DUBAI: Property experts are preparing the first major benchmark surveys of service fees so that investors who have long complained of excessive rates can compare prices. The government-backed Middle East Facility Management Association (Mefma) plans this month to start collecting data from its 75 corporate members as well as developers and property owners. The process[…]

Nakheel is set to embark on a major expansion of its retail operations, doubling the size of both Ibn Battuta Mall and Dragon Mart. The company will join a host of developers investing billions of dirhams in malls, hotels and entertainment. In addition, the developer behind Dubai’s palm-shaped islands is confident banks will lend Dh300[…]

At least one realty agency here says its female employees make more money than their male counterparts Are women more successful as real estate consultants in the UAE? And do they make more money for their company than their male counterparts? At Better Homes, women consultants have been more successful and have earned more money[…]

The Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI), the educational arm of Dubai Land Department (LD), will start offering its Certified International Property Specialist Program next April, which is being offered for the first time in the GCC region to enable real estate professionals to join a global network of international certified experts and deal with an[…]

Saudi Arabia-based developer Al Hokair Group is planning to resume construction on its stalled Al Sahara Kingdom hotel and entertainment project in Dubailand in 2013, its deputy CEO has said. The Al Sahara Kingdom has been master-planned over a 4.6 hectare area in Dubailand, the delayed real estate development backed by Dubai Properties Group (DPG).

Property investors and developers tied up in the troubled Dubai Lagoon project have reached a stalemate over how to move forward, with each blaming the other for the lack of progress on site. The AED3bn ($817m) mixed-use development, which has faced a series of difficulties since its launch in 2005, remains strangled by liquidity woes[…]

Experts and officials ask this question every six months, only to be disappointed. But for now, the answer seems to be “yes.” Is Dubai back? That’s the question economists and government officials ask about once every six months, only to be disappointed. But this time, at least, the stock market seems to be answering a[…]

Only 18 luxurious villas go on sale set in vast premises of 17,000 to 27,000 sq ft Emaar Properties on Monday launched sale of premium Golf Homes located in Arabian Ranches Golf Course. Only 18 villas, each in a plot area of 17,000 to 27,000 square feet, are for sale. The villas are specifically developed[…]

A five star villa resort located on one of the man made islands on Nakheel’s The World development in Dubai is set to be cancelled by the emirate’s real estate regulator, it is reported. Initially due to be completed in mid 2011, the Jasmine Garden beach resort on the Thailand island was one of many[…]