PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Construction Progress
“Construction progress 40%” on a developer update does not mean 40% of the building exists yet.
From Our Desk
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Construction-Linked Payment Plan
A construction-linked payment plan is the closest thing Dubai off-plan offers to risk alignment between developer and buyer, and it is slowly being repl…
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Completion Date
Every off-plan brochure in Dubai lists a completion date.
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Common Area
Common area is the part of the building you don’t own, don’t control, but absolutely pay for through service charge.
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Cold Lead
A cold lead is not a worthless lead.
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Closing
Closing in Dubai is not a moment, it is a sequence, and understanding the sequence is the difference between a clean transfer and a five-week nightmare.
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Cash Flow
Cash flow on a Dubai buy-to-let is almost always smaller than the agent’s model suggests, and the gap is almost always the service charge.
PROCESS · APR 28 · 3 MIN
Capital Appreciation
Capital appreciation is paper money until you sell.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate)
The fastest way to lose money in Dubai property is to buy on the cap rate you saw in the listing.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Canal View
“Canal view” in Dubai covers a range from a genuine 180-degree Business Bay Canal frontage to a thirty-degree slice between two other towers.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Buyer
Every Dubai property listing is sold to “the buyer,” but in reality there are four very different buyers in this market, and each one needs a different…
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Buyback
A buyback clause is one of those marketing ideas that sounds like protection and usually functions as fine print.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
BUA (Built-Up Area)
A client once asked me to compare two JVC studios, both listed at 480 sqft BUA, both at AED 780,000.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Breakeven
Most Dubai buyers calculate breakeven as “what I paid.” That’s the mistake.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Booking Form
Emaar opened a Dubai Hills release earlier this year.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Block Deal
A block deal is the moment a developer stops pretending every buyer is equal and starts negotiating like a commercial counterparty.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Beneficial Owner
The name on the title deed and the person who actually controls the property are not always the same human being, and UAE regulators have stopped preten…
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Balloon Payment
Balloon payments are where off-plan buyers in Dubai get caught — a friendly 60/40 payment plan with a “final 40% on handover” that nobody actually plans…
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Average Price / Price per Sqft
The headline “average price per sqft in Dubai” is useful for journalists and almost useless for buyers.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Appreciation
Appreciation is the word Dubai brokers throw at every buyer who asks “but will it go up?” — and it’s the least reliable word in the sales pitch.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
AML (Anti-Money Laundering)
If you are a new buyer in Dubai, AML is the first real conversation you will have with your brokerage.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Amenities
Every new Dubai building advertises 20+ amenities.
PROCESS · APR 27 · 3 MIN
Absorption Rate
Absorption rate is the number most Dubai buyers have never heard of, and the one most developers watch more closely than their launch price.
PROCESS · APR 06 · 3 MIN
What is Sub-Developer? | UAE Real Estate Glossary
Sub-developer units often sell 15-20% below master developer prices with aggressive post-handover payment plans — but that discount hides a catch. Build quality, handover delays, and resale value ride entirely on the sub-developer’s reputation. Here’s how to tell Binghatti from a name that’ll vanish before your keys are in hand.