Mark Wallington's Blog: All Categories

Dubai is widely recognised for great shopping.  With the Ibn Battuta Mall located near key freehold developments like Discovery Gardens and Jumeirah Islands, while the Mall of the Emirates is close to the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina two of Dubai real estate`s main projects, the latest shopping mall that will open in Dubai will be in the middle of Downtown Dubai.  The Dubai Mall, which will be Dubai’s largest shopping mall, and the largest in the world, is set to be opened in August this year.

Multiple attractions are a feature of Dubai’s shopping malls, and the Dubai Mall will be no exception.  With over 1200 retail outlets, including major stores and two flagship department stores, this will be the largest retail space in the world, covering a massive…

One of Dubai’s most awaited freehold projects, Jumeirah Village, has now hit a major milestone in development.  The project by developer Nakheel, is expected to contribute a significant amount of new freehold units to the Dubai real estate market, where demand still seems to be outstripping supply.  The development is expected to be released to the first residents by the end of 2009 or early 2010, and this news is a great relief to the many investors within the project.

The major milestone that has just been reached is the completion of infrastructure within the development, now 60% complete.  This is an excellent achievement in a market where other freehold and rental properties have been heavily plagued by construction delays.  The Jumeirah Village…

Yet more new additions to the Dubai property market.  It is surprising to see that a large variety of new projects are being launched by Dubai’s biggest developers, as this provides more quality property for all the eager buyers that are keeping the market in boom.  If you think the market is going to slow, think again, as new projects are quickly being rolled onto the market to meet the exceptionally high demands of long-term residents, new residents and overseas buyers.

The latest new property is a villa development by market leaders Emaar.  Emaar has an excellent reputation in the field of villa freehold, thanks to the huge success of the Emirates Living Community, which includes Emirates Hills, The Meadows, The Lakes and The Springs.  This new project…

Dubai real estate agents will be under stricter legislation now, thanks to new initiatives from the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI).  These two bodies have created a new regulation in the property sector that will make it compulsory for all property agents in Dubai to possess the right qualifications to sell Dubai real estate.  With so many real estate agents operating in the market that do not meet the necessary qualifications, this new law will better protect potential buyers.

Real estate is a now one of Dubai’s busiest sectors, with so many residential and commercial projects on the market.  There are so many sellers in the market to go with all these projects, and many property buyers are not familiar…

The competition between developers across the Middle East is heating up as the announcements for new and taller skyscrapers to rival the Burj Dubai have appeared.  There has long been speculation about Nakheel, one of the largest developers in the UAE, building a project that will top other leading Dubai developer Emaar.  The Waterfront development, expected to be a huge new city of freehold residential and commercial projects, was predicted to be the key location for Nakheel’s iconic project.

The latest speculation is that Nakheel will be building a mile-high tower to beat the height of the Burj Dubai, the current tallest building in the world.  At a height of 636 metres, the Burj is already taller than any other skyscraper, and while the final height…

Thinking about buying a home in Dubai? With property prices set to increase during the summer months, and recent reports that property prices have escalated by an amazing 78% from the end of 2007, there really is no time to waste in buying a piece of Dubai real estate.  While the costs of buying a home in Dubai are soaring, thanks to the continual high demand for property, this does mean that buying now will increase the value of your property in a very short space of time.

Dubai properties cost millions right now and the boom continues. For most people this is seen as a huge investment, and if you are thinking that prices are going to start declining, think again.  Dubai, as well as neighbouring Emirate Abu Dhabi, is still facing a severe shortage of…

Property buyers need to be aware of all the implications of buying a property, so just like any other market, it is essential to know the restrictions on buying Dubai property.  Issues such as residence visas, and stipulations on renting an owned property are currently serious topics that potential buyers should know about before making any kind of investment.
The latest story form the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) is that buyers and current property owners need to be aware of visa issues when buying Dubai real estate.  Many property developers have been selling their properties through the promise of an automatic residency visa upon the purchase of a home.  While this will certainly entice a few investors, and overseas investors will certainly…

The Dubai freehold property market is always following a trend.  From luxury properties, to affordable developments and even one of a kind projects, there is always something new and exciting to keep investors buying and to maintain the property boom.  The latest trend in Dubai? Auctions.  While auctions are certainly not a common event in Dubai, this is just the latest idea from property developers to sell properties at what they see is the true market value and give owners another route to sell Dubai property.

The first major property auction took place on the 12th June at the Burj Al Arab, and was a huge success.  At total of Dhs 250 million was made in the space of just two hours, owing to the calibre of investors that attended on an invite only…