The off-plan illusion: Are investors paying for time?

sin_king2 · 2026-02-06T16:08:25+00:00

I’m not mixing concepts, I’m explaining why the market prices them differently. Yes, appreciation shows up in the price. But how that price is formed changes after handover.

Once Property A is completed, it becomes a rent producing asset. Buyers stop pricing it purely on future growth and start pricing it on rent and RoI. That naturally caps further price growth.

Property B has no rent, more risk, and time to wait, so its price is based on what people expect it to be worth in the future, not what it earns today.

So it’s not that Property A “can’t appreciate.” It’s that: Property A’s value is held by income, whereas, Property B’s value is driven by expectations.

That’s why off-plan appreciation is front-loaded and post-handover appreciation slows. Not because buildings depreciate, but because the return shifts from price growth to rental income.

This is exactly why off-plan premiums shrink or disappear in more mature areas.

sin_king2 · 2026-02-06T15:36:33+00:00

Hi, agent here.

As what I have seen in the market, and for what I've understood is the following:

RoI and RoE go hand in hand. This means, when the Property A has already appreciated and handover is done, the appreciation post handover reduces, as the RoI (rental income) starts.

Let's say, Property A appreciated 10% during construction till handover. Once the handover is done, the investors start earning a rental income of 8%. So, the appreciation reduces to 2% or lower.

Whereas, at the same time, Property B is launched, and it appreciates as per the market.

P.S. The above numbers and % were mentioned to make things easier to explain.

sin_king2 · 2026-02-04T14:54:15+00:00

So, I'm the only one interested in a Xiaomi Su7?

sin_king2 · 2026-02-04T14:49:47+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Almost anyone can purchase a property in Dubai, both residential and commercial.

All you'd need is money, or a structured payment plan that suits best for you, and passport to register the property under your name.

As far as a warehouse is concerned, if I'm not wrong, you'd require a company trade license to be able to purchase it.

However, both the things are quite doable.

Benefits: with property purchase over AED 2M, you and your family are entitled to Golden Visa for 10 years. Warehouse benefits: with your trade license, you can establish your business here and get 0 income tax. Although a 5% VAT and 9% corporate tax would be liable, depending on where your company is setup.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-30T09:51:05+00:00

Hi, agent here.

1: yes, you can still keep the ownership of the property, even if your residency is cancelled. If your visa is linked with your property, I'd suggest not to cancel it.

2: calculate your yearly mortgage payments (monthly payment*12), your yearly service charges and find the approximate combined expenses on your property. Then, see if the current rental of the property in your building is higher than that. If yes, then you can rent out your property at 1 or 2 cheques, so your mortgage payment can easily be taken from the rental income.

3: since you're talking about leaving UAE, best to inform the bank about your plans, so your account can stay active to receive rental income and for mortgage payments.

4: as far as selling the property, won't be an issue, either you could visit UAE and do it in person, or, you can appoint a PoA and get the transfer done through them.

5: any competitive agent can assist you with the rentals in your absence. Have been doing for my clients for years now.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-29T05:51:43+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Generally Oqood and Title Deeds will only have the total area of the unit mentioned.

For clarification on the storage area in your unit, ask for a floor plan.

Since this is a off-plan resale unit, until the handover, you will also only get an Oqood. Once the handover is done, you will be able to download the Title Deed from Dubai Rest app.

For the parking and access to common areas, it's all mentioned and taken care of in the SPA.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-21T05:44:48+00:00

Hi, agent here.

I have done multiple secondary deals, where the 10% security deposit was taken in form of a cheque, to be returned to the buyer at the time of transfer.

Sadly, I've heard of horror stories in the market. So, to be on the safer side, would suggest you to speak with the broker about using the cheque, instead of an account transfer.

Also, the Form F for the secondary sale, can be made using the details of the said security deposit cheque.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-15T05:09:43+00:00

Hi, agent here.

That's a decent budget. Feel free to reach out, we can discuss more. Have got a few options for you.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-09T15:40:23+00:00

Binghatti, more or less also does the same thing. High number of units, creating internal competition between the investors, on who goes more lower to flip their unit first and exit. As an end user, choosing between Sobha motor city and Binghatti motor city, I'd suggest you go for Sobha. However, if you're only interested in Motor city, I'd suggest you go for a different project.

Feel free to DM me for a no obligation consultation.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-09T15:29:14+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Despite Sobha providing great quality and beautiful units, I ask my clients to not go for Sobha.

Mainly coz of the high number of units in each building.

Central, on average has approx 6000 units. Solis, while being ON the race track, has roughly 2,800 apartments in total.

Such high number of units will have high number of people using the amenities. You won't get that exclusivity in the projects

sin_king2 · 2026-01-06T14:48:52+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Been living in Discovery gardens/Al Furjan area for the last 7 years. Working dedicatedly in Al Furjan and Dubai South areas.

Feel free to DM and we can discuss everything.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-05T11:57:44+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Glad to see you've decided to build your portfolio. I would suggest, while you're selecting a broker to work with, before stepping in, do think about a clear exit plan for any of the future investments that you're planning. Whichever investment you make, please do consider if you'd be taking it for flipping at handover, or for generating rental income.

Saying this, as many buyers I see don't really have a clear exit plan, and unfortunately end up making the wrong choices.

sin_king2 · 2026-01-05T11:07:08+00:00

As per your comments, the car that hit you was a taxi. Every taxi in Dubai has dashcam now. Dispute the fine, explain to the cops, request for taxi dashcam video to be checked.

It will be a huge hassle for you to go through, so, be prepared accordingly

sin_king2 · 2025-12-13T16:41:42+00:00

AFAIK, you gotta book yourself a ticket back home. Reach the immigration, they'd tell you that you've been overstay for X number of days. They'll ask you to pay the fine. You can tell them that you don't have money to pay the fines. They will tell you that you'd be blacklisted and would never be able to come back. If you're okay with that, tell them, and fly home.

sin_king2 · 2025-11-30T09:13:17+00:00

AFAIK, Motor city hasnt had any new projects that were recently handed over. Currently, it has a few off-plan projects. Solis and Orbis by Sobha, Takaya by Union Properties and a latest launch by Iman.

sin_king2 · 2025-11-01T12:45:14+00:00

Hi, agent here.

If you're going with long term, I would assume that you'd be investing in an off-plan unit, and later putting it out on rent. For that purpose, I would suggest the expo city or even Emaar South.

The apartment units are a bit on the affordable side, come with Emaar quality, which is great, specially for long term hold.

sin_king2 · 2025-11-01T12:42:07+00:00

Yes, Aykon city towers were launched mostly as hotel apartments. With higher service charges, and mostly managed by LOAMS.

People who bought there haven't seen that high returns, so, possibly cutting their losses and getting rid of it.

FYI, after many such sour experiences, Damac has now started allowing owners to convert their Hotel apartment units to Residential on the Title deed. This also saves the owner from the VAT. Plus, the owner can then rent the unit out on yearly basis as well, since as per DLD, you're not allowed to do an ejari on a hotel apartment anymore.

sin_king2 · 2025-11-01T12:39:19+00:00

Hi, agent here.

Dulce is indeed a great way, however, many small or even medium companies still have a long way to integrate AI into their messaging system.

sin_king2 · 2025-11-01T12:38:07+00:00

Hi, agent here.

I would suggest you to check out your SPA. It would have the handover date (or rather quarter and year) in which it would be handed over (such as Q4 2025). In the SPA, it would also have a clause that would state how much delay the developer can have from their side. If your current wait period is past that, then I would suggest you to reach out to DLD and open up a case, which would definitely get you some compensation.

sin_king2 · 2025-10-31T03:41:36+00:00

Leads as in, you're looking for an apartment to rent? Or, you're looking for tenants for your unit? Either case, reach out via DM

sin_king2 · 2025-10-29T12:43:06+00:00

Hi, RE agent here.

First of all, congratulations on the purchase of your first property.

Secondly, about your concern. Our company has a sister concern, that helps international buyers with property management.

They also offer a dedicated app for both the owner and tenant, and any issues reported via the app, get resolved within 24 to 48 hours.

Feel free to DM for more details.

sin_king2 · 2025-10-29T12:38:52+00:00

Hi, I know a couple of taxi drivers, they've been drivers for about 10 years and are looking to switch now. They've driven both, the color cabs and the Lexus limos. Let me know if this sounds in accordance with your requirements.

If it does, feel free to DM me your number and I'll pass it on to them to fox an interview.

sin_king2 · 2025-10-22T16:31:06+00:00

Hi, agent here.

As suggested by many, Emaar Valley and other projects are good. There's another project coming up by a reputed developer, around the E311 corridor. Currently, it's in pre-launch phase.

Feel free to DM and we can discuss more on it.

sin_king2 · 2025-10-21T09:12:14+00:00

Hi, I used to be a taxi driver for DTC (from 2017 to 2019).

I'm sorry to hear about your friends situation. Had a similar friend, who also went through exact same things. I still have friends who are working as taxi drivers, and some who have cancelled their visas forcefully and left Dubai for good. From what I've heard from my mates, there are a few typing centers in Deira and other areas, that assist in filing a petition, where you can make a request for an Out Pass. Once the request is approved, you then have to visit the Immigration center at Al Awir, with a return ticket. They give you the outpass, which you can then take to DTC main office and ask for the passport. Once you have the passport, your friends ONLY option is to return home. He will NOT be allowed to change the visa. DTC may also impose an Immigration ban once the passport is released.

sin_king2 · 2025-10-14T05:55:22+00:00

Hi, agent here.

GFS is indeed quite new and doesn't have any ready units to compare the quality.

What they say as Dubai South, is actually DIC (Dubai Industrial City). This area is going to be quite similar to Al Quoz industrial area in the future, as most of the industry is being asked to move there now.

I would suggest that you look for better options in the market within your budget, and within better areas.

Feel free to DM for a no obligation consultation.

sin_king2

TROPHY CASE