TOOLSGUIDESABOUT
UAE OFF-PLANDUBAI · ABU DHABI · SHARJAH · RAS AL KHAIMAH

Two buyers, same price, very different commitments.

On a AED 2,000,000 budget, what you pay before handover ranges from AED 800,000 to AED 1,600,000 depending purely on the developer's payment schedule. That gap is the part nobody puts on the brochure.

Compare payment plans WhatsApp
RUN IT ON YOUR OWN NUMBERSCHEMATIC
AED2,000,000YOUR BUDGET
Front-loadedAED 1,600,000 before handover
Back-loadedAED 800,000 before handover
Post-handovercontinues after keys
SIGNINGHANDOVER
Illustrative — structures vary per releaseOpen the comparison
AED 286.43 B
Dubai property sales, H1 2026
86,005
Transactions, H1 2026
AED 139.75 B
Off-plan sales, H1 2026
67 %
Of transactions were off-plan
DLD · H1 2026

The price is negotiable. The schedule is the deal.

FRONT-LOADED

Front-loaded

70% or more falls due during construction. Heavier while you build, but you reach handover owing very little — an easier position to refinance or exit from.

BUILDKEYS
BACK-LOADED

Back-loaded

The balance concentrates at handover. Frees your capital during the build, but leaves a large sum to fund on one date.

BUILDKEYS
POST-HANDOVER

Post-handover

Part of the price falls due after you take possession. You can be holding the property — potentially renting it — while the balance is still being paid.

BUILDAFTER KEYS

No structure is better in the abstract. The right one depends on your liquidity, your financing, and how long you intend to hold.

How off-plan actually works here

01 · BOOKING AND SPA

You pay a booking deposit and sign the Sale and Purchase Agreement. A 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee applies on top of the price, plus an Oqood registration fee for off-plan.

02 · ESCROW PROTECTION

Off-plan payments go into a project escrow account regulated by RERA. The developer draws from it only as construction milestones are verified — your money is not theirs to spend freely.

03 · INSTALMENTS

You pay the developer directly across the build, interest-free. No lender is involved during this period, and your schedule is fixed at signing.

04 · HANDOVER

The remaining balance falls due, or continues on a post-handover schedule if the plan allows it.

Read before you book.

ALL GUIDES →
Developer render of a residential tower — artist's impressionOFF-PLAN VS READY · 9 MIN

Off-Plan vs Ready in Dubai: Which Actually Fits You?

Costs, the 50% off-plan mortgage cap, income timing, risk and exit — the whole trade measured honestly.

Read the guide →
Developer render of a residential community — artist's impressionBUYING FROM INDIA · 10 MIN

Buying Dubai Off-Plan from India: LRS, TCS & the Taxes Nobody Mentions

The $250,000 LRS limit and why payment plans fit it perfectly, the 20% TCS you get back, and the disclosure you must never skip.

Read the guide →
Developer render of a villa community — artist's impressionFEES & COSTS · 8 MIN

Dubai Off-Plan Fees & Buying Costs: What You Actually Pay

Every fee that sits on top of the price — the 4% DLD fee, Oqood, developer admin and handover costs — worked on AED 2,000,000.

Read the guide →
OFF-PLAN ADVISOR · UAE

Muhammad Faizan

I'm a licensed real estate broker specialising in off-plan across the UAE — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. I work with Emaar, Damac and Sobha, along with every other major developer in the market. I built the tools on this site because the payment schedule is the part buyers understand least and it costs them the most — and no portal will show you that comparison honestly. I also run the DXB Property Guide channel, explaining the market in English, Hindi and Urdu.

LICENSED BROKER DXB PROPERTY GUIDE ENGLISH · HINDI · URDU
FREE PDF · 6 PAGES

The Dubai Off-Plan Buyer's Pack

The full fees checklist, every payment structure compared, the buying-from-abroad steps and the 10 questions to ask before you book — free, sent over WhatsApp.

Get the pack →

Which structure actually fits you?

Tell me your budget and what you need answered, and I'll come back with the two or three structures that genuinely suit — and the ones I'd tell you to skip. Not a brochure.

+971 52 188 9956
Muhammad FaizanOFF-PLAN ADVISOR · EN · HI · UR
+971 52 188 9956