A comparable price check helps you ask a more precise question: which actual homes support the price being proposed for this one? It is useful preparation for a discussion, not a substitute for an appropriately qualified valuation or the other checks a purchase requires.
Keep the original idea of matching property, date, size and sale type. Avoid the original article's unsupported district medians, automatic view premium and suggested negotiation discount. No current market price is estimated in this revised guide.
Start with a record you can trace
ADREC's market data page, inspected on 2 October 2026, includes a Recent Sales section with asset, sale type, district, community, project and layout filters. The accessible page text did not establish a complete unit-level dataset or current price values. Empty or placeholder fields are not proof of zero activity.
Use the relevant official results when available and record their reporting period, definitions and source. If a field is missing, mark it missing. Do not infer that a public market dashboard confirms a seller's title or authority to transfer a specific unit.
RICS's comparable evidence page identifies the first edition as the applicable edition until a final second edition is published. Its introduction emphasizes evidence availability and the relative importance of sources. That professional framework is not a certification of this worksheet or a valuation of your chosen home.
Build the evidence sheet before calculating
Use one row for each genuinely distinct record. Keep a separate tab for advertisements so the same apartment advertised by several agents is not counted as several sales.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source and observation | Link or document reference and the date you inspected it |
| Price status | Recorded transaction, asking price or unverified statement |
| Property identity | Project, building, phase and unit type where documented |
| Relevant date | Sale date, registration date or listing date, clearly distinguished |
| Area | Numeric area, unit of measurement and definition |
| Sale category | Developer sale or resale as actually classified |
| Known differences | Condition, occupancy, layout, inclusions and payment terms |
| Missing information | What you cannot establish and why it matters |
| Decision | Include, exclude or retain only as background, with a reason |
Do not collect or circulate private ownership or financial documents without appropriate permission. A record can be useful without reproducing another person's identifying details.
Match the property, not merely the postcode
Start with the same property type and a closely relevant building or phase. A villa is not a substitute for an apartment, and dividing both by area does not make them comparable.
Use bedroom count, layout and size as filters, but avoid a rigid percentage rule that conceals a material difference. Two equally sized homes may include very different amounts of balcony or unusable circulation space. The two-apartment comparison guide addresses these physical and preference differences separately.
Record developer sales and resales separately before deciding whether they can inform the same question. Payment timing, completion status and included benefits may differ. Do not assume that every new unit is more expensive or that one transaction category always commands a premium.
Explain the date window you chose. If only older evidence is available, retain its actual date and describe the gap rather than relabelling it current or applying an invented market growth factor.
Test what a simple calculation can and cannot show
Consider a fictional apartment sale of AED 1,000,000 with a documented area of 1,000 square feet. Its arithmetic price is AED 1,000 per square foot. A separate fictional asking price of AED 1,100,000 for the same stated area is AED 1,100 per square foot.
The asking figure is 10 percent above that example sale. This does not establish a 10 percent overvaluation. You have not yet established that the homes, timing, area definitions and transaction conditions match.
Now suppose the advertised area includes a balcony while the sale record uses a different area definition. Stop the comparison until the measurements can be reconciled. A precise division using mismatched inputs is still misleading.
Do not manufacture an adjustment
List a difference before attaching money to it. “Different outlook” is an observation; “add five percent” is a valuation adjustment needing its own support. The same distinction applies to floor, renovation, furnishings and running costs.
For each proposed adjustment, ask what evidence supports the amount and whether another adjustment already captures the same difference. If the amount cannot be supported, leave the difference qualitative and explain how it limits the comparison.
A broad district summary can supply context through dated market reporting, but it cannot repair missing unit evidence. Do not average incompatible records into an apparently authoritative answer.
Bring the evidence to an offer discussion
Prepare a short note containing the property being discussed, the strongest relevant records, the excluded records and the unresolved differences. Ask the agent or seller to explain contrary evidence. Do not characterize a price as dishonest merely because it differs from your worksheet.
Keep your budget separate from an opinion of market value. The mortgage calculator illustrates entered assumptions; it does not predict the bank's valuation, approve borrowing or settle what you should offer.
Advertising duration and a price change are questions to investigate, not automatic leverage. A listing may have changed, been duplicated or been unavailable. Funding readiness also does not entitle a buyer to a discount or guarantee completion.
Before making a binding commitment, resolve the relevant financing, title, contractual and condition checks with the appropriate professionals. This guide provides general education, not investment, legal, tax or valuation advice.