

What’s interesting is sellers still behave like it’s a seller’s market. Many are refusing to negotiate much, yet properties also aren’t moving at the same speed as before.

Do you think sellers will continue holding prices for the next few months? Or do you expect reality to hit and prices to correct further?

Curious to hear views from brokers, investors, and genuine buyers currently active in the market.

Hi I don’t live in Dubai but I have several rental/investment properties in USA. Currently mortgage rates and real estate taxes and home owners association fees don’t offer a good ROI so I was thinking to buy a 1 br apartment in Dubai.

I’ve been to Dubai several times. I spoke to many friends and agents there and am interested in a 1 br by Imtiaz off plan. It is roughly $ 270k and they said if I pay 40% I get a 4% discount. Handover is in q1 2029. Thoughts on this? I was hoping to either rent furnished or flip. It is across the street from metro near jebel Ali. Looks promising to me.

Saw someone ask about this recently and realised nobody actually talks about it properly so here goes.

If you lose your job here your visa situation gives you roughly 30 days. Your mortgage does not get that memo.

Bank still wants its money. Every month. Regardless.

Here is what most people dont realise actually happens:

Miss one payment and your AECB score drops immediately. Bank starts calling. Late fees kick in. Feels manageable but the clock has started.

Miss a second one and some banks already begin formal proceedings. Not a threat, its in your contract.

Third one onwards it can go to court. And here is the scary part, even if you have left the country by then that judgment doesnt disappear. It follows you if you ever come back or try to get credit anywhere in the GCC.

Now the part nobody tells you.

A lot of mortgage contracts have a hardship clause. If you go to the bank BEFORE missing a payment and explain your situation honestly some banks will give you a 1 to 3 month payment holiday while you find your feet.

The word before is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Once you miss a payment the bank is in recovery mode and that conversation becomes ten times harder.

Not trying to scare anyone. Just something worth knowing before you ever need it. Most people find out too late.

Hi

I’m an agent,I’ve got a 3 bed + maid in Murooj Furjan at 3.35m, which is lower than market price. it’s vacant, a middle unit and vastu. Will share more info if seriously interested.

Keeping this short because I don’t wanna give out all the info on the unit like that. If you don’t like that, idk click off my post

Also got other units in other parts of Dubai as well if you’d be interested in those as well

Honestly I’d say this is a pretty good deal. With DXB interact showing the average being well over what I’ve listed here.

Dm me if you’re interested, and let’s keep the comments civil please

Good evening all, hope things are going well for everyone

Client of mine is looking for a

- 4 bedroom
- MUST BE VASTU COMPLIANT
- Ellie Saab, AR3

- 6,5m or close enough

I can write a cheque as soon as we get something that matches the requirements. No need for a viewing.

Please please please, read the requirements, and if you don’t understand what vastu is and if you don’t have something in hand, don’t waste time for either of us.

I’ve put requirements on here before only to get harassed by agents who don’t pay attention to the requirements and cold call me relentlessly with the most unprofessional approach.

Good agents or serious sellers only.

Without offending anyone I want to share my two experiences of working with really estate agents online.

1. I sent a cheque to an agent to close a property who has agreed to work with 1% commission. He was trying to call me for a while however I was travelling. So late last night he sends me a WhatsApp message stating that the sellers agent doesn’t want to work with less than 1.50% commission. So you need to pay more!

Am I justified to be annoyed? It’s so easy for them to say it’s just AED 25k what are you worked about?? Are these agents playing a game with me? I feel like telling him that you have just spoken to me over WhatsApp!!! Nothing else!!!

Should I just walk away from this deal?!? It feels like bad omen.

2. I was selling a property via an agents that I knew via a very good reference. The agent asked my the price I had in mind. Fast forward on the day of sale at DLD office, I was told by the agent that the buyer is not paying commission because she doesn’t have enough money (this was a 500k property) so I agreed to cover the full commission due to my relationship with him.

Fast forward on the day of transfer my brother, who has the NOC to transfer, met the seller at DLD to find out that the poor lady was paying the commission and the buyer was paying 15k extra for the property!

Of course I lost my shit! I called my agent and I asked for explanation. Here is how he justified himself in my own world:

1. The mission of 2.5% is too less, you know that I have to split it with the buyers agents. (WTF).
2. Price difference, well you had a target of 500k in mind, so I got you the money, why do you care if I am able to sell it for higher!! 🤯🤯🤯. Because the lady was a first time buyer and an innocent person, they told her that we are settling the property at DLD for 500k to save you extra fee!! Of course I fired my agent right there on the call!

Why can’t the agents work clean?????

A Russian oligarch is looking to invest USD 500 Million, which is AED 1.8 Billion.

I've shown him options from Land to Warehousing to 5 Star Hotel Properties.

She is particular about just wanting to invest in a major High Rise Tower in one of the prime locations in Dubai.

If you happen to have something that meets the above number, hit me up with the details. Has to be a single Property.

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Three years ago, thousands of homeowners in the UAE opted for variable-rate mortgages.

Why wouldn't they?

EIBOR was sitting close to historic lows and rates below 2% looked impossible to ignore.

The same mortgage that felt incredibly affordable in 2021 is now costing many borrowers thousands of dirhams more every month.

Simply because interest rates changed.

Today's variable rates can easily translate into an extra AED 2,000–3,000+ leaving your account every month.

That's AED 24,000–36,000 a year.

Enough for school fees, a family holiday or a new investment.

What surprises most homeowners is this:

You are not obligated to stay with the same bank for the life of your mortgage. Banks compete aggressively for quality mortgage customers

The process is often much simpler than people expect.

Yet most homeowners never explore it. Why? Because their bank isn't going to call and suggest a cheaper alternative.

If your fixed-rate period has expired, you're currently on a variable rate, or you haven't reviewed your mortgage in the last 12 months, it may be worth checking whether your current deal is still competitive.

📩 Feel free to reach out via DM if you'd like a complimentary mortgage review.

Hey all — I'm working on a small personal project trying to understand how people here actually deal with renting and managing property in the UAE: I’ve been dealing with a few issues with being a tenant and wonder if others have similar issues and also understand from a landlords perspective how they manage their properties especially because so many have multiple

I put together a really short survey — about 2 minutes, completely anonymous, no sign-in. If you're a landlord or a tenant, hearing about your experience would genuinely help me a lot.

Link to Survey attached

Smooth or a total nightmare — I want to hear it either way. Thanks so much 🙏

I am direct with the seller who has multiple units in nad al sheba gardens (from phrase 2- phrase 8).

offplan

townhouse 3 beds
aed 5.5M - 7.1M
plot sizes - 2000 sqft - 6500sqft
BUA - 2500sqft- 3700sqft

villa 4 bed
aed 10.5M-18M
plot size 4400ssqft - 7700sqft
BUA 4900sqft - 5600sqft

villa 5 bed
aed 14.5M - 22M
plot size 5500sqft - 7600sqft
BUA 5900sqft - 6500sqft

villa 6 bed and 7 bed also available

ready units

4 bed villa
aed16.5M
Plot 5100sqft
BUA - 4600 sqft

5 bed villa
aed14.8m - 28M
plot size 5000sqft - 10000sqft
BUA 5700sqft - 8200sqft

7 bed villa
aed35M
plot 10k sqft
BUA 13k sqft

units close to handover are available. willing to work with agents who have buyers with serious intent

Ignore
Ignore

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A city doesn’t become powerful because of its skyline.
It becomes powerful because of the people willing to gamble their lives before anyone else believes in the vision.
In Dubai, most people see towers.
A businessman sees timing.
At 2AM, while tourists photograph the Burj Khalifa and influencers chase the next perfect angle, there are men sitting in quiet offices studying land maps, payment plans, infrastructure routes, and future demand. They aren’t chasing luxury. They’re chasing positioning.
Because in business, the real money is rarely made when something becomes famous.
It’s made when it still looks uncertain.

Every major district in Dubai was once called “too far,” “too risky,” or “too expensive.” Then roads arrived. Schools arrived. Metro plans appeared. Suddenly the same people who laughed started asking for availability and prices.
That’s the cycle of business everywhere.
Vision first. Validation later.
The interesting part is that business isn’t only about numbers. It’s psychology. The ability to stay calm while others hesitate. The patience to hold while others panic. The discipline to think years ahead in a world addicted to instant results.
Some deals make money.
Some deals build reputation.
The rare ones build legacy.
And legacy is what separates businessmen from traders
Because long after the launch events end and the headlines disappear, the real players are still there — quietly building, buying, negotiating, and waiting for the next opportunity before the world notices it again. Because long after the launch events end and the headlines disappear, the real players are still there — quietly building, buying, negotiating, and waiting for the next opportunity before the world notices it again.
Because long after the launch events end and the headlines disappear, the real players are still there — quietly building, buying, negotiating, and waiting for the next opportunity before the world notices it again.

EIBOR has been sitting at 3.79% for a while now.

For anyone with a variable rate mortgage that means your monthly payment is significantly higher than it was 3 years ago when EIBOR was close to zero.

A lot of people took variable rate mortgages in 2021 and 2022 because the rates looked amazing at the time. EIBOR plus 1% sounded great when EIBOR was 0.5%.

That same mortgage today is costing you 4.79% or more.

On a AED 1.5M loan that's roughly AED 2,800 extra every single month compared to what you were paying two years ago.

Most people just accepted it quietly. They didn't know they had options.

Here's what a lot of existing mortgage holders don't realise. You can switch banks. The process takes 2 to 3 weeks. Several banks right now are offering fixed rates starting from 3.70% with zero processing fee on buyouts.

That switch could save you AED 1,500 to 3,000 every month. Every single month.

The only reason most people don't do it is because nobody told them it was possible. Your bank certainly won't.

If your fixed rate period has ended or you're on a variable rate right now, it's worth 10 minutes to find out where you actually stand.

Happy to answer questions below or DM.