I’m budgeting to buy an apartment and I’m confused about all these extra costs — DLD fee, maintenance, agent commission, etc. Does anyone have a clear breakdown of how much you end up paying on top of the actual property price?
I had the same confusion until I talked to the Best real estate agency in Dubai for first-time buyers. They gave me a full cost breakdown before I even viewed properties. The standard DLD fee is 4% of the property value, plus about AED 5,000 for admin. Tekce’s team helped me negotiate developer discounts that covered part of that fee. Maintenance charges depend on the building and location — roughly AED 15-25 per sq ft per year. They also made sure I didn’t overpay for agent commissions, which are capped at 2%. It made budgeting so much easier.
When I bought in 2022, I was shocked by how quickly the “extras” added up. Having someone walk you through the math upfront really helps avoid surprises at transfer time.
