Investor Services
Real estate trading and exit
Selling and repositioning property with the exit planned rather than improvised: who the buyer is, what evidence supports the price, and when to go to market.
Plan an exitThe proposition
By the time most owners think about exit, the options have narrowed
A sale decided in a hurry is a sale conducted on the buyer's terms. Deciding in advance who the likely buyer is, what they will want to see, and which quarter suits the asset changes both the price achieved and the time it takes to get there.
We treat exit as part of owning the asset, not as an event at the end of it.
Process
How a sale is run
Position and evidence
Recorded transactions in the same building and stack, current competing stock, and the service charge and tenancy position that a buyer will scrutinise.
Buyer definition
End user, yield investor or developer. Each values the asset differently, and each needs the property presented differently.
Preparation
The small work that changes the price: snagging, presentation, resolving service charge arrears and assembling the documents before the first viewing.
Pricing and timing
An asking price set against evidence, with a view on whether to go now or wait for a specific event in the market or the building.
Marketing and negotiation
Qualified enquiries, documented offers and a negotiation conducted against the evidence rather than against sentiment.
Transfer
Form F, developer no objection certificate, lender discharge where applicable, and completion at a Dubai Land Department trustee office.
Costs
What a sale costs the seller
| Item | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Agency fee | Brokerage | Agreed in writing before marketing |
| No objection certificate | Developer | Varies by developer |
| Mortgage discharge | Lender and DLD | Where the property is financed |
| Registration trustee fee | Trustee office | AED 4,000 plus VAT at or above AED 500,000; AED 2,000 plus VAT below |
| Outstanding service charges | Owners association | Settled before the NOC is issued |
Trustee figures are as published by Dubai Land Department. We issue a net proceeds calculation before you go to market, so the figure you are deciding on is the one that reaches your account.
Repositioning
When selling is not the answer
Re-let and hold
Where the income is sound and the market is mid-cycle, a properly priced renewal often beats a rushed sale.
Improve, then sell
Targeted works that a buyer will pay for, costed against the uplift they actually produce.
Refinance
Releasing equity where the objective is capital, not disposal, and the asset still earns its place.
Sell into strength
Timing the sale to a period when comparable evidence supports the price you want.
Questions
Common questions
How long does a sale take?
Commonly four to eight weeks from accepted offer to transfer for a cash buyer, longer where a mortgage or a discharge is involved. Marketing time varies with pricing and the building.
Can I sell a tenanted unit?
Yes, but the tenancy transfers with it and affects who will buy. We will tell you whether selling with vacant possession is realistic and what it would cost in notice periods.
What if the valuation comes in low?
Where the buyer is financed, a low valuation has to be resolved before transfer. We anticipate it by pricing against recorded transactions rather than asking prices.
Do you take exclusive listings?
Usually, because it allows a coordinated campaign and a single line of evidence. The term and the fee are agreed in writing at the outset.
What if I decide not to sell?
That is a legitimate outcome of the review, and we will say so when the evidence points that way.
Decide the exit before you need it
Tell us what you hold and what you want from it. You will get a written view on price, timing and the buyer most likely to pay it.
Plan an exit