Markets / Analysis
Residential and commercial property need different tests
A change in apartment rents does not automatically establish a change in office or retail economics. Different premises need different occupier evidence.
THE NEWSROOM / Dubai Property Market News
Dubai Property Market News.
Reporting and analysis on Dubai rents, supply and commercial property, with dated sources and practical context.
19–36 of 67 stories · Newest published first
Markets / Analysis
Supply and payment flexibility: keep the questions separate
Development activity and payment flexibility concern different parts of a property decision. One relates to what may become available; the other concerns how a specific obligation is paid.
Markets / Analysis
Commercial buyers need a unit-level decision
Buying commercial property needs a decision at unit level. Activity in the wider market does not establish whether a particular office or shop is worth its asking price.
Markets / Analysis
Office rents: test the evidence behind an asking price
An office rental figure becomes useful only when its basis is understood. Asking prices, incentives and completed lease terms are not interchangeable.
Markets / Analysis
New developers, completed projects and your shortlist
A developer entering the market and a project reaching completion are different events. Neither, alone, establishes the availability or suitability of a specific commercial unit.
Markets / Analysis
Flexible payments do not replace a suitable office
Flexible payments can improve timing for an occupier, but they do not make unsuitable space workable. The property and the payment arrangement need separate tests.
Markets / Analysis
Reading a changing commercial market
A commercial market headline often compresses several different measures into a short claim. A useful reading separates transactions, rents, supply and actual availability.
Markets / Analysis
Fitted offices: compare convenience with cost
A fitted office can reduce some work before occupation, but the existing fit-out may not suit the next user. Convenience should be tested rather than assumed.
Markets / Analysis
A commercial purchase needs an exit plan
A commercial purchase should have an exit plan as well as an entry price. That plan needs to recognise who might buy the asset and what would make it usable to them.
Markets / Analysis
Three Dubai office districts, several different building types
Buildings within the same office district can differ substantially. A location comparison should therefore preserve the details that matter to the occupier.
Markets / Analysis
Choosing between an office, showroom and warehouse
An office, showroom and warehouse solve different business problems. Comparing their rent per square foot without an operational specification can produce a misleading shortlist.
Markets / Analysis
Compare residential and commercial leasing on their own terms
Residential and commercial leasing should be examined on their own terms. An observation about one tenant group does not establish the behaviour of another.
Markets / Analysis
Event-night trading: plan the premises before the programme
Event-night trading places practical demands on premises. An operator should resolve layout, access and the intended activity before relying on a busy programme.
Markets / Analysis
Prime office space: define what quality means to your business
Prime is a marketing description unless the features behind it are defined. An office should earn its place on a shortlist through the way it serves the occupier.
Markets / Analysis
An operator’s brief for four commercial locations
A location brief for an operator should connect the area to the work being done. Different requirements can lead to different premises even within the same budget.
Markets / Analysis
Retail leasing: check frontage, footfall and fit-out
A retail lease should be assessed from the customer's approach to the unit and the operator's work behind the counter. Both affect whether the premises are usable.
Markets / Analysis
Plan office space around the next stage of growth
Office space should support the next stage of a business without depending on a single optimistic growth forecast. Layout flexibility and contract obligations need to be considered together.
Markets / Analysis
Flexible offices need clear lease terms
A flexible office layout and a flexible lease are different things. Both should be tested against the business's likely changes.