--- title: "Buying a home in the UAE as a resident" canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/uae-residents markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/uae-residents.md type: collection description: "For people who already live in the UAE: what you can borrow, where to live for an easy commute, homes ready to move into, and the guides that take you from renting to owning." updated: 2026-11-13 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." --- # Living in the UAE? Buy your own home > For people who already live in the UAE: what you can borrow, where to live for an easy commute, homes ready to move into, and the guides that take you from renting to owning. ## From renting to owning 1. **Know what you can borrow.** Banks lend up to 80% of a first home's value to expatriates and 85% to UAE nationals, within half your income. A pre-approval then fixes the loan before you offer. 2. **Choose where to live.** Rank areas by published drive time to where you work, then weigh up schools, parks and service charges. 3. **Decide on ready or off-plan.** A completed home can be mortgaged and lived in straight away. Off-plan spreads the payments and asks you to wait. 4. **Reserve, register and move in.** In Dubai, budget 4% of the price for the land department and the registration fees, paid in cash. ## Work it out - [Mortgage affordability calculator](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/tools/mortgage-affordability-calculator): For UAE residents and nationals: the most a bank can lend on your salary under the Central Bank limits on debt burden, income and loan to value, the highest price that reaches, and the cash you need for the down payment and fees. - [Commute finder](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/tools/commute-finder): Choose where you work, from DIFC and Downtown to Dubai South and Abu Dhabi, and see the areas with published drive times to it, quickest first, with their new developments and prices from. - [Rent or buy](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/tools/rent-vs-buy): Pick an area and see when buying beats renting, using its published price per sq ft and yield, real UAE buying costs and your own mortgage and growth assumptions. ## Guides for residents - [Buying your first home in Dubai: the First-Time Home Buyer Programme, costs and steps](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-your-first-home-in-dubai): For UAE residents ready to stop renting: the Dubai Land Department's First-Time Home Buyer Programme, who qualifies, what it gives you, and the costs and timeline of a first purchase. - [Mortgages for UAE residents: how much you can borrow, salary rules, rates and fees](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/uae-mortgages-for-residents): How much a UAE resident can borrow: Central Bank loan-to-value caps for expats and nationals, the 50% debt-burden rule, tenor, minimum salary, EIBOR rates and every fee. - [Renting or buying in Dubai: the true cost of each, worked out for a UAE resident](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/renting-vs-buying-in-dubai): Should you keep renting or buy in Dubai? The full cost of each in dirhams, rent increase rules, service charges, opportunity cost and how long you need to stay for buying to pay. - [Buying property as a UAE national: housing programmes, loans and where you can own](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-property-as-a-uae-national): For Emirati buyers: the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, MBRHE in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, how they combine with a bank mortgage, nationals' loan limits and where you can own. - [Upsizing in Dubai: selling your apartment and buying a villa, in the right order](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/upsizing-from-apartment-to-villa-dubai): Moving from a Dubai apartment to a villa or townhouse: sell first or buy first, why the second-home mortgage cap matters, bridging and mortgage settlement, costs on both sides and timelines. - [Family communities in Dubai: prices, rents and drive times compared for residents](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/family-communities-in-dubai): Dubai's villa and townhouse communities for families, compared on published price per sq ft, rents, yields and drive times, with what each one suits and what to weigh before you buy. - [Ready to move in: buying a completed home in Dubai, step by step](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-a-ready-home-in-dubai): For residents who need a home now: how a resale or completed purchase in Dubai works, what it costs, the mortgage on a ready home, inspecting before you buy, tenanted homes and how long it takes. - [Off-plan vs ready property in the UAE: an honest comparison](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/off-plan-vs-ready-property): Off-plan or ready property in Dubai and the UAE compared on price, risk, cash flow, mortgages, rental income and visa eligibility, with AED examples for 2026. - [Dubai property buying costs in 2026: every fee, off-plan and resale](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-property-buying-costs): Every cost of buying property in Dubai in 2026: the 4% DLD fee, Oqood, trustee, agent and mortgage fees, with worked totals at AED 1m, 2m and 5m. ## Homes you can move into soon - [Ready to move in](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/developments/ready-to-move): 10 developments - [Off-plan property completing in 2026: the UAE](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/developments/handover-2026): 14 developments - [Off-plan property completing in 2026: Dubai](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/dubai/handover-2026): 14 developments --- Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/uae-residents. 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.