Off Plan vs Ready Property: Which Should You Buy?

Updated 1 October 2026

On our list, finished buildings don't start higher than off plan ones: the middle starting price is AED 1.03 million for ready projects and AED 1.29 million for new launches. The bigger difference is financing. A bank can lend an expat up to 80% of a ready first home under AED 5 million, but only 50% of an off plan one.

Is off plan cheaper than ready on this list?

Not by starting price. Of the projects with a published price, the middle starting price is AED 1,028,000 for the 673 ready projects, AED 1,230,000 for the 516 under construction and AED 1,288,888 for the 1,065 new launches. These aren't like-for-like comparisons: the projects differ in area, size and finish. Compare the same kind of unit in the same community, which the comparison table lets you do.

How much will a bank lend on each?

The Central Bank's mortgage regulations set the maximum loan as a share of the property value:

Expat buying a first home up to AED 5 million: 80%
Expat, first home above AED 5 million: 70%
UAE national, first home up to AED 5 million: 85%, above it 75%
Second home or investment: 60% for expats, 65% for nationals
Any property bought off plan: 50%, whoever the buyer is

On a AED 1.5 million home, an expat can borrow up to AED 1.2 million if it's ready and up to AED 750,000 if it's off plan.

Do the fees differ?

The DLD registration fee is the same 4% of the price in both cases, listed as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. A ready resale adds the trustee office fee DLD lists for transfers: AED 4,000 plus VAT on a sale of AED 500,000 or more, AED 2,000 plus VAT below that, and AED 250 for the title deed. A mortgage adds 0.25% of the loan (DLD sale registration).

When can you rent it out?

A ready unit can be let once the transfer is done. An off plan unit earns nothing until handover, and on our list 532 projects give 2027 as their handover year, 408 give 2026 and 395 give 2028. If you need the rent to cover a loan from day one, off plan doesn't fit.

How the payments are spread

Off plan spreads the price over the build through a payment plan; the most common on our list is 60/40, used by 360 projects. A ready purchase is paid at transfer, from savings plus the mortgage. The payment plans guide explains the splits and the mortgage calculator shows the monthly cost of a ready purchase.

Ready units sold by developers

Our list includes 797 projects marked ready to move in: finished buildings where the developer is still selling units. They come with the developer's price list like an off plan launch, but bank lending follows the ready rules above.