Distress Deal
On this page
The numbers
| UNIT PRICE | AED 2,700,000 |
| Payment to seller | AED 1,128,271 |
| DLD Transfer fee (4% + 40 AED) | AED 108,040 |
| Trustee Office Fee | AED 4,200 |
| Buyer's Agency Commission (2% + VAT) | AED 56,700 |
| Title Deed Fee | AED 580 |
| On transfer to the developer (cash or mortgage) | AED 1,571,729 |
| Total on Transfer | AED 1,297,791 |
| Total remaining Payment Plan | AED 1,571,729 |
| TOTAL COST FOR BUYER | AED 2,869,520 |
Layout
Distress Deal
This is a one-bedroom apartment in LIV Waterside, Dubai Marina, measuring 828 sq.ft between the 18th and 24th floors with a marina view and a balcony. The building is complete. The asking price is AED 2,700,000 against an original price plus DLD of AED 2,724,330, a reduction of AED 24,330 or 0.9% below original price. On 828 sq.ft of built-up area that is AED 3,261 per square foot, in line with completed Dubai Marina stock. The buyer settles AED 1,297,791 at transfer, of which AED 1,128,271 goes to the seller, and then pays AED 1,571,729 to the developer on transfer, by cash or mortgage, for a total cost of AED 2,869,520. The trustee office fee of AED 4,200, agency commission of AED 56,700 and title deed fee of AED 580 are included in the transfer total.
Dubai Marina is the high-rise waterfront district built around a man-made canal off Sheikh Zayed Road, and it remains one of the most densely served residential areas in the city. DMCC and Sobha Realty metro stations sit on the Red Line at the district's edge, the Dubai Tram runs through the Marina itself with multiple stops, and the Marina Walk gives seven kilometres of waterfront promenade. Jumeirah Beach Residence and The Beach retail strip are immediately west, Bluewaters Island and Ain Dubai a short walk over the bridge, and Palm Jumeirah a few minutes by car. Dubai International Airport is around thirty minutes and Al Maktoum International around thirty-five, outside peak hours. Tram and metro coverage together mean the district functions without a car for most day-to-day journeys, which is rare in Dubai and supports the tenant base.
LIV Waterside is a completed tower on the Marina waterfront, and buildings of this class typically provide a pool deck, a gymnasium, residents' lounge space, concierge cover and covered parking. The substantive amenity, though, is the district: Marina Walk's restaurants and cafes, the Marina Mall, the yacht berths, and the beach at JBR a few minutes' walk away. This unit sits on the 18th to 24th floor band with a marina view, which is the aspect the building is priced on. Schools, clinics and supermarkets serving the district are established and within walking distance for most residents. Dubai Marina is one of a small number of districts in the city where a resident can live without a car. Service charges in established Marina towers vary widely between buildings, so the specific figure for this tower should be checked rather than assumed from the district average.
The 0.9% reduction against original price is nominal, and this is not a discount play. The case is the address and the fact that the unit is finished: AED 3,261 per square foot in a completed Dubai Marina tower with a marina view sits inside the normal range for the district rather than below it. What a buyer should weigh carefully is the structure. AED 1,571,729 of the total is payable to the developer at transfer, by cash or mortgage, on top of AED 1,297,791 settled at transfer to the seller and the authorities. That is a full settlement at completion of purchase, so the buyer needs the whole amount available or committed finance in place. Marina one-bedroom units have a deep and long-established rental market. It is also worth noting that the discount here is quoted against the original price plus DLD rather than against a market comparison, so it says little about where the unit sits relative to current Marina resale values.
This suits a buyer who wants a finished, marina-facing apartment in Dubai's most established high-rise waterfront district and is buying for the address and the rental depth rather than for a discount. There is no construction risk, no handover date to wait for and no instalment tail. The reservations are that the reduction against original price is negligible at 0.9%, the price per square foot is at the upper end for a one-bedroom, and the whole consideration falls due at transfer. All figures are taken from the seller's published listing. Confirm the developer payment terms, the service charge and any outstanding amounts with us before you act, and we can arrange a viewing. We can also confirm the current tenancy position, if any, and the handover condition.
Illustrative model
Set your own assumptions and see how DISTRESS DEAL: 1-BR IN LIV WATERSIDE behaves as a cash purchase, the same purchase mortgaged, or a capital-only resale.
As stated on this listing: the asking price measured against the original purchase price recorded for this unit. It is not a discount to current market value and not a valuation — a unit priced below what it originally sold for may still be at or above what comparable units achieve today. Check the registered comparables before treating the gap as equity. It is not used in any calculation below.
The asking price divided by the stated size. Compare it against registered sales in the same building before deciding whether the asking price is competitive.
Set service charge, maintenance & management, vacancy allowance above to see cash back — until then this figure would be assuming zero for them.
This is the ROI and IRR denominator: the price plus every cost of getting the keys, not the price alone.
No rental evidence is held for this unit. The rent figure is yours to set — we have not assumed one. Until you enter a gross annual rent, the yield, ROI/ROE and IRR figures reflect capital movement and costs only.
Figures marked “—” need service charge, maintenance & management, vacancy allowance entered above — we do not compute them on an assumed zero.
| Year | Net operating income | Sale proceeds, net | Net cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 · today | — | — | −AED 2,864,700 |
| 1 | AED 0 | — | AED 0 |
| 2 | AED 0 | — | AED 0 |
| 3 | AED 0 | — | AED 0 |
| 4 | AED 0 | — | AED 0 |
| 5 | AED 0 | AED 2,643,300 | AED 2,643,300 |
| Years 1–5 | AED 0 | AED 2,643,300 | AED 2,643,300 |
| Less the year-0 outflow of AED 2,864,700 → total profit | −AED 221,400 | ||
Exit at year 5: illustrative sale price AED 2,700,000 less selling costs AED 56,700 = AED 2,643,300 net. The final column is the schedule the IRR is solved from. Rent is held flat in nominal terms — the rent-growth field is at 0% — as is the service charge, so no inflation is assumed on either side. This audit table is arithmetic, so every row must resolve to a number — but service charge, maintenance & management, vacancy allowance are not set above, and the figures here currently assume zero for them. Nothing on this table should be read as a result until you set them; the headline tiles above withhold theirs for exactly this reason.
| Exit growth | Exit price | Total profit | ROI | IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| −5% p.a. | AED 2.09M | — | — | — |
| −3% p.a. | AED 2.32M | — | — | — |
| 0% p.a.your figure | AED 2.70M | — | — | — |
| 3% p.a. | AED 3.13M | — | — | — |
| 5% p.a. | AED 3.45M | — | — | — |
Each row re-runs the whole model with only the exit growth rate changed, over the same 5-year hold. The 0% and negative rows are not a worst case — they are simply what the same purchase returns if prices do not rise. Dubai prices have fallen in the past and can fall again. The return columns are shown as “—” until a gross annual rent is set; the total profit column reflects capital movement, purchase and sale costs and the service charge only.
We’ll send this scenario — your assumptions and the figures they produce — to your inbox.
Set service charge, maintenance & management, vacancy allowance above and we can email you this scenario. Until then every headline figure reads “—”, because the model would otherwise be assuming zero for them — and we publish no figure for them.
An illustrative model, not a forecast, a valuation, an offer or investment advice. Every figure is generated from the assumptions on this page — some yours, the rest stated defaults, not promises. Rents, service charges, fees, vacancy, handover dates, financing terms and sale prices vary by unit and over time; past prices are not a guide to future prices. Returns are not guaranteed and capital is at risk.
Mortgage availability, loan-to-value, rate and term are subject to lender criteria and underwriting; nothing here indicates that finance will be offered. Figures exclude any tax payable in your country of residence — take independent financial, tax and legal advice before committing. Mitchell's Commercial Real Estate is a trading brand; the RERA-licensed broker is Stephen James Mitchell, BRN 68593.
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