Overpricing costs more than it looks
The most common way to lose money on a Dubai sale is to start too high. An agency wins your instruction by flattering the number, the property sits, and three months later you are reducing it anyway. By then the listing is stale and buyers ask what is wrong with it.
A property priced correctly attracts its strongest offers in the first three weeks. That window is the whole game, and you only get one.
We price from what has actually transacted in your building or community, not from what neighbours are asking. You will see the same comparables we do.
What selling costs
Selling is cheaper than buying. The main variable is whether you have a mortgage to discharge.
| Cost | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Agency commission | 2% plus VAT |
| Developer NOC fee | AED 500 to 5,000 |
| Mortgage discharge, if applicable | AED 1,500 to 3,000 |
| Early settlement fee, if applicable | Up to 1% of outstanding balance |
| Blocking fee, if buyer is financing | AED 1,500 to 4,000 |
The sequence
From listing to money in your account, a straightforward sale runs four to eight weeks. A mortgaged seller and a mortgaged buyer together can push it past ten.
- 01
Valuation and preparation
We price it, then get it ready. Professional photography, a floor plan, and the title deed and service charge statements to hand. A listing with three phone photographs signals a seller who is not serious.
- 02
Listing and exposure
Bayut, Property Finder and Dubizzle on the same day, plus our own buyer list. Every advert carries the DLD permit number, which is a legal requirement.
- 03
Viewings and qualification
We filter before anyone reaches your door. Funded buyers with a pre approval, not browsers.
- 04
Offer, Form F and NOC
You accept, both parties sign the Form F, the buyer pays a 10 percent deposit, and we apply to the developer for the NOC.
- 05
Transfer
At the trustee office. If you have a mortgage, the buyer or their bank settles it first, then the balance comes to you by manager cheque on the day.
Selling with a tenant in place
You can sell a tenanted property, and investors often prefer one. What you cannot do is hand over vacant possession without following the law.
Removing a tenant to sell requires 12 months notice, served by notary or registered post. A buyer who wants to move in themselves has to wait out the tenancy or serve that notice after transfer.
This is worth deciding early, because it changes who your buyer is. Vacant appeals to end users. Tenanted appeals to investors buying the yield.