Samana

Samana Developers is a mid market Dubai developer with one recognisable signature: private pools on individual apartment balconies. It is a genuine differentiator in a segment where most buildings are hard to tell apart, and it is also the thing to think hardest about before buying.

What do they build?

Mid rise apartment buildings, mostly studios and one and two bedroom units, in the secondary districts rather than the prime ones. We are currently marketing 4 completed Samana properties from AED 680,000.

Where do they build?

• Dubai Production City: 1 property
• Dubai Sports City: 1 property
• Jumeirah Village Circle: 1 property
• Majan: 1 property

The pattern is the mid market apartment districts: Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Production City, Dubai Sports City, Majan, Arjan and their neighbours.

What should you check before buying?

• What the private pool costs to run and maintain, and whether it is your responsibility or the building's. It is an attractive feature and a recurring expense.
• Whether the pool eats the balcony. On a compact unit, look at the plan carefully: the usable outdoor space left over can be very little.
• Service charges, which on a building with this much water and leisure provision are higher than a plain block in the same district.
• Rental comparables in the same building. Ask what the pool actually adds to the achievable rent, in numbers, rather than assuming it commands a premium.
• Incoming supply in the district. These are areas where a lot of similar units complete together.

Are they a safe developer to buy from?

They have completed buildings in Dubai and delivery is not the primary concern. The honest caution is about the proposition rather than the developer: pay for the pool only if the rent or your own enjoyment justifies it, because the running cost does not go away.