Insights
Analysis, not inventory
Short research notes where a dated factual correction or corridor misconception is worth stating plainly.
2026-08-31
UAE Golden Visa via property: AED 2 million, mortgages, and what February 2026 actually changed
The 10-year property Golden Visa still requires AED 2,000,000 of DLD-certified value. The February 2026 circular dropped the 50% cash-upfront rule. A visa is not tax residency.
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2026-08-31
Dubai vs Portugal property in 2026: residency is gone in Lisbon, intact in Dubai
Portugal’s property Golden Visa ended in 2023; non-residents now pay 7.5% IMT. Dubai still ties a 10-year Golden Visa to AED 2 million of freehold property, with 0% personal income tax for individuals.
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2026-08-31
Canada’s foreign buyer ban runs to 1 January 2027 — what actually expires, and what Gulf capital should do
The federal prohibition is a legal bar, not a tax, until at least 1 January 2027. Ottawa is studying an Australia-style new-build-only template. Do not underwrite a 2027 purchase on hope.
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2026-07-14
Portugal's property Golden Visa is gone — most of the internet hasn't noticed
Law 56/2023 removed real estate as a qualifying Golden Visa investment from October 2023. Buying Portuguese property confers zero residency — a factual error still ranking in 2026.
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2026-07-14
Why "Dubai rent is tax-free" is false for many Indian buyers
Indian tax residents pay slab rates on UAE rental income with zero DTAA credit. The corridor states this plainly because almost every marketing page aimed at Indian buyers does not.
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2026-07-31
Which countries banned foreign property buyers — and where capital can still go
Canada's closed ban runs to 2027; Australia bars established dwellings to mid-2029; Singapore prices foreigners out at ~65% duties; Spain and Portugal killed property Golden Visas; the UK stacks SDLT. The Gulf — UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman — is moving the other way.
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2026-07-31
Portugal Golden Visa after property: what routes remain, and who should still buy
Funds, cultural patronage, research financing and business creation still qualify. Residential purchase does not. The 7.5% non-resident IMT and compressing yields redefine who Portugal is actually for.
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2026-07-31
Qatar property residency: the USD 200k headline versus the thinner market underneath
Property-linked residency from roughly USD 200,000 is real under Qatar's Ministry of Justice framework — but freehold zones are narrow, yield data is thin, and residency is not the same product as a UAE Golden Visa.
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2026-07-31
UK rental yields by city: 5.8% nationally is not an investable number
Zoopla's 5.8% national average hides a North East at 7.9%, London near 5.4%, and a handful of cities above 8%. SDLT surcharges and Section 24 mean gross yield is the start of the model, not the end.
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