Dubai is associated with architectural wonders and luxury living. And it is a hotspot for real estate investment for investors all over the world. But when it comes to investing in Dubai’s real estate market, investors often wonder about whether to invest in an off-plan property or a ready to move in property.
With decades of experience as a professional real estate agency in Dubai, here in this article we will provide you with key differences between an off-plan and ready to move properties, and this will help you to make an informed decision.
Off-Plan Properties:
When it comes to off-plan properties, these projects are in development stage and not completed yet. Here the investors who are looking to invest in Dubai, invest on off-plan properties by seeing the properties architectural plan and believing in the reputation of the developer that the project will be completed on time, and according to the project plan. Similar to any other investment in real estate, this investment to has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Off-Plan Properties
Lower Initial Cost
One of the major advantages of investing in off-plan projects is that it comes with lower investment cost. Developers often offer very attractive payment plans and competitive prices during the construction phase. This helps investors to invest in these projects with a relatively small upfront investment.
Potential for Capital Appreciation
As an investor, when you choose the right off plan property to invest, it has a very good chance of capital appreciation. As an early investor, investors get a competitive price at the start, and when the project develops and nears completion, the value of the property will increase, and this gives an opportunity to exit the project by selling at a higher price or hold the property with continous price appreciation.
Customization Opportunities
Purchasing off-plan allows investors to customize certain aspects of the property, such as finishes and layouts, based on their preferences. This level of personalization can be appealing for those seeking a unique living space.
Limitations for Off-Plan Properties
Risk of Delays
When it comes to off-plan projects, there are chances that the project can get delayed due to various factors like delay it getting the regulatory approvals, getting slowdown due to economic downturns, and any delays due to technical issues in completing the project. So when investing in off-plan properties, investors should be prepared to handle any such delays in completion of the project.
Market Fluctuations
Similar to any market, real estate market also go through price fluctuations. And economic issues can impact the value of the properties. Even though investors enter off-plan projects at low invest cost, there are chances that there can be impact of profitability due to economic and market fluctuations.
Ready-to-Move Properties
Ready to move properties are also called as resale or secondary market properties. And when it comes to ready to move properties the investor can immediately occupy the property and they buy a tangible property.
Advantages of Ready-to-Move Properties
Immediate Returns
When it comes to ready to move properties is that the investors can use the property right away. Either they can immediately move in or rent out the property and start generating revenue. So with ready to move properties the investors need to wait till the project is completed to generate income from the property.
Reduced Uncertainty
Unlike off-plan properties, where investors rely on plans and projections, ready-to-move properties is a tangible asset where the construction is already completed. There are no uncertainties related to construction delays or changes in the development plan.
Considerations for Ready-to-Move Properties
Higher Initial Cost
Unlike off-plan properties the intial investment cost of ready to move properties are generally high. So when investors are planning to invest in ready to move properties they should be ready to page higher costs.
Limited Customization
Also ready to move in properties do not have much scope for customization when compared with off-plan projects. Even if the investors have the option to renovate the property based on their preference, not many properties can be highly customized due the structure of the building.
So the decision of investing either in an off-plan or ready to move properties is highly individual. If the investors want to enter a project at lower cost and willing to wait till the project completes for better appreciation then they can invest in off-plan projects.
Whereas, if the investor wants to invest only on a tangible asset and looking to generate revenue or move immediately, then they can choose ready to move properties.
Based on the above advantages and limitations investors can decide on whether to invest in an off-plan to ready to move property based on their investment goals, timeline on return on investment and risk tolerance.