When do I pay the real estate agency commission in Dubai?

On a SECONDARY-MARKET (resale) purchase, agency commission is customarily paid on transfer, and the amount and timing should be written into the Form F / MOU before you sign — agree it up front rather than at the counter. On off-plan and direct-from-developer purchases the developer covers our fee, so you pay us no commission at all — your only extra there is the 4% DLD fee plus the developer's admin fee (up to about AED 6,000, and it varies by developer). So if you are buying off-plan, there is no agency commission due at SPA signing or at any other point. (Figures as of 2026-08-04 — confirm the exact split with your agent before you commit.)