Desk research against primary sources, with the issuing authority linked where a page states an official fee, rule or deadline.
The 4% DLD fee is fixed and paid regardless of how the purchase is financed, but it is only one line among several due at the same transfer appointment — agent commission around 2%, a mortgage registration fee if a bank is involved, and the trustee office's own processing charge all fall due alongside it rather than being spread out over the transaction.
Because none of these can be waived or negotiated on the DLD side, the sum to budget for is the combined transaction cost rather than the 4% headline alone. The AED 120,000–160,000 total transaction-cost estimate already bakes in agent commission and the smaller charges around it, which is the figure to work from when deciding how much cash needs to be available at the transfer appointment itself.
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