So you are thinking about buying, but you are worried you might lose money on the deal. The market is unpredictable in the UAE and you can’t tell when or if it might change. If you have read my articles “How Buying Property Halves Your Rent” and “How Long Do You Have to Stay For Buying to Make Sense” you can see that buying property as an investor or an end user is one of the best investments you can make, but you are still unsure.
I have always wondered why people buy cars when they know that when they sell them it will definitely be for a loss – but people don’t buy property because they think it might go down in value. Property, unlike cars, almost always comes back up.
Here is how to never lose money on a property purchase – Only sell when your property is worth more than what you bought it for. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is, and the trick is never to lose control of when you need to sell.
The truth is it doesn’t matter what the value of the property is until you sell it and crystalize that profit or loss. If you control when you sell you can get the price that is right for you, and if you have read my articles mentioned above in the meantime your investment should be working for you.
A lot of people get worried in the UAE about losing control of when they sell as they may have to leave and go back to their home countries (if they lose their job for exmple). If you do need to leave, in an emergency or otherwise, you don’t have to sell your property even if you have a mortgage on it. You can have your property managed by Crompton Partners or the bank (we have a portfolio of over 100 units most owned by non-domiciled expatriates). The property manager can take care of the property for you and you can sell it whenever suits you (preferably at the top of the market).
It really is that simple. If you need to leave then we can manage it for as little as 4% of the annual rent (this would only reduce your yield by a fraction). You will keep making your mortgage payments and exit your investment when it suits you. You can even appoint us as your power of attorney (these can be very tightly drafted) and we can sell it for you when the time comes. The only time you should lose money on a property purchase is when you lose control of when you need to sell it. Property Management means that this never needs to happen.
Crompton Partners is the largest Property Agency in Abu Dhabi and we would be happy to talk to you about anything regarding sales or leasing in the Nation’s Great Capital. Please feel free to call me on 050 6145199 or email at ben.crompton@cpestateagents.com.
