A mortgage comparison starts with the offer you can actually obtain, not the largest percentage in an advertisement. The practical questions are how much the lender will advance, what cash must be available at each stage and how repayments could change.
This is an educational worksheet, not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. It does not certify current regulatory limits or your eligibility. Ask your lender to identify the rules and underwriting conditions applying to your case.
Separate loan size from purchase price
Loan to value expresses a loan as a share of a property value. Record which value the lender uses and whether the indicated amount remains subject to a valuation or other conditions. Do not assume your agreed price automatically becomes the bank's accepted value.
For a fictional illustration only, consider a price of AED 1,000,000 and an approved loan of AED 700,000. The portion of the price funded without that loan is AED 300,000. The loan equals 70% of the price in this example. That percentage is an assumption for arithmetic, not a quoted lending cap or an entitlement.
Fees and other cash requirements are additional to that difference. If the lender later confirms a loan of AED 650,000 instead, the price contribution becomes AED 350,000 before other costs. Recheck the whole funding plan whenever the approved amount changes.
Ask how repayment capacity was assessed
A debt burden or debt service calculation compares assessed debt payments with assessed income. The important word is assessed. Ask the bank which income it accepted, how it treated variable earnings and what existing commitments it included.
Do not turn a generic percentage into personal permission to borrow. Household living costs, emergencies and future changes still matter even when a bank approves an application. Request a repayment schedule for the actual offer and discuss affordability with an appropriately qualified adviser.
Read the rate beyond the first period
A useful comparison sheet distinguishes the initial rate period from what follows it. Record the benchmark, margin, reset timing, any floor and the conditions that change the quoted price.
As one lender example, ADCB's standard mortgage page describes hybrid pricing with an initial fixed period followed by EIBOR plus a margin. That describes its product structure, not a rate available to every reader.
Ask the lender to calculate repayments under the quoted terms and under a higher rate scenario. Keep those outputs labelled as scenarios, not predictions of future interest rates.
Build a cash calendar, not a single deposit figure
| Item | Written evidence to obtain | Timing to establish |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution to the price | Price and approved loan amount | When each part must be available |
| Lender charges | Current fee schedule and offer | Before approval, valuation or drawdown |
| Transaction charges | Applicable authority and service quotation | Required payment stage |
| Insurance | Policy requirement and premium basis | Initial and recurring payments |
| Property adjustments | Documented settlement calculation | Completion or later billing |
| Retained reserve | Your own budget decision | After the purchase, not counted twice |
The ADREC mortgage calculator separates loan and upfront payment information and identifies its rate as illustrative. Its output is not your lender's approval or a complete invoice for every transaction.
Confirm the property's registration route
Do not assume every property in the emirate uses the same registration process. ADGM's Registration Authority describes property services across Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands. Ask the lender and transaction adviser which authority and process apply to the exact home.
Keep the signed financing documents, property evidence and payment instructions consistent. A general area label cannot replace a named property or an approved settlement arrangement.
Before committing
Request the current written offer, list of outstanding conditions, repayment schedule and complete cost breakdown. Use the mortgage calculator only to explore stated assumptions, and use the preapproval checklist to record what remains conditional.
Sources checked on 22 September 2026. The fictional amounts above are not market prices. This revision removes the former unsourced universal fee ranges and lending band table.