Buying Property in Abu Dhabi
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Luxurious living, tax-free home and business ownership, amazing lifestyle with awesome shopping centers, restaurants and beaches, majestic desert sceneries and rich culture are just a few factors that make Abu Dhabi an ideal place to live and work.
Buying property in Abu Dhabi is an excellent investment in your and your children’s future - the city is developing extensively and has excellent conditions for expats. But regardless of whether you want to buy a real estate for further earnings or want to move to Abu Dhabi, you need to know a number of basic principles when buying real estate in the UAE.
Experienced agents of Metropolitan Capital Real Estate, who are professionals in the UAE real estate market, will help you to acquire your ideal property. We’ll give you the answers to all your questions about your prospective second home or potential investment. With us you will feel safe and protected not only because you will be informed about all aspects of the deal in details, but also because we can guarantee the transparency and complete legal compliance: our in-house conveyancing team will support you throughout the transaction.
Available for Sale
Things to Remember
when buying property in Abu Dhabi
Finding the right Abu Dhabi property advisor
The Abu Dhabi property market is very different to other countries, so make sure you have a Abu Dhabi real estate agent you can trust to guide you through the process and who is registered with Abu Dhabi Real Estate Authority. The local knowledge of the market, legislation and procedures is crucial and Metropolitan Capital Real Estate can certainly become your professional guide and deliver to you your best real estate deal ever.
Legal framework
Emirate of Abu Dhabi divided for Investment and Non-investment Zone. Legal right to purchase property in Non-Investment zones belongs to UAE citizens only. However anyone, whether based overseas or a resident of Abu Dhabi, can purchase a property in Abu Dhabi’s investment zones (Freehold areas) as authorised in 2018 by the Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, followed by a number of laws and by-laws as the Abu Dhabi real estate market was further developing. You are not required to hold any type of residency or similar permit to be eligible to purchase properties in Abu Dhabi.
Who can buy
Any natural or legal person can own a property in Abu Dhabi. Nationality of the Purchaser is a subject to Investment/Non-Investment zone. Metropolitan Capital Real Estate provides incorporation services for our buyers and will be happy to prepare the full set of documents for a property’s registration.
Timeframes
An average resale property transaction in Abu Dhabi takes around 30 days to be finalized, starting from the date of the Sale Contract is signed by all concerned parties. Off-plan property deals are normally done within one day and sometimes take as little as 30 minutes. To facilitate the deal and save our clients’ time, we can work on the customer’s behalf under the Power of Attorney, and in this case the buyer will be free to travel according to the planned schedule, while we finalize the transaction.
Due Dilligence
Metropolitan Capital Real Estate can guarantee a comprehensive and reliable due diligence, conducted for and on behalf of our customers. When supporting your deal in the secondary market, we’ll make sure the ownership is legal and authentic, assist or perform on the buyer’s behalf a thorough property’s inspection and ensure the sale contract covers all potential pitfalls. In the off-plan deal, we always make sure the developer has all legal rights for the development or the necessary contracts with the land owner are in place, verify the registration of the developer and the project with the Real Estate Regulation Authority, check the existence of the Escrow account for the project and developer’s compliance with the construction schedule.
Access to the real estate register
The real estate register in Abu Dhabi hold all information about the properties, its location and the related rights, but it is not open to general public. It means that only the registered owner or an authorized person under a court’s order can access the information contained in the register.
Buying Real Estate in Abu Dhabi and The UAE
Fees involved in purchase of a property in Abu Dhabi
When buying on the secondary market:
- Broker’s commission is 2% (plus VAT) of the purchase price.
- A no objection certificate from the developer can be anything between 500 and 10,000 AED plus VAT.
- Abu Dhabi Municipality registration of the ownership fee is 2% of the purchase price. (Currently waived until 31.12.2020)
- Mortgage registration fee (if applicable) is free of charge.
- Title deed issuance is free of charge.
- There may be additional payments associated with the service charge and utility payments for the properties.
When buying off-plan properties:
- Booking deposit around AED 5,000-37,000, depending on the property value; the deposit is adjusted towards the 1st installment for the property.
- Installments are usually 5% to 10% of the property value paid every three months; convenient post-handover plans are often available.
- Abu Dhabi Municipality SPA registration fee: 2% from the property purchase value (Currently waived until 31.12.2020)*
Off-plan purchase explained
Buying a property off-plan means buying it before the construction has been completed and quite often even before the development has actually started to be built.
This might sound risky, but if you’re buying in a market where property prices are on the rise and the demand for new homes is increasing, it can have its rewards.
An unbeatable advantage of the off-plan purchase is a post-handover payment schemes, offered by many developers. This means that you can get an excellent investment with a little initial capital, whereas your investment will be paying off itself.
Buying off-plan isn’t always straightforward, however. You’ll need to do your homework on the developer and obtaining a mortgage can sometimes be tricky.
Metropolitan Capital Real Estate is always there for you: we understand the market, we can explain the potential of each and every project in Abu Dhabi, we work only with trusted and reputable developers and we can get you the fastest mortgage approval with our in-house mortgage advisors.
The way we help you buy your property in Abu Dhabi
Identify Your Needs
Abu Dhabi offers an immense variety of properties, so our first step on the way to your dream home will be identifying the milestones that will determine the choice of your property. Based on your priorities, lifestyle, family likes, hobbies and, of course, your budget, we will offer areas and property types which will be just right for you.
Get the Availability
When your priorities are identified, our manager will begin to search for suitable options within the targeted areas. Metropolitan Capital Real Estate has the largest real estate availability, both off-plan and re-sale, and our agent will get you the best options in the market.
Make Sure You Like It
Our agent will give you full details on the area, infrastructure, nearby recreational facilities and amenities of the project. If you are buying a ready property, a professional viewing will be conducted by our area expert, or HD quality photos and videos will be provided for off-plan purchases, along with the samples of the finishing materials. We can also handle a professional check-up of the ready property or a handover of a newly built one, performed by our in-house engineering team with a comprehensive report of all detected, latent or suspected defects.
Agree on the Terms
We will negotiate your position with the seller and make sure you get the best possible conditions of the deal.
Our in-house conveyancing team will manage all aspects of your purchase, including drafting a sale contract covering all potential pitfalls of the deal, or answering your questions on the sale and purchase agreement from the developer. We will prepare the full set of documents, required for the purchase to be finalized, and make sure all parties are ready for the deal.
Get Your Proof of Ownership
Once the above steps are completed, we will register the deal with Abu Dhabi Municipality and get your title deed for the property if you have purchased a ready to move in unit, or, if you have purchased an off-plan property, submit all signed contracts to the developer and follow up with them for your Registered SPA (Sales And Purchase Agreement, replaced by a title deed once the project is completed) to be issued as soon as possible.
Benefit from Our Bespoke
After-sale Concierge
We offer a great range of after-sale services for our clients, such as utility connection, interior design, property management and catering to all your new property needs which may arise at any point of your ownership. Metropolitan Capital Real Estate is your agent you can always rely on, and we take care of your property as if it were ours.
Hussam Alakel
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