Emirates Hills is the most exclusive residential address in Dubai, and it works differently from everywhere else. Plots are large, houses are individually designed rather than built to a template, and the community is arranged around the Montgomerie golf course.

What the area is

Bespoke mansions on plots measured in tens of thousands of square feet, in a gated community with its own golf course, beside Dubai International Academy and close to Sheikh Zayed Road. There is no standard product here: every house is different, which is the point and also the complication.

Who it suits

Buyers at the very top of the market who want land and privacy rather than a view from a tower, and who are prepared for a purchase process that is slower and less standardised than elsewhere in Dubai.

What it costs

We are currently marketing 1 property to rent here: 1 villas at AED 2,090,000.

Those are the units on our own books today, so the figures move. What they are useful for is establishing the shape of the market here rather than the exact price of the unit you end up buying.

Prices here are set by the individual house and plot rather than by an area rate, so a per square foot comparison across the community is close to meaningless.

What to check before you buy here

• The condition of the house, properly surveyed. These are large, individually built properties and the cost of putting one right can be substantial.
• Plot size, orientation and what backs onto it. A golf frontage and an internal plot are very different assets.
• Whether the layout suits you or needs reworking, and what the community permits in the way of alterations.
• Liquidity and timescale. The buyer pool is small and sales take time. Plan for that rather than being surprised by it.