r/dubairealestate

My SM feed is flooded lately with Sobha 20:80 plan and DLD waiver offer. On the surface, it does look attractive — a 1BR unit in Sobha Central at AED 1.8M with only AED 360K required upfront but when you actually sit down and look at it, the PSF comes to around AED 3,186 which is already on the higher side, and then there's the elephant in the room — 4,000+ units across 6 towers. That's a lot of supply dropping at once. I genuinely don't see how 6% yield holds up in that scenario, let alone anything better.

The 20:80 structure is the only thing that really stands out here. Everything else feels fairly average. Yet every agent is pushing this like it's some once-in-a-decade opportunity.

Am I missing something, or is this mostly just noise?

Hey everyone,

I’m curious how brokers in Dubai are sourcing listings these days. The market feels more competitive than ever, and I’m noticing the usual methods don’t hit like they used to.

If you’re an agent actively closing deals, I’d love to hear:

• What’s your main source of listings right now? (cold calling, referrals, social media, portals, etc.)

• What’s actually working in today’s market vs. what’s a waste of time?

Any unconventional strategies that surprised you?

Appreciate any insights 🙏

Please don't let the payment plan hype cloud your judgment

There's going to be a lot of noise the next few days around Sobha, Imtiaz, Object 1, Azizi and others rolling out 20/80 offers. A few things worth keeping in mind before you get swept up.

1. A great payment plan doesn't turn a bad investment into a good one. It just helps your cashflow. Don't chase a project because the payment plan is attractive. The fundamentals still matter: developer track record, location, and entry price (not payment) are the most important factors

2. If you're looking at anything above AED 5M and planning to mortgage the remaining 80% at handover, do note that LTV for properties above AED 5M is typically 70-75% for UAE residents on a first property. Budget for the extra 5-10% you'll need to bridge that gap, because the bank isn't covering the full remaining balance.

3. Check when you can actually get the No objection certificate (NOC) to resell. Off-plan resale volumes are low precisely because most buyers aren't willing to front 30-40%+ out of pocket. They rather wait for handover and get a mortgage. A 20/80 payment structure does not mean your NOC eligibility kicks in at 20%. Don't assume and ask your broker and developer.

To be clear, I've never encouraged flipping. We all know about the upcoming supply and the slowdown in the market. Only buy because you believe in the project and can genuinely afford it and not because the payment plan is great.

The one project that I would actually consider: Sobha Sanctuary townhouses and villas. Some people don't like the location or think the pricing is steep. I disagree. Only 2,200 units, 60% green space, BUA above 3,000 sqft and plot sizes close to 3,000 sqft for the 4BR + maid townhouses, those make it a genuinely strong product. This is one end users will appreciate once the community is handed over.

I kept seeing "Dubai yields 7-8%, best rental market in the world" and wanted to know what that actually leaves you after the bank is paid. So I ran the same buy across 29 UAE areas and let only the area change.

The buy, identical everywhere: a 900 sqft apartment, bought at that area's own benchmark price per sqft, let at that area's own benchmark yield, 25% down, 5.25% over 25 years, that area's own vacancy assumption, service charges and operating costs deducted before the mortgage.

Result: zero out of 29 reach a DSCR of 1.00. Every single one is cash-flow negative every month at 25% down.

Best six (deposit you'd actually need to break even):

JVC                  41.5%   AED 410,850
Silicon Oasis        46.5%   AED 376,650
Arjan                47.5%   AED 448,875
Al Furjan            48.0%   AED 496,800
Discovery Gardens    48.0%   AED 324,000
Sports City          48.5%   AED 414,675

Worst five:

Al Ain               87.5%
Mussafah             66.0%
Khalifa City         65.0%
Corniche             65.0%
Saadiyat Island      63.0%

Median across all 29: 53.5%.

The part I didn't expect: it's an almost perfect inversion of prestige. The cheaper, less glamorous areas need the smallest deposit; Saadiyat and the Corniche need roughly two thirds down before the rent covers the loan.

What this doesn't say: that these are bad buys. Capital growth is real and isn't in this at all, and a cash buyer has no DSCR problem. What it says is narrower — at today's rates, a standard 25% mortgage in the UAE is not an income play. It's a growth play that costs you money monthly while you wait.

Assumptions are all above deliberately, so tell me where it's wrong. The two I'd push back on myself: service charge per sqft varies a lot by building, and the benchmark rents are area averages, not what a good unit actually achieves.

Genuinely curious about the one thing I can't model: for those of you who've bought here on a mortgage — what deposit did your bank actually want, and did the rent cover it?

I’m currently looking to connect with genuine, serious buyers who are actively planning to purchase property in Dubai.
Whether you’re looking for:
🏠 Apartment / Villa
📍 Dubai Marina, Downtown, JVC, Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis, etc.
💰 Investment or end-use property
🏗️ Off-plan or ready property
If you’re actually ready to buy and have a clear budget/requirement, comment below or DM me.
Serious buyers only, please.
If you’re just browsing or not planning to purchase, no worries—but please don’t waste your time or mine.
DM me with: Budget + preferred area + property type + ready/off-plan.

Posting as: Agent
Property type: Semi-Detached Villa + Staff House
Area/community: The Springs
Building/project: The Springs
Price: AED 7,500,000
Bedrooms: 4
Size (sq ft): 2,800 BUA | 3,670 Plot
Status: Ready
Images/video: Pictures available on request
Additional details: Fully upgraded and extended layout | Brand new MEP | Lake view | Private pool | Landscaped garden | Fully furnished | Vacant

Sharing this because a few people here have asked about entry points into Dubai real estate without needing full capital upfront.

We currently having a 20/80 payment plan — you pay 20% now, and the remaining 80% is due only on handover (financeable via mortgage at that stage). This applies to villas as well, not just apartments.

A few reasons this is worth a look right now:
• Low upfront capital requirement compared to most standard plans
• Developer has a strong delivery track record in Dubai
• Property values in established developer communities have historically trended upward as projects near completion

Happy to answer questions here or DM for specific unit details, pricing, and current availability.

I’m looking to buy 2 x 1-bedroom units in Dubai, mainly for investment and rental income. My target areas are DSO, Warsan and JVT.
I’m stuck between a few options:

DSO:
• Around AED 630k to 700k
• Buildings roughly 10 to 13 years old
• Good unit sizes
• Decent amenities
• Rental demand seems solid
• Main concern is the age of the buildings and future resale

Warsan:
• I found a 1-bed ready apartment around AED 620k
• Building is around 5 years old
• Chinese developer
• Building itself looks solid
• The building seems to have a large Chinese tenant population, around 90%
• The price is attractive compared with DSO and JVT
• I’m unsure about the area, tenant profile and long-term investment potential

JVT:
• Around AED 700k to 750k
• Good rental income
• Established area
• Main concern is the relatively high service charges

DLRC is out of the question.
Also, please don’t DM me trying to sell me a Binghatti apartment in DSO. Or any apartment whatsoever. I’m specifically looking for opinions from people who own or have invested in these areas.

My main questions are:

1. Is putting AED 600k to 750k into a 1-bed apartment in these areas a good investment today?
2. Would you consider Warsan for a long-term investment, especially at around AED 620k?
3. Is buying a 10 to 13-year-old building in DSO a concern for investment purposes?
4. Between DSO, Warsan and JVT, which area would you choose for rental yield, capital appreciation and resale?

I’m looking at this purely from an investment perspective, so I’d appreciate opinions from actual owners and investors rather than agents.

Landlord appointed new agent to manage his apartment. Agent sent us a new amended contract 20 days before renewal, putting in 1.5k renewal fee and some other changes. The whole annex is actually completely different to existing one. There is nothing about renewal fee in the current contract. We rejected or course. Now she is saying she can't proceed with our renewal process as we don't want to pay the renewal fee and to contact the landlord. We sent her the link from 2020 where officials are saying that renewal fees are not allowed, and we also told her they can't change the terms of contract only 20 days before exipry.

I am not Iranian but I am wondering if this situation is affecting Iranians who are currently purchasing real estate in Dubai? . I have heard that many of them have been deported in recent months. What has happened to those who already own property in the country?

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I found four 1BRs in JVC that looked pretty similar on the listings.

Same general size, similar asking prices, same bedroom count.

739-785 sqft, 950k-1.15M ask, all 1BR. Three buildings; two of the four were in Binghatti Aurora.

Not identical comps, but close enough that a normal portal search would put them in the same shortlist.

Then I reconstructed their listing histories.

The history told a different story.

What happened

Unit	Sqft	Exposure	Listings	Ask	DLD	Gap to Ask
Pantheon Elysee II	753	1d	1	950k	900k	-5.3%
Binghatti Lavender	739	42d	2	~970k	856k	-11.8%
Binghatti Aurora	785	5d	1	1.03M	1.025M	-0.5%
Binghatti Aurora	782	4d	1	1.15M	1.05M	-8.7%

Gap to Ask = DLD transaction price vs. the last recorded asking price.

The two Auroras are what really caught my attention.

Same building. Almost the same size. One listing each. Four vs. five days of exposure.

Yet:

1.03M to 1.025M (-0.5%)

versus

1.15M to 1.05M (-8.7%)

Same building, same rough size, almost the same exposure.

Very different outcomes.

It made me wonder how useful a building-wide asking price really is for one specific unit.

Then there's Lavender.

739 sqft. ~970k ask. Looked normal on the listing card.

Then the history:

42 days on market. 2 listings. Ask barely moved. DLD at 856k.

Comparable 1BRs in the same building closed across a wide range, roughly 840k-1.05M.

So I'm not saying 856k was "the market price."

The interesting part is that this particular unit spent 42 days around 970k before closing at 856k.

That building-level range doesn't tell you why this unit took 42 days to sell.

Pantheon is the quick contrast.

753 sqft. 950k ask. One listing. About a day of exposure. DLD at 900k (-5.3%).

Even a fresh listing doesn't necessarily close near ask.

This is where I started thinking about competition differently.

It's not only about which apartments look similar today.

It's also about which comparable units were likely competing with yours while it was on the market, and what happened to those units afterward.

A listing is a snapshot.

Competition is a history.

So I tried something.

For one listing, I'm trying to piece together:

• which comparable units were likely competing with it during its exposure
• how long they'd really been on market
• whether the ask moved, or the listing disappeared and came back
• which ones transacted
• where they closed vs. the last ask

The question I'm testing isn't "what does a similar apartment cost today?"

It's "what happened to the apartments this unit was competing with?"

If you currently have a 1BR for sale in JVC, drop the listing URL in DM, or comment with building + ask + sqft.

You don't need to send me any transaction details. The current listing is enough for me to start.

I'll pick 1-2 and try to reconstruct the competitive set here in the thread.

I'm more interested in whether the method is useful than in getting more listings.

Sanity check for agents: does this match how you think about pricing a listing, or am I over-reading listing history?

One question

If you have a specific 1BR for sale today and the seller asks "why 950k?", what would you want on the screen first?

Current competitive set: which comparable units are competing with this one now Real exposure: how long those units have been on market Exit history: how comparable units that already sold ended, and where they closed vs. ask

Reply with a number or combination, e.g. 2 -> 3 -> 1.