What I check before recommending an off-plan project

October 2026 · Kevin Walsh, Senior Investment Advisor

I spent ten years as a validation engineer, proving that pharmaceutical plants did exactly what they were designed to do. I look at off-plan the same way: what is the claim, and where is the evidence? These are the eight things I check before I recommend a project to anyone.

1. Has this developer delivered before, and on time?

A glossy launch tells you nothing. Completed buildings do. I look at what the developer has handed over, how late it was, and what owners say about the finish. A newer developer is not automatically a no, but the case has to be stronger elsewhere.

2. Is the project registered, with an escrow account?

Every legitimate Dubai off-plan project is registered with the Dubai Land Department and has an escrow account. If that cannot be shown to you, stop there.

3. What is coming next door?

Location is not just today’s view. I look at the supply pipeline: how many similar units will complete nearby around the same time. Too many identical one-beds handing over in one community will hold down rents and resale prices.

4. Does the payment plan fit your cash flow?

A plan with 70% due at handover looks gentle now and heavy later. Match the plan to when your money is really available, and decide early whether you will need a mortgage for the final payment.

5. What will it cost to own?

Service charges vary widely by building and by amenities. A lagoon and three pools are lovely, and someone pays for them every year. I always work out yields net of service charges, not gross.

6. Is the unit itself right?

Two flats in the same building can perform very differently. Layout, usable space, floor, view and orientation all matter. A one-bed with a study often rents and resells better than a slightly cheaper plain one-bed.

7. Who will you sell or rent it to?

Every purchase needs an exit. I picture the tenant or the buyer five years from now and ask whether this home is what they will want. Families want schools and parks. Young professionals want a short commute.

8. What does the contract actually say?

Read the SPA: the completion date and grace period, the specification, what happens if the developer is late, and when you are allowed to resell. We go through it together, line by line, before anyone signs.