Houman.
Insights

The Dubai property questions worth answering, answered with data.

For investors, buyers, sellers, and tenants. Every guide is grounded in primary data from DLD, DXB Interact, RERA, and Property Monitor. Written when there is something useful to say, not on a schedule.

Dubai market update, June 2026: 13,933 deals and a market that stopped waiting
InvestorsBuyers

Dubai market update, June 2026: 13,933 deals and a market that stopped waiting

13,933 June deals, up 36 percent on May. Mix-shift medians, a 74 percent off-plan market, the post-MOU buyer rush, and the rental standoff to watch in July.

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How to see who doesn't follow you back on Instagram

How to see who doesn't follow you back on Instagram

Find out who doesn't follow you back without handing any app your Instagram login. A file Instagram gives you, plus any AI, in about five minutes.

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JLT rental yield in 2026: the real numbers by unit type
Investors

JLT rental yield in 2026: the real numbers by unit type

JLT yields by unit type as of Q2 2026: studios 7.5 to 9 percent gross, one bedrooms 6.5 to 8. What drives the numbers and what eats them.

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Business Bay rental yield in 2026: real numbers vs listing numbers
Investors

Business Bay rental yield in 2026: real numbers vs listing numbers

Business Bay yields as of Q2 2026: 6 to 7 percent gross on one bedrooms, high service charges, and short let math that rarely survives contact with reality.

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Dubai Marina rental yield in 2026: old towers beat new ones
Investors

Dubai Marina rental yield in 2026: old towers beat new ones

Dubai Marina yields as of Q2 2026: 5.5 to 6.5 percent gross on one bedrooms, with original towers quietly out earning the premium stock.

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The real cost of owning in Dubai: service charges nobody shows you
InvestorsBuyers

The real cost of owning in Dubai: service charges nobody shows you

Service charges by area in 2026, the chiller and balcony fees hiding inside them, and the 1 to 2 points of yield they quietly take.

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A 4% price discount beats a 4% DLD fee waiver. Here is the math.
BuyersInvestors

A 4% price discount beats a 4% DLD fee waiver. Here is the math.

A 4 percent price discount beats a 4 percent DLD fee waiver by 16,000 dirhams on a 10 million property, because the discount also cuts the fee on top.

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The UAE's first retail government Sukuk: 4.30% for two years, and what it is not.
InvestorsBuyers

The UAE's first retail government Sukuk: 4.30% for two years, and what it is not.

The UAE's first retail government Sukuk: 4.30 percent for two years, from 1,000 dirhams, subscription 24 to 30 June 2026. A low-risk place to park dirhams, not a growth play.

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How to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner
BuyersInvestors

How to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner

Foreigners own property outright in Dubai. The full process, real costs in dirhams and dollars, the residency bonus, and where buyers overpay. Sources linked.

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Linar at Al Mamzar: Alef's beachfront bet on the Dubai commuter
InvestorsBuyers

Linar at Al Mamzar: Alef's beachfront bet on the Dubai commuter

Alef's AED 4bn Linar puts a beachfront tower community right on the Dubai and Sharjah border. The thesis isn't the sea view. It's the daily commuter who buys time back at Sharjah pricing.

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If Iran-US Tension Eases, Dubai Is First in Line to Benefit
InvestorsBuyers

If Iran-US Tension Eases, Dubai Is First in Line to Benefit

Tension around the Strait of Hormuz drives shipping, insurance and trade costs. As it eases, Dubai's re-export and tourism economies speed up, and the property market on top of them benefits first.

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World Cup property returns 2026: which host nation actually pays the investor?
Investors

World Cup property returns 2026: which host nation actually pays the investor?

Ten World Cup nations vs the UAE on the only number that reaches the investor: gross yield minus rental tax minus inflation. The UAE lands top, and not by luck.

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Free travel insurance into Abu Dhabi: why I read it as a property signal
InvestorsBuyers

Free travel insurance into Abu Dhabi: why I read it as a property signal

Etihad and DCT Abu Dhabi now give free 15-day medical cover to eligible visitors. Here is why I read it as a short-term-rental and yield signal, not just a travel perk.

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How to use "Be your agent": 8 Dubai communities matched to you in 3 minutes
InvestorsBuyers

How to use "Be your agent": 8 Dubai communities matched to you in 3 minutes

A step-by-step guide to the Be your agent tool: answer the questions I ask in a first meeting and get up to 8 Dubai communities matched to your budget, type, bedrooms, and return goals.

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How to use the Dubai mortgage calculator (and stop forgetting the upfront cash)
InvestorsBuyers

How to use the Dubai mortgage calculator (and stop forgetting the upfront cash)

Most buyers budget the price and forget the 7 to 8 percent in upfront fees. Here is how the calculator sizes the real cash you need on day one.

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How to use my net rental yield calculator
Investors

How to use my net rental yield calculator

The 8% on a portal is gross. Here is how my net yield calculator strips out service charge, management, vacancy and maintenance to show what really reaches your pocket.

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How to use the payment-plan comparator
InvestorsBuyers

How to use the payment-plan comparator

Cash, mortgage, and seven off-plan splits on one 72-month timeline. How to read the NPV, IRR, and discounted returns, and why a back-loaded plan can beat cash.

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How to use the rent-or-buy calculator
BuyersTenants

How to use the rent-or-buy calculator

A plain guide to the rent-or-buy calculator: the side-by-side cost lines, the break-even year, and why renting is not throwing money away.

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How to use the risk-profile test (and why it beats chasing yield)
InvestorsBuyers

How to use the risk-profile test (and why it beats chasing yield)

Ten questions match a Dubai property strategy to your risk appetite and horizon. Here is how to read your score and why fit beats headline yield.

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The two Dubai asset classes that are undersupplied right now (and what each one pays you).
InvestorsBuyers

The two Dubai asset classes that are undersupplied right now (and what each one pays you).

Demand is outrunning supply in two pockets most buyers ignore: waterfront villas and townhouses (capital gain) and commercial offices (rent). The recent data, in Houman's voice.

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The top three green communities to live in Dubai (and what their tenants actually pay extra for).
InvestorsBuyersTenants

The top three green communities to live in Dubai (and what their tenants actually pay extra for).

Walkable parks and mature landscaping that hold a rent premium across the cycle.

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Which Dubai communities have the cleanest air, and how to check before you sign.
InvestorsBuyersTenants

Which Dubai communities have the cleanest air, and how to check before you sign.

Three pockets consistently print 20 to 35 percent better AQI than the city average. Free public tool included.

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How to know if your Dubai property is under a flight path (before, not after).
InvestorsBuyersTenants

How to know if your Dubai property is under a flight path (before, not after).

Three minutes with a public noise map and you have an honest answer about plane noise.

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Bought off-plan in Dubai? Here is the official DLD page that tracks your project status.
InvestorsBuyers

Bought off-plan in Dubai? Here is the official DLD page that tracks your project status.

DLD publishes a live status page for every registered off-plan project. Here is how to read it.

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Find out who actually lives in any Dubai building before you commit (a free public tool).
BuyersTenants

Find out who actually lives in any Dubai building before you commit (a free public tool).

DXBinteract publishes per-building nationality data. Use it before you sign.

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ROI vs rental yield in Dubai: the term every agent gets wrong, and why it matters.
InvestorsBuyers

ROI vs rental yield in Dubai: the term every agent gets wrong, and why it matters.

My first week in Dubai an agent quoted me 9% ROI on a one-bedroom. He meant gross rental yield. The two are not the same. When they overlap, when they diverge, and how to read any number an agent shows you.

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How rental yield actually works in Dubai (and why ROI is the wrong number).
InvestorsSellers

How rental yield actually works in Dubai (and why ROI is the wrong number).

Gross yield, net yield, and the costs most agents skip when quoting returns. Three areas with real numbers, the math behind them, and what to subtract before you call it yield.

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Freehold vs leasehold in Dubai: what foreign buyers need to know before signing.
BuyersInvestors

Freehold vs leasehold in Dubai: what foreign buyers need to know before signing.

Where each tenure applies, what happens at the end of a lease, and how it affects residency, resale, and financing. The decision is bigger than it looks at the offer stage.

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When to sell in Dubai: reading the market before you list.
SellersInvestors

When to sell in Dubai: reading the market before you list.

Transaction volume, days on market, and the RERA index, used together. How to set an asking price that does not sit unsold, and when to break the 5 percent rule.

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The RERA Rental Index explained: what your landlord can and cannot do at renewal.
TenantsInvestorsSellers

The RERA Rental Index explained: what your landlord can and cannot do at renewal.

The increase tiers in plain language. How to use the calculator. The 90 day notice rule. What to do if the landlord violates it. Useful for tenants, landlords, and anyone pricing a property with a tenant in place.

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