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Well, the session was a tremendous success in the Globaleye office and my thanks goes to the outside expertise that came in to support the event and to share their gems of wisdom. In particular, thanks to Galadari Legal Consultants, Cluttons (Surveyors), Property Finance Link, Sovereign Trust and Property World Middle East who shared with us their key considerations when buying property here in Dubai.

It is unfortunate if you could not make it, however, we are likely to stage another event in the not too distant future. If you would like to be considered for an invitation then please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Certainly, there were some raised eyebrows from buyers and soon-to-be buyers around the room in reaction to some of the items that came up for discussion. If you would like to know some of the topics that were discussed and the issues that were raised then please

This is just a précis of some of the topics discussed and if you would like more detail on any of the subjects below then please contact us as soon as possible.

Legal – certainly the lack of clarity with the United Arab Emirates property law was a hot topic. The issue of passing on warranties and guarantees was not clear cut in the event of resale and the developer would have to be approached in order that this may occur. A solution was to use an offshore structure and the merits of International and Jebel Ali Offshore structures were discussed.

Offshore Companies(More) – it was widely recognised that the effective use of an offshore structure could mitigate many property purchasing issues. Namely mitigating tax exposure in ones home country which many investors seem to overlook. Similarly, circumventing transfer issues when reselling was considered a massive saving for the investor – with transfer fess running at 3% on average of SALE price, the offshore company structure was considered a "no brainer". Finally, their uses to make your purchase Sharia Law friendly in the event of death was discussed and dispelled a number of myths. Wills prove ineffectual and the need for an offshore structure was agreed as the preferred way forward.

Mortgages(More) – typically local lenders were not versed in the uses of offshore company structures when obtaining finance here. The Banks here are now coming around to the idea since they recognise every foreign investor should be purchasing through an offshore company. Not all banks are onboard but we identified some that were entertaining such requests for finance. Moreover, it was identified that international finance solutions could prove more cost effective than those found locally.

Property – an insight was offered by Property World Middle East on the exciting prospects offered by the real estate market in Dubai and more widely throughout the region.

Insurance – the need to protect your asset and what’s in it after purchase seems to be overlooked and Globaleye announced its special arrangement they had secured with Norwich Union.

Surveys – it appears that a lot was taken for granted by investors and surveys are not being carried out for all property purchases. Obviously, considered a must in any other property market, the need to raise this issue was required with all property agents here.

Obviously, there were NO PROPERTY AGENTS at the seminar and it was not sponsored by any developer. This allowed us to have frank discussions without the fear of giving away buying signals to a realtor or possibly upsetting any architects dream! If you would like to come to the next event then let us know and we hope to bring you the latest developments in the exciting Dubai Real Estate Sector in convivial surroundings with a beverage or three to help the questions flow.

Hope to see you at the next event!