Selling property in Dubai: what to prepare and what to expect

An asking price should rest on comparable transactions in the same building or community, the unit’s condition and view, and current demand, not on what you paid or hope to receive. An agent’s market appraisal is informed opinion, not a regulated valuation. If a lender or a dispute requires a formal valuation, that is a separate service from a qualified valuer.

Overpricing tends to cost time, and time has its own cost in service charges and any mortgage you are still paying. A realistic price, tested early, is usually the more efficient route.

If you instruct a brokerage, the terms (exclusive or not, duration, commission, who may advertise) should be in a written agreement. Dubai’s regulator expects brokers to be properly registered and adverts to carry a valid permit. Ask to see both. Read the exclusivity and termination clauses before signing.

Expect to need your title deed, proof that service charges are paid, and any developer or community no-objection certificate that applies. If the property is mortgaged, your lender will have to confirm the settlement figure and release the charge as part of the transfer, and some lenders attach early-settlement terms.

For an off-plan resale, the developer’s requirements (for example, how much of the price must have been paid before a resale is allowed) can add steps. Ask the developer what applies before you market the unit.

Once a buyer is found, a written contract sets the price, deposit, conditions and timetable. The transfer is then completed at DLD or a DLD-registered trustee office, where proceeds are exchanged against registration of the title in the buyer’s name. Agree in advance how the sale proceeds will be received and, if you live abroad, how they will be sent out of the UAE.