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Sobha Realty is unusual among Dubai developers in that it builds its own projects. Most developers appoint a main contractor; Sobha keeps design, engineering and construction in house. Whether that shows up in the finish is a judgement, but it does mean the company controls its own programme rather than depending on a third party to hold it.

What do they build?

Apartments and villas at the upper-middle of the market, concentrated heavily in its own master community rather than scattered across the city. We are currently marketing 22 completed Sobha properties from AED 64,900.

Where do they build?

• Mohammed Bin Rashid City: 21 properties
• Jebel Ali: 1 property

Sobha Hartland, inside Mohammed Bin Rashid City, is where most of their Dubai work sits. It is a waterfront community on the creek with a good school provision and a genuine amount of green space, which is why it holds families rather than only investors.

What should you check before buying?

• Which part of Hartland. The community spans several very different price points and outlooks, and "Sobha Hartland" on a listing tells you less than you would think.
• Service charge for the specific building. Towers with full leisure provision sit well above the villa plots.
• What is planned on the plots around you. Parts of MBR City are still filling in, and a view across an empty plot is temporary.
• Road access at rush hour. The location is genuinely central, but the routes in and out funnel.

Are they a safe developer to buy from?

Yes, on the record they have in Dubai. In house construction removes one common source of delay, though it does not remove them all. The more useful question here is not whether the building completes but whether you are buying the right part of a large community, and that is worth twenty minutes before you commit.