It is easy to fall in love with a property. Arranging a mortgage to pay for it takes a little longer. With 31 mortgage lenders in the UAE, it is worth taking time to find the right deal for you.

If you don’t have your finance in place, you risk finding the property of your dreams, only to lose it because you’re in no position to bid. Or you may lose the 10 per cent deposit that you are obliged to put down to secure a property, if you are subsequently turned down for home finance.

Under Central Bank rules, your monthly mortgage instalments, and other debt repayments, should not consume more than 50 per cent of your income.

You can get a rough idea of how much your mortgage will cost each month by using a free online digital calculator offered by many lenders, including HSBC, Mr Muralidharan says.

Many applicants simply go to their existing bank for a loan, but you may get a better deal by shopping around to compare rates and product features.

If that sounds daunting, you can ask a mortgage broker to do the legwork for you

They can also can help with application forms, mortgage insurance, salary transfers, liability letters and other paperwork.