Developers go all out to woo property buyers

City Properties, the new kid on the block, has tailormade three finance options for buyers in its debut real estate venture - Al Haseen Residences in Dubai Industrial Park adjacent to Dubai South.

Investors and end-users in Dubai have never had it better. Developers in Dubai are going all out to woo buyers by offering unique payment plans. They are even acting as proxy lenders by offering interest-free finance options to buyers. With a slew of attractive payment plans in the market vying for buyers' attention, new developers are launching unique schemes to garner interest.

City Properties, the new kid on the block, has tailormade three finance options for buyers in its debut real estate venture - Al Haseen Residences in Dubai Industrial Park adjacent to Dubai South.

The first standard option is for the cash/mortgage buyers where one pays 30 per cent of the property value till handover and the balance after.
In the second plan, a buyer pays 40 per cent using flexible options until handover. At the time of handover, the buyer can pay 60 per cent of the property value in 120 interest-free monthly payments over 10 years. There is no bank involved.

For instance, if you are buying a studio worth Dh400,000, you initially pay Dh160,000 until handover (40 per cent). The balance Dh240,000 can be paid in 120 cheques of Dh2,000 each over 10 years.


The third option is targeted at investors. After paying the initial 40 per cent of the property's value until handover, the investor hands over the unit's property management rights to the developer for 10 years.

"We will ensure that your installments are being paid. At the end of 10 years, you will only have paid 40 per cent and own the unit. We guarantee to pay the balance 60 per cent, inclusive of service charges. The investor also has the flexibility to sell or repossess the unit," explains Gaurav Verma, CEO of City Properties.

The promoters behind City Properties, which was launched in 2016, have over 20 years' experience in property management in Dubai and handle over 90 buildings and 5,500+ properties in the city.

The average sales price at Al Haseen Residences is Dh1,000 per sqft, with the service charge pegged at around Dh8 to Dh10 per sq ft.

A studio is priced from Dh400,000, one-bed from Dh600,000 to Dh800,000 and two-bed from Dh850,000 to Dh1.1 million, informs Tauseef Khan, chairman and founder of City Properties.

Construction on the Dh70 million project commenced in June 2017 and will be completed by Q1 2019.

"We have sold 50 per cent of 138 units. The buyer profile is a mix of end-users and investors. We have GCC buyers, Emiratis and a lot of South Asians. We also have a few buyers from the Philippines holding senior positions in the government," says Verma.

The developer claims it intends to bring quality back into the affordable housing market. "The quality of apartments has deteriorated. Some developers even include parking in the liveable area to boost sales. We don't intend to cut corners," contends Khan.

A studio in Al Haseen Residences ranges from 400 to 520 sqft, one-bed from 680 to 850 sqft and two-bed from 950 to 1,000+ sqft. Each unit comes with a covered parking spot.

The development is completely self-funded and located 10 minutes away from Al Maktoum International Airport.

The developer has nine more projects in the pipeline - all adjacent to Dubai South - and more plots in Meydan City. Its second project will be announced in January.

Ruling out fears of oversupply in south Dubai, the CEO says: "We are very bullish about demand for housing in south Dubai closer to the new airport. We foresee a shortage of supply. Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Parks and Resorts and Dubai Wholesale City will be responsible for creating a huge number of jobs. That rules out an oversupply situation. Housing needs to develop a lot quicker in that area."

- deepthi@khaleejtimes.com

Deepthi Nair

deepthi@khaleejtimes.com