Dubai · Architect & Real Estate Advisor
You buy from home. I do the work here.
Most of my clients live in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Turkey. I choose the apartment with an architect's eye, and I take on what comes after it as well: the design, the furniture, getting it ready to rent or to list on Airbnb, keeping track of the income. The whole purchase runs remotely.
9 years in architecture · 2 years in Dubai real estate · AED 22.7M sold
So far.
I came to this from architecture. I still look at a home that way.
I'm Ecem Reyhan. I'm 29, an architect and interior designer. For nine years I worked at Reyhan Mühendislik & İnşaat as lead designer, project manager and head of operations.
Most of my clients live in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Turkey, and many of them invest without ever seeing Dubai. I'm aware how much trust that takes. My part is to earn it: documents you can check, reporting that arrives on time, and being reachable when you need me.
The real work begins after the sale.
Buying takes a few weeks. Turning the apartment into something that earns takes years. I run the design, the furniture, the tenant and the income reports myself, so you hold the paperwork for every step and deal with one person from start to finish.
Golden Visa & residency
I handle the Golden Visa and residency applications myself. We go through the bank account opening and any mortgage conversations together too, so you have one point of contact throughout.
Choosing the right unit
I read the floor plan, the light, the livability and the resale value the way an architect does. One bedroom or two, which floor, which orientation? We work through those questions together, using the plan and the rental figures for the building.
Design & furniture
I run the interior design and the furniture sourcing myself. You approve the concept from visuals, I handle procurement and installation, and every cost comes to you line by line. On handover day the apartment is furnished, photographed and ready to rent.
Airbnb & rental management
For short lets I set up the contract with the operator and oversee how it is run. Occupancy and income reports reach you on a regular schedule, and I check the unit in person between guests. It matters to me that you can see how your apartment is doing, even from Amsterdam.
The part between an empty shell and a home.
Nine years of architecture and interior design sit behind this part of the work. A developer hands over a painted shell. What I do is turn that shell into somewhere you would want to live and be happy to photograph. The interiors below come from projects I drew myself, and the full sets are on the Projects page.
Six steps, none of them in person.
The question I hear most is: "How are we supposed to trust this?" There's no one-sentence answer, so I broke the process into six steps. At each one you see in writing where your money goes, which document you now hold, and what happens next.
Intro & needs
The first call covers budget, purpose and timing. If Dubai isn't right for you, I'll say so that same day. Neither of us wants a decision you regret a few years from now, so I'd rather be straightforward from the start.
Shortlist
I come back with three to five options that match your criteria, each one with its floor plan, its payment schedule and a realistic rental estimate. I write down the weaker points as well. If none of them sit right with you, we build the list again together.
Payment plan
Off-plan usually means around 20% down and the balance in instalments through construction. Every cost goes into one table, the 4% DLD transfer fee included. Nothing gets added to that table later on.
Contract & title
Your payment goes to the developer's RERA-supervised escrow account, not to me. That account is government-regulated, and funds are released to the developer only as construction progresses. We read the clauses together before you sign anything.
Handover & design
At handover I take the unit over on your behalf. I prepare the snagging list and follow the developer through until every item is resolved. After that I design it, furnish it, and hand it to you photographed and ready to rent.
Income & management
I track your rental or Airbnb income and report on it regularly. Dubai charges no income tax on rent, so the number that lands in your account is the number we both look at.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi: five areas I know well.
Dubai is a big city. I would rather know five areas properly than all of it vaguely, so I follow their floor plans, their developers, their rental demand and their pricing day by day. If the area you have in mind sits outside that list, tell me anyway. I track the wider market and can put a realistic picture together for it.
Dubai Creek HarbourGross yield 6-7%
Dubai SouthGross yield 7-9%
Dubai IslandsGross yield 7-8%
Expo CityGross yield 6-7%
Abu Dhabi · Yas IslandGross yield 6-8%
The projects I have sold in.
These are the projects where I have closed sales. It is not a list of what is on the market today; it is here to show which developers I work with and the kind of projects I know from the inside.
- Reef
Reef 996
- Azizi
Azizi Venice
- Sobha Realty
Sobha Central
- Object 1
Verdania 4
- ADE
Barari Gate
- Emaar
Creek Haven
- Sobha Realty
Sobha Sanctuary
- Beyond
The Mural
Dubai Maritime City
Developers I work with
- Emaar
- Sobha Realty
- Reef
- Beyond
- Object 1
- Azizi
- ADE
- Omniyat
- Samana
- Imtiaz
What I am working on now.
These four are the ones I follow closely: payment plans, remaining stock and floor plans all sit on my desk.
- Sobha Realty
Sobha Sanctuary – The Woods
Starting fromAED 999,000≈ USD 272,000
- Azizi
Azizi Wasel
Starting fromAED 1,700,000≈ USD 463,000
- Object 1
Elaris Sky
Starting fromAED 767,000≈ USD 209,000
- Emaar
Creek Haven
Starting fromAED 1,860,000≈ USD 506,000
Off-plan usually starts with around 20% down, with the balance paid in instalments as construction progresses.
Figures are starting prices, checked against current developer listings on 1 September 2026. They move with unit type, floor and aspect, and stock moves too. Dollar figures are converted at the pegged rate of AED 3.6725 and rounded. We check the current list together for whichever unit interests you.
Let's talk about one of theseI'd rather ask my clients before I publish their words.
I'm collecting client testimonials and video references, but it wouldn't feel right to put them up here without their permission. Until then, what I can share is the numbers: AED 18M in sales since November 2025, AED 22.7M in total. Most of that with clients who never saw Dubai before they bought.
If you don't know where to start, write to me.
Fill in the short form and you'll know exactly what you get back. A realistic first assessment based on your budget and your goal: which area, which unit type, which yield range. And if Dubai doesn't look right for you, I'll tell you that instead.
