The Off Plan Guide
The Burj Khalifa rising above the illuminated Downtown Dubai skyline and highway interchange at night

Abu Dhabi · Dubai · Ras Al Khaimah

An advisor's read on
the UAE property market.

Most property advice is written to close you. This is written to underwrite the asset — developers compared on delivery data, supply risk flagged with the source attached, yields quoted gross with the deductions named, and the projects I would not buy said out loud.

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What are you trying to work out?
Build my planMonday Market SignalCompare areasBranded & trophyAll 31 guides
31 guidesEvery figure sourced
22 areas mappedPrices, rents, yields
80+ projectsTracked across the map
Updated dailyLast: 25 August 2026
WhatsApp, not forms+971 55 133 2392

Three tools, zero forms

Start with your situation, not with listings

  • A view of the Dubai city lights at night from the top of a skyscraper

    Interactive

    Build your investment plan

    Five taps — goal, budget, timeline — and you get a genuine starting plan on screen: matched areas with sourced numbers, payment-plan logic, and what to read next. Nothing to fill in.

  • Aerial view of Dubai's coastline and cityscape

    Interactive

    Explore the Dubai investment map

    Twenty-two areas on satellite view, tap to compare — prices per sqft, rents, gross yields, top off-plan projects and the honest outlook for each, sources included.

  • Dubai city skyline seen across the water at sunset

    Every Monday

    The Monday Market Signal

    What the week's transaction data actually said — volume, value, where the deals landed and the largest trades — read against the same week a year ago rather than against last month.

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The four guides most buyers need first

Start with the goal, not the listing

What are you optimising for?

These four pull against each other. The highest yields are rarely where the strongest appreciation is, and the best relocation buy is often a mediocre investment. Deciding which one you are actually solving for is most of the work.

  • The Burj Khalifa and surrounding skyscrapers above a multi-level highway interchange in Dubai

    Relocation

    Move to the UAE

    Residency, schools, the commute, and buying something you will actually live in. Residency routes, the AED 2M Golden Visa threshold, and what actually changes about a purchase when you intend to live in it.

  • Aerial view of a Dubai district beside a body of water

    Growth

    Capital appreciation

    Buy where the catalyst is real and the supply is not about to swamp it. Which catalysts are real — the airport move, the Blue Line, the 2040 plan — and which submarkets have already committed too much supply.

  • Dubai city buildings behind an outdoor swimming pool

    Yield

    Rental yield

    Income you can bank, with service charges and voids already taken out. Gross versus net across 22 mapped areas, service charges named, and where short-let genuinely beats a standard tenancy.

  • Dubai city skyline seen across the water at sunset

    Cash flow

    Cash-flow optimisation

    Payment plans, leverage and exit timing arranged around your liquidity, not the brochure. Payment-plan structures compared, handover-cost modelling, and when selling before completion is the right call.

  • Aerial view of the Burj Al Arab hotel standing on the water

    Trophy assets

    Branded residences

    Bulgari, Aman, Four Seasons, Baccarat, Bugatti and the rest — priced against the same brands worldwide, so you can see where the premium is earned rather than simply charged.

  • Panoramic view of the Dubai city skyline at night

    From abroad

    I'm buying from another country

    Moving money legally from India, the US, Europe, China or Africa — home-country tax realities, company structures, and the exit plan.

Or browse all 31 guides in one place →

The market, in numbers

Three charts that answer most first questions

Price buys you location; yield pays you back. They pull against each other almost perfectly in Dubai, and the third chart is the one nobody in a sales office will show you.

What a square foot costs, by area

Bars are the midpoint of the sourced band; the thin line behind shows the full range. Wide bands mean the market itself disagrees.

What a square foot costs, by areaPalm Jumeirah~3,500Dubai Maritime City~3,140Downtown Dubai2,900–3,200Dubai Creek Harbour2,500–2,600Dubai Hills Estate2,250–2,450Business Bay1,900–2,550Dubai Islands~2,140Dubai Marina2,050–2,150JBR1,900–2,300JVC~1,470JLT~1,470Damac Lagoons1,150–1,750Arjan~1,355Al Furjan~1,320Dubai South1,150–1,450
See the numbers as a table
ItemValueSourced range
Palm Jumeirah~3,500— · average; branded launches far higher
Dubai Maritime City~3,140— · community average
Downtown Dubai2,900–3,2002,900–3,200
Dubai Creek Harbour2,500–2,6002,500–2,600
Dubai Hills Estate2,250–2,4502,250–2,450 · apartments
Business Bay1,900–2,5501,900–2,550 · sources diverge
Dubai Islands~2,140—
Dubai Marina2,050–2,1502,050–2,150
JBR1,900–2,3001,900–2,300 · 2025 snapshot
JVC~1,470—
JLT~1,470— · resales nearer 1,700
Damac Lagoons1,150–1,7501,150–1,750
Arjan~1,355—
Al Furjan~1,320— · apartments
Dubai South1,150–1,4501,150–1,450

Compiled from Bayut H1 2026, Property Monitor Jan–Jun 2026, YallaValue, Excel Properties and Oliva, per area. Figures are AED per sqft and move constantly — treat them as a starting point, not a quote.

What it pays back, gross

Gross yield only — before service charges, voids, agency and management. Net is always lower, and the gap is widest where the headline looks best.

What it pays back, grossDubailand Residence6.5–9%Al Furjan7–8%Arjan6.5–8.5%Town Square7–7.6%JVC7.2%Dubai South7.2%JLT6–8%Business Bay6.3%Dubai Hills Estate6.1%Dubai Marina5.9%Downtown Dubai5.5–7%Dubai Creek Harbour~5.5%Dubai Maritime City~5%Palm Jumeirah4.5%
See the numbers as a table
ItemGross yieldSourced range
Dubailand Residence6.5–9%6.5–9%
Al Furjan7–8%7–8% · 1-bed
Arjan6.5–8.5%6.5–8.5%
Town Square7–7.6%7–7.6% · apartments
JVC7.2%—
Dubai South7.2%— · early market
JLT6–8%6–8%
Business Bay6.3%—
Dubai Hills Estate6.1%— · apartments
Dubai Marina5.9%—
Downtown Dubai5.5–7%5.5–7%
Dubai Creek Harbour~5.5%—
Dubai Maritime City~5%— · studios 6–7%
Palm Jumeirah4.5%— · lowest of the majors

Compiled from Bayut H1 2026, Global Property Guide, Aigents Realty, Excel Properties and Oliva, per area. Gross and historical — not a forecast, and not a promise of any return.

Who actually hands over on time

One research firm's published estimates of on-time delivery rates across major Dubai developers. Not a regulator finding — an outside estimate, shown because it is the question buyers ask most and the one brochures never answer.

Who actually hands over on timeEmaar85–90%Sobha Realty80–85%Omniyat75–82%DAMAC70–80%Danube65–75%
See the numbers as a table
ItemGross yieldSourced range
Emaar85–90%85–90% · avg delay 2–4 months
Sobha Realty80–85%80–85% · avg delay 3–6 months
Omniyat75–82%75–82% · avg delay 4–8 months
DAMAC70–80%70–80% · avg delay 6–12 months
Danube65–75%65–75% · avg delay 8–14 months

Estimates published by Real Estate Club Dubai, March 2026, which also puts market-wide 2024 handover delays at roughly 42% of projects and an average slip of 8.5 months. These are that firm's figures, not official DLD statistics, and every developer here has delivered many projects on time.

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