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For investors with AED 10M+ in capital

Direct-Ownership Villa Renovation & Development in Dubai

Eplog Properties is led by Saliq Zahoor, a RERA-licensed broker and construction engineer, and executes two direct-ownership models — villa renovation and bespoke ground-up development — with the investor's own name on the DLD title from day one. No SPV, no pooled fund, no nominee structure.

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14+ Years

Dubai real estate experience

15+ Projects

Completed and delivered

2 Models

Renovation and bespoke development

Why direct ownership

Every investor who works with Eplog holds direct, DLD-registered title to their villa or plot — in their own name, from the day the transaction closes. There is no SPV, no pooled capital, and no nominee structure at any point in the process. This is a deliberate, non-negotiable design choice: it means the investor, not a fund manager or vehicle, controls every decision on renovation scope, timeline, and exit.

Most access points into this segment of the market run through a structure of some kind, where the investor's legal claim is on the vehicle, not the property. See the full comparison of direct DLD ownership vs. SPV and pooled structures for exactly what that distinction means in practice.

Why now — the market opportunity

In H1 2025 alone, Dubai recorded 1,300+ transactions above AED 10M — up 31% year-on-year. At the community level, Jumeirah Islands saw transactions above AED 10M grow from 8 in 2021 to 89 in 2024. This is not a market cooling off; it's one accelerating at the top end, in a segment where genuine scarcity of the right product is driving disproportionate price growth.

Read the full market thesis behind this model for the data and reasoning in full.

Two models compared

Both models run on the same direct-ownership structure and are sized for different capital and timelines. See which model fits you for the full head-to-head.

	Villa Renovation Model	Bespoke Development Model
Minimum capital	AED 10,000,000	AED 25,000,000
Timeline	8–14 months	18–24 months
Starting point	An existing villa, acquired and upgraded	A vacant plot, built from the ground up
Ownership	Direct DLD-registered, investor's own name	Direct DLD-registered, investor's own name
	Explore the Villa Renovation Model →	Explore the Bespoke Development Model →

District One Renovation Guide

Renovating a District One villa? Watch the process before work begins.

Saliq Zahoor walks through a real District One renovation from handover to completion certificate—including developer and Dubai Municipality approvals, the AED 50,000 pool waterproofing lesson, site-access rules, and the mistakes that delay projects.

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About Saliq Zahoor

Saliq Zahoor is the founder of Eplog Properties, a RERA-licensed broker (ORN 36700) and construction engineer with 14+ years in Dubai real estate. That dual licensing lets him evaluate every property not only from a sales perspective but also from an engineering and development perspective — a distinction that matters when the asset in question is a bespoke villa build, not a standard resale unit.

Under his direction, Eplog has completed 15+ projects across renovation and ground-up development, with AED 120M+ currently under management and $300M+ transacted across 100+ deals.

"I underwrite every villa the way I'd underwrite my own money — because for years, it was."

Proof, briefly

Two District One villas are currently available for direct-ownership investment under this model. Eplog's $300M+ transaction history spans 100+ deals — personally executed transactions are distinguished from network-tracked reference cases in every case study on this site, so the track record is never overstated.

Completed villa living lounge with grand piano

Sculptural mirrored staircase in a completed villa

Completed villa living room seating area

Villa walk-in closet with island display

Eplog bridges brokerage, construction, and development management

Four ways into the market, compared honestly.

Structure	Title registration	Investor control	Exit flexibility
Eplog Direct Ownership	Investor's own name, DLD-registered from day one	Full — every decision is the investor's	Investor sells whenever and however they choose
SPV / pooled structures	Registered to the company or fund vehicle	Limited — decisions made by fund manager or vote	Tied to fund terms and disposal schedule
Off-plan	Oqood registration pending handover	None over design or finish until handover	Assignment resale, subject to developer rules
Secondary market	Investor's own name, on an already-built product	None over original design	Full, but the asset is one of many comparables

Is this right for you?

Capital

AED 10M+ liquid for renovation, or AED 25M+ for ground-up development

Timeline

Comfortable committing capital for an 8–24 month window

Involvement

Comfortable owning a renovation or construction project, even at a distance

Authority

Decision authority to move on a deal without a committee

Your journey

Qualification Call

Confirm capital, timeline, and model fit.

Model & Strategy Fit

Renovation or development, matched to your objectives and timeline.

Property or Plot Sourcing

Sourced and evaluated against community and plot fundamentals.

DLD Registration & Development Management Agreement

Title registers in your name; the development scope is formalized.

Construction Execution

Staged payments, independent inspection, and regular reporting.

Resale, Deemed Sale, or Reinvest

Exit on your terms, or roll capital into the next project.

One point of accountability

Saliq's dual licensing as a RERA broker and construction engineer collapses three separate vendor relationships — broker, contractor, and project manager — into one accountable relationship. There's no finger-pointing between parties when something needs to be resolved, because one licensed party is answerable for the whole outcome.

Frequently asked questions

Why work with Eplog instead of a traditional broker or contractor?+

A traditional path splits broker, contractor, and project manager into three separate, sometimes conflicting relationships. Eplog's founder holds both a RERA brokerage license and a construction engineering background, so sourcing and execution sit under one accountable party. See the direct ownership vs. SPV comparison for the structural side of this.

What is the minimum investment to work with Eplog?+

AED 10M for the villa renovation model, AED 25M for the bespoke development model. See which model fits your capital and timeline.

Do you only manage renovations, or can you also source the property?+

Sourcing is part of the service. See how villas are chosen for renovation for the criteria used.

How do you control renovation costs and timelines?+

An itemized Bill of Quantities locks price against specification before construction starts, and staged payments release only against verified work. See the full cost and permits guide.

I already own a villa and only need renovation management — is that in scope?+

Yes. See how contractor vetting and oversight work even when Eplog isn't sourcing the property itself.

What happens if the market drops before I exit?+

Every deal is underwritten against conservative resale comparables, not optimistic projections. See the full risk overview for how market and exit risk are managed.

Sources and methodology

Market figures are attributed to the named research publisher. Eplog project examples and professional observations are first-party material and are not market-wide guarantees.

Last reviewed: 19 July 2026 · Publisher: Eplog Properties · Dubai, UAE

For investors with AED 10M+ in capital

Apply for Your Private Investor Strategy Call

AED 10M minimum for renovation, AED 25M minimum for ground-up development. Direct DLD-registered ownership, in your own name, from day one.

A confidential 30-minute call. No obligation, no pressure. We respond within one business day.