Posted on 03/21/2006 6:16:56 PM PST by mr_hammer
Arab and US officials are growing nervous at the prospect of a second congressional uprising against the acquisition of American assets by a Middle Eastern-controlled company in the wake of the Dubai Ports World debacle.
Snip ...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.ft.com ...
Rent Buy
Apartment Villa Warehouse Retail Office UAE Select Community Select Property Name
Q: What is Better Homes role?
A: Better Homes role is consultative. We assess your requirements to narrow down your choices and make recommendations.
Q: I want to buy property what is the first thing I should do?
A: Decide on a budget, secure financing, and then choose a property. Explore the property pages of The Gulf News to get an idea of what is available in the market.
Q: What finance options are available?
A: Various options are available from several financial institutions. Interest rates vary from between 6% and 11.5%.
Q: How do I secure financing?
A: Better Homes recommends Tamweel, a Dubai based home financing firm. We have a member of Tamweel Staff permanently based at Better Homes offices in The Village who are able to assist you with all home financing queries. Visit Better Homes to speak to Tamweel directly or alternatively see www.tamweel.ae for further details.
Q: Can I buy a property to rent?
A: If you mean, can you buy a property and then rent it out, the answer is yes. Better Homes can help you with these arrangements. We also have a leasing and property management division. Our interiors division can assist you with furnishing the home.
Q: Can I buy anywhere in Dubai?
A: Non-UAE nationals can only buy in areas designated specifically for expatriate freehold and leasehold sales.
Q: Is a residence visa necessary for all purchases?
A: No, you do not need to be a UAE resident to purchase property in UAE. You become eligible to apply for a residence visa upon the purchase of a freehold property. (Please note that the usual immigration laws apply to all residency applications; the purchase of a property does not guarantee a residence visa).
Q: Can Better Homes supply me with a visit visa?
A: Better Homes does not supply visas. However, hotels and the national airline carrier (Emirates) often arrange (visit) visas. Enquire at your hotel and/or the national airline carrier (Emirates) for more details.
Q: What premium can I expect on a resale?
A: Re-sale values are difficult to predict, as the market is immature. However, properties currently available for resale are achieving premiums of between 10 and 25%.
Q: How has the yearly appreciation of property values been over the last five years?
A: There are two segments of the market - the segment open to all buyers and the segment that is open to UAE nationals only. The open-to-all nationalities segment is still in its infancy stage, therefore, no definitive data is available.
Q: What are the projected appreciation values over the next two to five years?
A: It is difficult to project the appreciation values, as the market is so new. However, we are confident that when the market stabilises property in Dubai will represent a good investment in the long term.
Q: What properties does Better Homes deal in specifically?
A: Better Homes sells, leases and manages both residential and commercial property. This includes leasehold, freehold properties, land, hotels, towers and communities. However, only those properties specifically located in freehold areas are available to non-UAE nationals to purchase.
Q: Does Better Homes charge fees?
A: For property purchased as resale, Better Homes charges an agency fee (1% of property value to seller and 1% of property value to buyer).
Q: What does base price, mean?
A: The base price is the price at which the developer released the property for sale initially.
Q: What does selling price, mean?
A: The selling price is the price at which the property is currently on the market.
Q: What does premium, mean?
A: The premium is the difference between the base price and the selling price. In other words, the initial investors profit. For example, the developer originally sold the property at AED 1,000,000 to Mr Smith. After a period, Mr Smith now wishes to sell it at AED 1,200,000. The premium is AED 200,000/-
Q: What is the fee to the Lands Department and who is responsible for this payment?
A: The registration fee to the Lands Department is applicable to all property types. The buyer pays this.
Q: Does the Land Registration tax of 1.5% apply to all property types?
A: The registration fee to the Lands Department is applicable to all property types. The buyer pays this.
Q: What other costs are applicable?
A: Other purchasing costs may include a transfer fee to the developer of resale properties. This is usually between 1% and 7% (depending on the development) of the base price of the property.
Q: Does Better Homes manage apartment /office leasing for overseas investors?
A: Better Homes offers property management at a fee of between 4% and 5% of the annual rental income. See for more details on this service
Q: Does Better Homes furnish apartments?
A: Better Homes will furnish apartments. Better Homes has an Interiors Division who will be delighted to help you. Contact Better Homes Interiors Division by telephone 04 3444862, fax 04 3443263 or email
Q: I need to find reputable contractors for my property, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters etc. how do I know who to contact?
A: Over the years, we have developed strong relationships with many suppliers. Better Homes produce a booklet called Better Services containing information from personally recommended reliable suppliers for almost everything you need for your home. Ask a Better Homes member of staff for your complimentary copy.
Q: I want to know more about buying and selling property in UAE. Who should I contact?
A: Better Homes is happy to help you with any further queries you may have.
Home | Buy | Sell | Rent | Short-term Rentals | Property Management | Project Sales & Marketing | Commercial Advisory | Franchising |
About Dubai | Contact Us | FAQs | Careers | Map Search | Advanced Search | Links | Legal Disclaimer | Sitemap
Dubai Property
© Copyright Better Homes 2006 Powered by MasterKey Systems
Also including Israel, from what I read!
Citizens need to educate themselves so they are not so ignorant as to believe Schumer and Hillary. Those who refuse to do so were warned against by the Founders.
What kind of idiot believes RATS have any regard for national security issues?
I checked my messages - I was in the process of replying and looking up a link for the percentage of land under control of US governments when you posted your "thanks" message. I couldn't have seen your thanks message because I was in the process of composing, research and sending.
And I was very careful to use your EXACT statement, including your qualifying "highly doubt," when I replied that "can buy" is different from your the position your thought was likely true.
In other words, I was careful to leave a fairly sterile message back - in reply to your bolding of words from the link that indicated some restrictions on what foreigners can buy, perhaps hinting that the restrictions somehow turned "can buy" into "can't buy."
I still intend to avoid posting to you, but wanted you to understand the circumstances that led to my post - I wasn't "flaming you for thanking me," as you asserted.
Thank you for the link.
You are slandering our ally in the UAE by attributing falsely actions to them they have not taken to harm us and ignoring those they have taken to assist us.
They are putting themselves on the line fighting the same enemy we are fighting and that includes troops in Afganistan.
You also slander and defame those moslems who are dying in Iraq fighting the terrorists there.
What is more malignant that condemning those who are brave enough to line up in lines to join the police or army in Iraq knowing that they could be killed in line or their families attacked because they are cooperating with the US?
Those are the sort of brave souls we should be praising and encouraging rather than slandering and whipping up hatred against.
Those who do this in order to spout the "Hate all moslem" line are revolting.
That is not my point at all. I am not concerned with Arab customs. This is not Arabia. It is America. And for our President to walk around his ranch hand-in-hand with another man--especially one who leads a nation from which 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers emerged--was incredibly stupid politically. It made the papers all over the nation, the covers of 2 books, and unneccessary fodder to our Democrat foes. Why do this? Is Bush so insulated that he doesn't understand the American people at all anymore?
The problem is the Dubai company is not owned by private individuals. It is a govt owned company, and that govt. benevolent as it may be, is an Islamic dictatorship.
Most have no problem with private Arab businessmen, especially Christian Arabs.
Most Americans do however, have a problem with Islamic dictatorships buying up private American companies.
As I said earlier before others proved me correct Jamaica has as restrictive laws against foreign ownership of land and not all land in the US is available for purchase either.
On Dubai? It doesn't matter at all what I think. A President has to weigh the political consequences of his actions. Bush played it arrogantly and not openly. He didn't even bother to consult the GOP leadership before threatening veto.
Ignorance only means one does not know. You admitted you did not know but that does not mean you are not ignorant in that area.
A fellow asked me a series of questions earlier and I could not answer them. I was ignorant of the correct answer.
Before one jumps into a position of opposition about important matters it is of paramount importance to KNOW what is involved.
No just ignorant. That ignorance has damaged our reputation internationally and with this ally. It has damaged our ability to counter Al Queda propaganda and it has damaged our military efforts.
Your double standard against America is disgusting. Apparently you aren't bothered at all by the muslims' "hate all non-muslims" line, but think that everyone else who recognizes the obvious, that it is islam itself which is the enemy, is a bad person.
Let's pretend that the UAE was never involved in terror financing.
Let's pretend that the UAE was never involved in black market nuclear trafficking.
Let's pretend that 4 out of 5 citizens of the UAE don't want to see us all dead.
If the UAE has troops in Afghanistan, this is the first I've heard of it. I seriously doubt that you can substantiate that claim.
Again, it is YOU--like Bush--who don't seem to get it here. The heart of any empire, such as Rome, is the mob. So is it with America as well. And the mob HATES Arabs since 9/11. Now more than ever. You can know that the UAE and Qatar and whoever else are "allies", but the mob is not going to be with you. Bush did not try to explain a damn thing. He just took a hard line, threatened veto, and circled the wagons. The mob just got angrier. Stupid politics. All your ranting can't change that. There is your ideal world, and the real world of the mob. The mob which would have thrown 50 Republicans out of Congress had they permitted this deal to go through.
Islam's revolting history is not the issue here particularly since the UAE seems to have turned its back on those excesses. This WoT cannot be turned into an anti-Islam effort if we hope to win in Iraq.
You need to recall the meaning of "tactics" and "strategy" since your posts indicate NO awareness of their requirements.
The Klan is alive and well.
Most of America's ports are run by foreign companies. Americans live in a dreamworld. They have no idea their mortgages are backed by China's massive purchases of U.S. treasuries. Foreign purchases of our debt are the only thing keeping us afloat with Bush the drunken sailor.
So? Honestly, the non-sequiturs in support of those good old lodge brothers from the UAE are getting rather bizarre.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.