SPECIALISTS IN RAK REAL ESTATE
Ritz-Carlton Residences, Al Wadi. Developer's image: Al Hamra
BUYING OFF-PLAN
Buying off-plan in Ras Al Khaimah
We live here. Local knowledge changes what you buy.
Updated 4 October 2026
Get your shortlist
Karolina replies within the hour
WHAT LIVING HERE TELLS US
We compare RAK's new projects on the developer, price per sq ft, payment plan, handover date and likely rent, and send you a shortlist. Living here is what makes it a better shortlist.
The view you're paying for
Brochures show the tower, not the plot beside it. We check what's planned around a building, so the next tower doesn't take your sea view, or your value.
Before it's launched
We hear about new phases and launches before they reach the portals, so you see the best units first and know what will compete with yours when you let or sell.
Who delivers
We know which developers have finished what they promised, and which buildings let well once they're handed over.
Life here, first-hand
We've placed two children in RAK schools and moved our own pet from London. Whatever moving here involves, we've done it.
“I know who is building, what they are building, and where the next phase is going before it is launched.”
Karolina Dean, Managing Director & Co-Founder
WHY BUY IN RAK
Where the UAE is building next
Within two years a new bridge, a wider motorway, a bigger airport and the UAE's first casino resort open here, 1 hour from Dubai. Companies and people are already arriving.
650,000
people by 2030, from 450,000 today
Cavendish Maxwell, Jul 2026
$5.7bn
Wynn Al Marjan Island, opening September 2027
Wynn Resorts, Aug 2026
19,000
new companies in RAKEZ in 2025, up 44%
RAKEZ, Feb 2026
1 million
airport passengers in 2025, up 51%
RAK International Airport, Jan 2026
What we watch: 25,600 new homes are due by 2030, most in 2028 and 2029. Prices have levelled off since February. We think the homes that gain most will be close to what is being built, from developers who have delivered before.
Cavendish Maxwell, Jul 2026; CBRE, H1 2026
Costa Mare, Al Marjan Island. Image: Ellington Properties
WHERE THE GROWTH IS
Where prices are rising, area by area
Three established areas lead on the two indexes that track RAK by area. An area guide for each, with the figures behind it, is on the way.
Costa Mare, Al Marjan Island. Image: Ellington Properties
1
Al Marjan Island
LEADS THE MARKET
+23.1%
apartment prices in a year
CBRE, H1 2026
AED 1,160
per sq ft for apartments, the highest of the areas tracked
ValuStrat, Q2 2026
Wynn opens here in September 2027, and 64% of RAK's new homes to 2030 are being built here.
2
Al Hamra Village
THE LEADING VILLA MARKET
+10.5%
villa prices in a year; apartments +14.7%
CBRE, H1 2026
+8.7%
villa rents in a year
CBRE, H1 2026
Golf, marina and beach next to Al Marjan Island, with Waldorf Astoria and Ritz-Carlton residences. Where we live.
Soto Grande, Al Hamra Village. Image: Ellington Properties
Anantara Residences, Mina Al Arab. Developer's image: RAK Properties
3
Mina Al Arab
RENTS RISING FASTEST
+10.6%
apartment rents in a year, the fastest of any area
CBRE, H1 2026
AED 927
per sq ft for villas, above Al Hamra's AED 818
ValuStrat, Q2 2026
A low-rise community on a lagoon and beach, on the widened E11.
NEXT
Beach District
First homes due 2029 to 2030. No price history yet.
NEXT
RAK Central
The new business district. First homes due 2029 to 2030, at lower prices. No price history yet.
CBRE, FY 2025. Every figure is the latest each index published.
The indexes differ: CBRE's figures run higher than ValuStrat's, and CBRE expects prices to level off. We show you both.
Costa Mare, Al Marjan Island. Image: Ellington Properties
YOUR SHORTLIST
The developer matters more than the render
Every project that fits your brief, compared on the same five facts, side by side.
01
The developer
What they've finished before, whether the project is registered with RERA RAK and has its own escrow account, and a note if they've never finished a project.
02
Price per sq ft
The fair way to compare one project with the next, whatever the size of the home.
03
Payment plan
How much you pay before handover and how much after, and when each payment falls.
04
Handover date
When the developer plans to hand over the keys.
05
Likely rent
What the home should rent for once it's finished, marked as a forecast, with our workings.
PAYING FOR IT
Mortgages on off-plan homes
You can now borrow on many RAK homes before they are built. The rules are tighter than for a finished home, so know them before you choose a project.
50%
the most a UAE bank can lend on an off-plan home, whoever you are
UAE Central Bank
80%
for an expatriate's first finished home under AED 5m; 60% for a second home
UAE Central Bank
4.24%
the lowest three-year fixed rate on off-plan homes
Huspy, Sep 2026
25 years
the longest term; repayments on all your debts capped at half your income
UAE Central Bank
RAKBANK and RAK Properties
Since September 2026 RAKBANK lends on off-plan homes at eleven RAK Properties projects, at each stage of construction through to handover. They include Anantara Residences and Villas, Quattro del Mar, SKAI, Solera, ENTA, Mirasol and Lunara on The Strand.
TradeArabia, 9 Sep 2026
Get pre-approved first
Pre-approval tells you what you can borrow before you reserve. It usually lasts 60 to 90 days; some developer tie-ups give 12 months, renewed until handover. You need your passport, proof of income and three to six months of bank statements.
Living abroad
Non-residents can borrow too: usually 50% to 65% on a finished home, with a minimum income of about AED 12,000 to 15,000 a month. On off-plan it is 50% for everyone.
Holo; Khaleej Times, Aug 2026
Holo, Jul 2026; UAE Central Bank
What you pay in cash
Banks can't lend the fees. Budget for your share of the price, the transfer fee, a bank arrangement fee of about 1% of the loan, and a valuation of about AED 3,000.
Khaleej Times, Jan 2025; Emirates NBD
Or pay the developer over time
Some RAK payment plans spread up to 40% of the price over five years after handover, with no bank involved.
How we help
Tell us your income and where you live. We'll tell you which banks lend on the projects you like, and introduce you to them before you reserve.
Metropolitan, Jul 2026
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. We are not mortgage advisers; the bank decides what it lends.
MOVING HERE
Schools, pets and the rest: we've done it
Many buyers also move here. These are the questions that come before the shortlist.
BRINGING YOUR PET
We moved Picu from London
From the UK: a microchip, a rabies jab at least 21 days before travel and a UAE import permit (AED 200). No quarantine, and no blood test for UK pets. Some breeds are banned. Al Hamra Village and Mina Al Arab are dog-friendly.
Karolina volunteers every week at the Ras Al Khaimah Animal Welfare Centre, if you would like to adopt once you're here.
MOCCAE rules via Meydan FZ, Jul 2026; dubizzle, Sep 2026. Photo: Picu, our dog
SCHOOLS
We've placed two children in RAK schools
So we can tell you what the school websites don't: which curriculum fits your child, where the waiting lists are, and how long the school run is from each area.
RAK Academy
IB and British
GEMS Westminster
British
Wellspring
American
Emirates National School
IB and American
St Mary
British
Fees from AED 13,340 to AED 46,475 a year. Property Finder, Aug 2025
The Golden Visa
Property worth AED 2m or more, off-plan or finished, may qualify you for the UAE Golden Visa. Several properties can be added together. You apply from inside the UAE, and the authorities decide.
RAKEZ, Dec 2025; u.ae, Jul 2026
Buying from abroad
View by video call and reserve without flying in. Every payment goes straight to the project's escrow account, and your purchase is registered in RAK within 5 working days of signing.
What it costs
On top of the price: a 4% transfer fee, usually paid by the buyer, plus AED 200 for the title deed and AED 200 for the plan. We set out every cost before you reserve.
RAK Municipality
RAK Law No. 12 of 2023
HOW IT WORKS
From your brief to the keys, and after
What happens, in order, and what RAK law gives you along the way.
Waldorf Astoria Residences, Al Hamra. Image: Al Hamra
BEFORE YOU BUY
1
Your brief
Your budget, when you want to buy, cash or mortgage, and the areas you like.
2
Our agreement and checks
A short buyer agreement, and the ID and source-of-funds check the law asks every agent to make.
3
Your shortlist
The projects that fit your brief, compared on the five facts.
4
Viewing
The show apartment and the site, in person or by video call.
Playa del Sol, Hayat Island. Image: Ellington Properties
BUYING
5
Reservation
You pay the reservation into the project's escrow account. We never hold your money.
6
Sale contract
The developer sends it within 30 days. You have 15 days to review it; if you don't sign in that time, the reservation is cancelled and the deposit kept.
7
Registration
The developer records your purchase in RAK's Initial Land Register within 5 working days of signing.
Waldorf Astoria Residences, Al Hamra. Image: Al Hamra
THE KEYS, AND AFTER
8
Build updates
We pass on the developer's updates as they come, and check in at least every quarter.
9
Handover
We walk through the finished home with you, with a checklist, before you take the keys.
10
Letting it out
If you bought to let, we find your tenant, and can manage the home for you.
Timings and your rights under RAK Law No. 12 of 2023 (Articles 29 to 31 and 46).
Solera. Developer's image: RAK Properties
THINKING OF BUYING IN RAK?
Tell us your budget, when you want to buy and where. We'll come back within the hour, and send your shortlist once we know your brief.
Karolina Dean, Managing Director & Co-Founder
KEEP UP
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