Four deals with the full numbers: what Dubai property actually returned

Talk about returns on Dubai property is usually conducted in percentages without a denominator. It is more useful to look at broken-down transactions where all the figures are named, including costs.

A JBR apartment, 12.8 years held

Purchase September 2011: AED 1 069 182; 4% registration fee AED 42 767; total AED 1 111 949. Rent AED 130 000 a year, running costs AED 14 985 a year — net rental income over the period AED 1 475 792. Sale July 2024: AED 2 350 000, net profit AED 1 238 051.

Total AED 2 713 843, a return on invested capital of 473% over 12.83 years.

An apartment, 10.7 years held

Purchase November 2013: AED 1 304 888 plus fee 52 196; total 1 357 084. Rent AED 135 000 a year less a service charge of 18 500 — 116 500 net, or 1 011 188 over the period. Sale July 2024: AED 2 930 000, net profit 1 572 916.

Total AED 2 584 104, ROIC 250%.

Bluewaters, 2.17 years held

Purchase April 2022: AED 4 750 000 plus fee 190 000; total 4 940 000. Area 1 641 ft². Rent AED 209 000 a year, service charge 26 125 — 182 875 net, or 397 519 over the period. Sale June 2024: AED 8 300 000, net profit 3 360 000.

Total AED 3 757 519, ROIC 146% in a little over two years.

An apartment at AED 449 000, 10 years held

Purchase June 2014: AED 449 000 plus fee 17 960; total 466 960. Rent AED 72 500 a year, costs 21 858 — AED 506 420 net over ten years. Sale July 2024: AED 1 850 000, net profit 1 383 040.

Total AED 1 889 460, ROIC 79%.

What the four of them say

First: holding period does not decide everything. Bluewaters gave 146% in two years while the AED 449 000 apartment gave 79% in ten. The difference is the phase of the cycle the purchase was made in.

Second: in long holds, rent contributes on a par with the resale. In the first case rental income actually exceeded the gain on sale.

Third and most important: all four sales fell in June and July 2024 — the peak of the market. This is a sample of successful exits, not an average market result. You cannot compute your own future return from them; read them as an illustration of how the calculation is structured.