Guides
Plain-English guides to buying off-plan in Dubai: fees, escrow and Oqood, mortgages, verifying a project, the Golden Visa, company setup, legal checks and paying with crypto. Written by Walid Alok, dated, with sources. Where a rule is uncertain the guide says so and tells you what to confirm with the Dubai Land Department.
Protection
The checks that take an afternoon and use only official sources: the DLD project number and status, the escrow account, the developer's registration, the Trakheesi advertising permit, the broker's licence, the land, the SPA and the developer's delivery record. In order, with what each one proves.
12 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Protection
The two mechanisms that stand between your instalments and a developer's balance sheet: the project escrow account that holds the money, and the Oqood registration that records your ownership before a title deed exists. What each does, what it does not do, and how to check both.
10 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Costs
The complete cost list beyond the price: the 4% DLD registration fee, administrative fees, Oqood, why there is no agency commission on a primary sale, mortgage costs at handover, utility deposits, and the service charges that start the day you get the keys. With a worked example.
11 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Finance
Who can borrow, how much (the Central Bank LTV caps), what it costs, fixed versus variable, Islamic structures, and the seven steps from pre-approval to title deed. Written for residents, non-residents and off-plan buyers.
12 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Decide
A side-by-side of the two ways to buy in Dubai in 2026: price and payment terms, financing limits, when income starts, what can go wrong, the fees, resale, and the Golden Visa. With the market numbers and a short test to tell which one suits your situation.
11 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Residency
What the 10-year property Golden Visa requires, what has stayed the same since 2022, what changed for off-plan property in February 2026 and why published accounts disagree, who else the visa covers, the application route through the DLD, and the questions to settle with the DLD or GDRFA before you buy for the visa.
10 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Legal
Who regulates off-plan sales, when a lawyer earns their fee, what to read in the SPA, how Oqood and escrow protect you, powers of attorney, cancellation and refund rules, dispute routes, the other emirates, and inheritance planning.
11 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Business
Which structure fits, what each really costs in the first year, the nine registration steps, the documents, corporate tax at 0% and 9%, the visas a company can sponsor, and the annual obligations that keep it alive.
13 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Finance
How a crypto-funded purchase actually works (conversion to AED through a VARA-licensed processor, not a wallet transfer), who regulates it, the seven steps, which assets are accepted, why stablecoins suit instalment plans, and the risks that catch buyers.
9 min read · Updated 20 Oct 2001
Ask directly. Walid Alok replies personally.