Independent review · Dubai
898 projects launched in Dubai since January 2025.*
Close to 470,000 units in the pipeline. 258 developers competing for the same buyer.
Five worth your money.
I review them and publish the ones that justify their price, with the drawbacks of each written out in full. No developer pays to appear on this list.
* Dubai Land Department project registrations, 2025 to H1 2026, as reported by W Capital via fastcompanyme.com. Full sourcing at dubaishortlist.com/method · Aug 2026
- Registration
- Brokerage
- Reviews
- Updated monthly
The shortlists
Best 5 off-plan projects
New launches worth committing to before handover, screened on developer delivery record rather than payment plan generosity.
Best 5 ready to move
Completed stock you can rent out from the day you own it. Screened on real net yield after service charges, not the marketed gross.
Best 5 commercial opportunities
Offices, retail and warehousing, judged on tenant demand and lease covenant strength rather than headline price per square foot.
How I review
The criteria a project has to clear to appear here, and what usually goes wrong with a Dubai off-plan investment.
Why this exists
Photographed at Bentley Villas,
Dubai World Islands
Dubai registered 648 project launches in 2025 and another 250 in the first half of 2026. Every one of them is marketed to you as an opportunity, usually with a gross yield figure that has never met a service charge.
I advise investors on Dubai property, including managing portfolios for high-net-worth clients. That work only compounds if the advice holds up, which is why I am transparent about the drawbacks — of every project and every developer on these pages. A client who buys the wrong unit does not come back, and does not refer anyone. The shortlist is short because most of the market does not clear the bar, not because five is a tidy number.
My most valuable assets are my clients who repeat transactions with me. That is why transparency on every project and every developer matters here, and why this list is republished each month.
What you will not find here: paid placement, projects I would not put my own money into, or a yield figure quoted gross without the net beside it.
Let us start a conversation.
Four lines is enough for me to point you at the right shortlist — and to tell you if none of it fits.
- 01 Your budget
- 02 Holding, or exiting at handover
- 03 Your timeline
- 04 Whether you have bought in Dubai before