Dubai off-plan payment plan & exit calculator
Model any payment plan, see exactly how much capital you have deployed by any month, and find the resale price you need to break even once DLD, the developer's assignment fee and agency commission are all accounted for.
Payment plan
Purchase & exit costs — settings
Exit point
Exit scenarios
| Growth | Sale price | Net profit | Return on capital | Annualised |
|---|
Payment schedule
| Month | Date | Item | % | Amount | Cumulative | % paid |
|---|
Want this run on a real unit?
Send Ali the project and unit you are looking at, and he will run the same analysis against the actual payment plan, the developer's real assignment terms, and current resale pricing in that building.
How to read these numbers
Most off-plan conversations stop at the headline: a low deposit, a long payment plan, and a promise that values will rise by handover. This tool exists to answer the two questions that actually decide whether the deal works.
1. What have you actually paid in?
The schedule tracks every instalment against a real date, and separates money paid to the developer from the purchase fees paid at booking. Those fees matter: the DLD registration charge is paid on day one and never comes back, so it belongs in your capital, not in a footnote.
2. What price do you need to sell at?
The break-even figure is the number most sellers discover too late. It is not the price you paid. It is the price at which, after the developer's assignment fee and the resale commission come out of your proceeds, you walk away with exactly what you put in. On a typical plan that lands roughly 8 to 9 percent above the purchase price. Anything below it is a loss, however much the market has moved.
One counter-intuitive result worth understanding: the break-even price does not change with how much you have paid in. Whatever you have paid is returned to you at exit, so it cancels out. What does change with time is the return — and it moves against you.
3. Why the exit month matters more than the growth rate
Because you have only deployed part of the price, a given increase in value is measured against a smaller base. Pay 30 percent and sell into a 20 percent rise, and the return on the money you actually committed is far higher than 20 percent. Pay the full price and hold to handover, and the same 20 percent rise is just 20 percent, less costs.
That is the real leverage argument for off-plan, and the calculator shows it collapsing month by month as more instalments land. It also shows the constraint that limits it: most developers will not approve an assignment until a minimum share of the price has been paid, so the mathematically ideal exit is often not yet permitted. The tool flags that in red when it applies.
Related reading
- Dubai payment plans explained — how the standard structures differ and what to watch in the contract.
- Off-plan resale and assignment in Dubai — the process, the paperwork and the developer's role.
- Off-plan vs ready property — which suits which strategy.
- The full cost of buying property in Dubai — every fee, itemised.
- Current off-plan opportunities — projects open for allocation now.
Common questions
What is the break-even price on a Dubai off-plan property?
The break-even price is the resale value at which you recover everything you spent, with zero profit. On a typical Dubai off-plan purchase it sits roughly 8 to 9 percent above the original price, because the 4 percent DLD registration fee is paid up front and is not recoverable, the developer charges an assignment or NOC fee on resale, and the resale agency commission plus VAT comes out of your proceeds. A property that has risen 5 percent in value is still a loss-making exit.
When can I resell an off-plan property in Dubai?
Most Dubai developers require a minimum percentage of the purchase price to be paid before they will approve an assignment to a new buyer, commonly between 30 and 40 percent, though the exact threshold is set in the sale and purchase agreement for each project. Until that threshold is met the developer can refuse the transfer, so the earliest profitable exit is often later than the payment schedule alone suggests.
Why is the return on capital higher than the price increase?
Because in an off-plan purchase you have only deployed part of the price at the time of exit. If you have paid 30 percent of the value and the property appreciates 20 percent, that gain is measured against the smaller amount you actually put in, not against the full price. This leverage effect is the core economic argument for off-plan, and it weakens steadily as more instalments are paid.
What fees does the seller pay on an off-plan assignment in Dubai?
The seller typically pays the developer's assignment or NOC fee, which may be a percentage of the original price or a flat amount depending on the developer, plus the agency commission on the resale and VAT on that commission. The DLD registration fee paid at the original purchase is a sunk cost and is not refunded. The incoming buyer normally pays their own DLD fee on the new transaction.