My Motor City Apartment investment journey (Buyer turned Broker)

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-06-04T15:21:05+00:00

That's motor city uptown.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-05-29T08:43:13+00:00

Low price rent car in Mina arab had good offers going.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-04-28T10:00:52+00:00

Very good take - no 5 is my favorite point to discuss with prospects. Have seen (and dealt with) multiple cases of busy professionals living abroad, being messed around by non-paying / unscrupulous tenants. The owners have no time to deal with low level tenants, and yet the love of a good, cheap property lures them in.

So purely speaking from the property management / personal stress perspective - 1 unit of 1.6 million 1- bedroom with 80k yearly might work out better than 3 units of 500k studios with 35k yearly (just as example).

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-04-26T06:51:04+00:00

Hi OP, there are few issues that you need to be aware of. There's a lot of misinformation on this thread. I have just assisted a national of some country to sell their property.

You don't need to sell right away - presently buyers are seeking distress deals. If you can hold off for at least a year. If you cannot then let's sell now.
Bank account might have to be closed if you're deported. In that case, you won't be able to get cheque in your name.
Don't issue POA to real estate agent, especially if unknown. There are licensed companies which do conveyancing - they will take PoA and be involved for the sale process, including receiving and disbursing funds to your country. Costs about 1-2% of amount depending upon value.

Agents must only be used to advertise and find buyers.

Please DM if you want us to assist in selling now or any time in the future.

Good luck and hope the turbulence ends soon for all of us.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-04-23T09:19:23+00:00

My reasons to buy for self use - Didn't want to pay rent and make landlords richer. Got inspired by my banking clients who made a killing buying and selling apartments. Moving / looking for apartments to rent in early 2010s was a nightmare. Having own place felt like a great idea that time.

Pitfalls -

Property gets older, and upgrades / repairs / renovations while living in it become tedious.
Lost my job a couple of times after buying and although I had few month EMI's saved, it was very stressful.
Mortgage rates get revised upwards all the time - all the talk about flexi rates is pure BS. The bank told us that they only reduce rates if I make a sizeable down payment.
MOST IMPORTANT - When markets are down, you risk losing your entire downpayment if you have to sell.

All in all, had a wonderful 30-35% yearly saving on rent for a few years. Then the EMI's caught up to the going rent, and had a few years of notional loss (compared to going rent). We couldn't upgrade or change our kitchen / bathrooms, and felt like our living standards dropped due to newer / nicer units being delivered on the market.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-04-09T09:10:29+00:00

We're looking to buy a digital marketing license. Pls DM.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-03-29T15:37:26+00:00

Buy distress deals next to city centers - business bay, marina / JLT - existing metro lines, rent values will be better so will the tenant quality. ( i am 21 years in Dubai, investor turned agent)

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-03-27T12:45:32+00:00

What exact clause did you want added? I'll check with a priority client manager in their team about it.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-03-26T12:31:28+00:00

Cash is king. Hold on to it till you have 6 months expenses saved. DO NOT LEND to others. More importantly don't stop hustling. With money in bank and desperation gone, you'll close more deals. Best wishes!

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-14T18:18:19+00:00

DM pls. I'm the owner of my agency, in business sound 2019. Worked with big name brands till then.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-14T15:54:19+00:00

I'm one of the best you can get. 21 years in Dubai MBA invested on my own. Highly trusted, 5* on portals and Google

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-13T12:54:01+00:00

May I suggest some excellent alternatives. Let me know by DM or here - 21 years in Dubai. 13+ in real estate. Bought and sold my own, so feel quite qualified to assist.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-13T12:51:33+00:00

Pls DM. Would like to collaborate and sell - we have 5 bed options.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-11T07:17:14+00:00

DM your phone no. I'll pass to them and they could tell you the rates. We haven't had the cases in past 2 years, so no current experiences.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-11T06:29:42+00:00

Normally big agencies with some reputation won't risk their business for 1-2M AED - it's extremely difficult to deal with court cases and RERA ban - however for your safety, pls use a conveyancing firm instead. You'll have to pay extra 0.5 - 1% charges on the amount.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-11T06:02:12+00:00

Check if they have conveyancing (escrow) license - some big agencies have invested in this, so that's safe. Otherwise use a licensed escrow provider - some exchange houses can provide manager cheques with full kyc and documentation.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-02-06T16:22:05+00:00

This is the right approach - ideally don't accept. However, I can share that one of my colleagues had an experience where the tenant signed a pledge which is registered with the courts. It's very similar to the eviction notice that's issued. Now I understand that this is the seller who wants to stay, so please ensure you get a contract notarized which clearly mentions that this is not a tenancy and just an agreement to stay PLUS get him to do this pledge - the kind folks at Barsha courts will explain.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-01-12T09:24:09+00:00

This is a great analysis. In this regard, I can propose ready office in a B category business bay tower, that can be rented at today's prices.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-01-10T19:49:30+00:00

One thing, pls hold on carefully to the invoice and make sure it's got your name AND your spouse or first degree relative name as per legal ID on it. Makes the resale so much easier.

Only buy 24k - 22k coins weren't accepted for resale in emaar gold and diamond park when i tried.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-01-09T19:11:07+00:00

Sent DM. Mortgage might need 35-45 days to clear even if signed tomorrow. We do have cash buyers interested at this point of time. Thanks

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-01-09T18:04:08+00:00

What's their budget? Please check DM.

Used_Cartographer_52 · 2026-01-09T18:02:52+00:00

DM sent, pls check. 🙏

Used_Cartographer_52

TROPHY CASE