What Developers & Investors Must Get Right Early

The UAE’s real estate sector has entered a new phase of scale and complexity. Sankey Prasad, Chairman of Sterling Ark, has spent more than four decades overseeing complex real estate and infrastructure developments. He explains where projects begin to fail.

At what point do projects usually begin to fail operationally?

Operational issues most often surface 12-24 months after launch, when projects transition from sales momentum to real execution challenges, particularly in off-plan developments. Many large-scale schemes in the UAE are marketed with 12-18-month delivery promises, yet comparable projects typically require 24-48 months for construction and handover. Unrealistic timelines mask execution risks until progress visibly stalls, causing delays, increased costs and investor disappointment. This window is often overlooked because early success is measured by sales velocity rather than delivery readiness.

What actually limits how much development can be delivered successfully?

Capital and ambition are abundant in the UAE, but execution capacity and labour and contractor availability are the primary constraints. Supply chain disruptions and skilled labour shortages can slow progress and delays often show up as mid-project timetable slippage and cost escalation across portfolios. For example, a construction boom has strained quality contractors, slowing completion rates even as sales remain high. This creates a divergence between anticipated and realised supply, particularly in newer or boutique developers without deep operational experience. It is these execution limits, not capital scarcity, that determine how much can be built and delivered reliably at any time.

What signals distinguish projects that attract repeat investor confidence?

Successful projects typically demonstrate practical and feasible timelines based on past delivery experience, not aspirational promises; clear regulatory compliance and escrow transparency ensuring investor funds are released only against verifiable progress; and experienced construction oversight with rigorous contractor vetting. Together these indicators reflect operational discipline and risk management at the pre-development stage.

One assumption about delivering large projects that no longer holds true?

The key assumption that no longer holds true is that speed and speculative market demand alone can overcome the complexity of delivering large real estate projects. In a maturing market, selling is driven by product relevance, not market optimism.

Where do projects most often lose time or value?

Large projects most often lose time and value due to handover bottlenecks and supply chain issues. Even short delays can be costly, adding financing costs, lost opportunities and reputational risk. Many developments still exceed initial timelines by an average of two to four months or more, largely because initial schedules were too aggressive.

“Unrealistic timelines mask execution risks until progress visibly stalls”

Sankey Prasad, Chairman of Sterling Ark