Off-plan homes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, from studios to villas: send us the one you like, and we'll check its price and developer before you commit, free for you.
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Most homes for sale in Dubai are apartments, townhouses, villas or penthouses. Which one fits depends on your budget and on what the property is for.
The widest choice and the lowest entry price. Studios and one-bedrooms let most easily.
More space for the money than a villa, in gated family communities.
Your own plot and garden. Bought mostly to live in or to hold for years; the rental return is usually lower than on apartments.
The top floor or a hotel brand on the door. There are fewer buyers when you sell, so the entry price matters most here.
Average gross rental yield in Dubai, April 2026
How returns differ by type is set out in our ROI comparison of apartments, villas and townhouses.
Most projects in the catalogue above are off-plan property: you buy from the developer before the building is finished and pay in stages until handover. Ready homes, which you can move into or let straight away, we find on request.
| Off-plan | Ready | |
|---|---|---|
| Paying | A first instalment, often 10–20%, then stages | Full price or mortgage at transfer |
| Rent or move in | After handover | From day one |
| What you see | Plans, show units, the site | The actual building and its running costs |
| Main risk | Handover can slip | Less choice in new communities |
Off-plan costs more per square foot: in January–July 2026, new apartments sold at about $485 per sq ft against $380 for completed ones (DLD data, Mint analysis). In return you pay over time and get a new building. If handover slips, your instalments wait in a DLD-regulated escrow account and reach the developer only as construction moves forward. More on choosing between the two in our buying guide.
To see what each payment plan means in cash, use the payment plan calculator under the catalogue.
Property prices in Dubai come down to five things: location, the building, the unit, the handover date and the payment terms.
One district, six buildings: median price per sq ft
Dubai home prices have steadied after the fast growth of 2024–25: on completed homes they held flat from September 2025 to July 2026 (DLD data, Mint market forecast). That gives buyers time to compare. Inside one young district, one building can cost 1.8 times as much per square foot as its neighbour, so the building often matters more than the district name.
The same apartment can be a good buy for one goal and a weak one for the other. Decide what the property is for before you compare projects.
I'm buying to:
Our comparison of Dubai's best areas shows how prices, rents and resale differ by community. If you're buying a house in Dubai to live in, check the community's completion plan: building work next door affects daily life more than the floor plan does.
Foreigners can buy freehold property in Dubai outright in designated areas, with no residency or local sponsor needed.
A few areas, most of Dubai Silicon Oasis among them, sell on long leasehold, so check the title before you pay. To buy property in the UAE beyond Dubai, see our Abu Dhabi guide: the emirate runs its own investment zones open to all nationalities.
The 4% fee plus admin fees are the main costs on top of the price; service charges start after handover. The full list is in our guide to buying costs.
Send us the projects you're considering, or just your budget and goal. We check each one against recent DLD sales, the developer's delivery record, how quickly similar units resell and how you would sell it later.
Only 20% of the projects we look at pass our checks. You get the three that do, side by side, and the decision stays yours.
Mint Elite Real Estate is a licensed brokerage that helps international buyers buy real estate in Dubai. Our help is free for you.
Yes. Foreign buyers can own freehold property outright in Dubai's designated areas, with no local sponsor and no need to live here. Many of our clients buy from abroad and sign remotely or through a power of attorney. Owning a property can also qualify you for a renewable two-year residence visa.
The main one is the Dubai Land Department fee: 4% of the price, paid when the contract is registered. Add registration and admin fees of a few thousand dirhams. After handover you pay an annual service charge, set per square foot by the building. There is no agency fee for you on off-plan purchases.
The main risk is that handover slips. Your money is protected by law while you wait: every instalment goes into the project's escrow account, regulated by the Dubai Land Department, and reaches the developer only as construction moves forward. Before you reserve, check the developer's delivery record and the project's progress in the DLD register.
Usually yes. Most developers allow a resale, called an assignment, once you have paid 30–40% of the price, and charge a fee for their consent (Dubizzle, September 2025). The transfer is registered with the Dubai Land Department. If an early exit is part of your plan, read the resale terms in the contract before you buy.
Start with what the property is for and when you may need the money back. Then compare a few projects on the same terms: total price with fees, price per square foot against recent sales nearby, the developer's record, service charges and how many similar units finish at the same time. The one that holds up on all five is usually the right choice, even when it isn't the cheapest.
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We'll come back with the three projects that pass our checks, side by side.
