Methodology

Three numbers, in order

No black box. Here's exactly what Cardinal calculates and where the assumptions come from.

01

True acquisition cost

Purchase price plus DLD transfer fee and agency commission — the number you actually wire, not the number on the listing.

02

Net yield

Annual rent minus service charges, divided by true acquisition cost. This is the figure that should be compared across listings — gross yield alone hides fees that vary a lot by building and agency.

03

Risk read AI-assisted

A score combining the maturity of the zone (established vs. still-developing) and the delivery track record of the developer, with AI-assisted pattern detection flagging unusual price or yield swings worth a second look. It's a starting signal, not a guarantee — always cross-check with recent transaction data before committing.

Who it's for

Built for two kinds of users

Individual investors

Buying one or two properties in Dubai, often from abroad, who want an independent second opinion before trusting the numbers on a listing.

Agencies and brokerages

Teams who want to hand clients a credible, data-backed report instead of a verbal pitch — available white-labeled under your own brand.

Who's behind Cardinal

Built by a licensed Dubai broker

Ugo Palladin

RERA Broker Card No. 97518
Real Estate Buying & Selling Brokerage · Leasing Brokerage
Valid through June 2027

Cardinal is built and maintained by a working Dubai broker, not an anonymous team — hello@cardinal-invest.ae

Roadmap

What's next

These need a live market-data connection or user accounts to work honestly — they're not switched on yet, but they're the direction Cardinal is heading.

Deal Finder
Automatically scan listings across platforms and surface only the ones matching your criteria.
Planned
AI fair-price check
Paste a listing, get an estimate of whether it's over- or under-priced versus recent comparable sales.
Planned
Smart alerts
Get notified when a new listing matches your saved criteria or yield threshold.
Planned
Personal portfolio dashboard
Track all your properties, blended yield, and equity growth in one place.
Planned
Live price history charts
Real transaction-based price and rent trends by zone, sourced from DLD data.
Planned