W Residences Tower 2 at Dubai Harbour

Arada is a UAE developer best known for the large Aljada and Masaar communities in Sharjah, and now building at the luxury end in Dubai.

Its Dubai entry is deliberately positioned at the top of the market rather than the middle, which is a different proposition from the volume communities it built in Sharjah. Understanding which side of the business you are looking at matters when you read anything about them.

What do they build?

In Sharjah, large master planned communities combining apartments, townhouses and villas with retail, schools and parks. In Dubai, branded and high specification residential in prime waterfront and golf locations.

Where do they build?

• Palm Jumeirah, with branded beachfront residences.
• Jumeirah Golf Estates, with a villa community.
• Aljada and Masaar in Sharjah, which are their largest projects by volume.

What should you check before buying?

• Which market you are buying in, since their Sharjah and Dubai products serve completely different buyers and are not comparable on price.
• Handover dates and the payment plan on anything off plan, and the escrow arrangement.
• What a branded residence premium buys you, and what the brand actually obliges the operator to provide.
• Service charges, which on branded prime stock are among the highest in the city.
• Ownership and resale liquidity, which at the prime end depends on a small pool of buyers.

Are they a safe developer to buy from?

They have delivered substantial phases of their Sharjah communities, which is the record to look at, and they are building in Dubai on prime sites where the land itself carries the value. As with any off plan purchase at the luxury end, the questions worth your time are the payment plan, the escrow account and what the finished specification is contractually, in writing.