---
title: "Resale (secondary market)"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/resale
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/resale.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A resale is the purchase of a completed home from its current owner rather than from the developer; in Dubai it is contracted on Form F and transferred at a trustee office."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Resale (secondary market)

> A resale is the purchase of a completed home from its current owner rather than from the developer; in Dubai it is contracted on Form F and transferred at a trustee office.

Also known as: Secondary market, Secondary sale, Ready resale, Resale property.

## What Resale (secondary market) means for a buyer

UAE property is sold in two markets. The primary market is new homes sold by developers, usually [off-plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/off-plan). The secondary or resale market is homes bought from their owners: mostly completed homes, plus [assignments](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/assignment) of off-plan contracts before handover.

A Dubai resale follows a set path. Buyer and seller agree terms on [Form F](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mou-form-f), the buyer usually lodges a 10% deposit cheque, the seller obtains the developer's [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc) confirming no service charges are owed, and the transfer completes in one appointment at a registration [trustee office](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trustee-office). The Land Department puts the transfer itself at about 20 minutes once documents and cheques are in order. The buyer customarily pays the 4% [transfer fee](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld-transfer-fee) and their agent's commission.

Resale and off-plan suit different buyers. A resale can be inspected, let and mortgaged at once, and the price is set against recent registered sales. Off-plan offers staged payments but no rent until handover. Resales were 24% of Dubai sales by number in Q2 2026 and 29% in Q3 on Betterhomes' figures, so the primary market still dominates.

Compare the two in our [off-plan vs ready guide](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/off-plan-vs-ready-property), and read [selling property in Dubai](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/selling-property-in-dubai) for the seller's side.

## Related terms

- [MOU / Form F](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mou-form-f): Form F is RERA's standard contract for a Dubai resale, commonly called the MOU: it fixes the price, deposit, transfer date and who pays which costs.
- [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc): A No Objection Certificate is the developer's written confirmation that it does not object to a property being sold, usually because all charges on it are paid.
- [Trustee office](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trustee-office): A trustee office is a private centre licensed by the Dubai Land Department where buyer and seller complete a resale transfer and the new title deed is issued.
- [Assignment / resale before handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/assignment): An assignment is the sale of an off-plan purchase contract to a new buyer before the property is completed, with the developer's consent.
- [Valuation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/valuation): A valuation is a professional assessment of a property's market value, most often commissioned by a bank to decide how much it will lend.

## In depth

- [Selling property in Dubai: the process, seller costs and how to sell as a non-resident](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/selling-property-in-dubai)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/resale. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.