If you are buying in Dubai with a mortgage, the bank will value the property itself, and its figure is not required to match the price you agreed. When it comes in lower, the shortfall becomes your problem rather than the bank's, which catches buyers out at the worst possible moment.

Why the bank's number can differ

The bank is not valuing your negotiation. It is estimating what the property would realistically sell for, using recent comparable transactions in the same building or community. That has consequences:

It looks backwards. Valuations lean on completed sales, so in a rising market they can lag the price a motivated buyer will pay today.
It is building specific. A premium for a high floor, a view or a renovation may be real to you and only partly recognised in the comparables.
It ignores your reasons. Paying more because the layout suits you perfectly is rational and does not raise the valuation.

What happens if it comes in low?

The bank lends against its own figure, not the price. So if the valuation lands below the agreed price, the gap has to be covered in cash on top of your deposit. On a large purchase a modest percentage gap can be a significant sum, and it is usually needed quickly.

This is why the valuation should be understood before you commit, and why the deposit you have available should have some room in it.

What can I actually do about it?

Ask for the comparables used. If the valuer has relied on sales that are genuinely not comparable, that is a reasonable point to raise.
Supply evidence, not opinion. Recent sales in the same tower at similar prices, or documented upgrades to the unit.
Ask whether a second valuation is possible, and what it costs.
Renegotiate. A low valuation is a fact both sides now know, and a seller who wants the sale may move.
Increase your cash contribution, if you have it and the property is still worth it to you.
Walk away. Sometimes the valuation is simply right and the price was not.

Does this apply to a cash purchase?

There is no bank to require a valuation, so nothing forces the question. That does not make it irrelevant. A cash buyer who overpays finds out on resale instead, when the next buyer's bank does the valuation they skipped. Commissioning one voluntarily on a large purchase is not a bad idea.

Get the sequence right

Have your mortgage position clear before you agree a price, so the valuation is a confirmation rather than a shock. Our guide on getting a mortgage in Dubai as an expat covers what to arrange first, and what your property is worth explains how comparables are read.

If you would like a realistic view of a price before you offer, rather than after a valuation, ask us.