Rizwan Sajan, Chairman of the Danube Group, has built an empire on making affordable homes accessible to all. As new initiatives for first-time buyers open up new markets, he says Dubai’s real estate boom is just getting started.
When Rizwan Sajan arrived in Dubai in 1993, he had a few thousand dirhams, an entrepreneurial vision, and the ability to spot an opportunity. Fast forward 30 years, and he is the head of a property and construction empire and one of the most influential real estate developers in the region. Having started out trading building materials, he launched his real estate venture, Danube Properties, in 2014. As of August 2025, the company had over 21,000 residential units and had launched 35 projects, 18 of which had been delivered, with 17 under construction.
Sajan’s 1% payment plan has allowed middle-income buyers to buy homes with monthly installments as low as 1% of a property’s value, democratizing access to quality housing while still offering all the amenities expected in luxury property – something that he says is becoming even more important to potential buyers. “Today’s buyer is not looking for normal real estate. Earlier, you could give them a nice apartment and a good building, and they’d be happy. Today, they want a lifestyle, not only the gym and the pool. We try to pamper the customers so much, and that’s what the customer looks at,” he explains.
Now, Dubai Land Department is introducing a program for first-time home buyers that is rewriting the rules of real estate ownership. Something that Sajan is embracing. “When we came into the business, my whole objective was to go to first-time buyers who could not get a loan from the bank, especially for the offline properties, and that’s how we came up with this 1% payment plan,” says the seasoned developer. “When a first-time buyer is looking for a payment plan, they are looking for flexibility in the detailed payment. So this is a very good initial initiative from the land department to attract people to come, especially first-time buyers. Don’t miss it, because this is a great opportunity.”
With initiatives in place to make home ownership more affordable and luxury property the norm in the hub of Dubai, Sajan believes that the recent growth in property prices will continue for some time to come. But rather than putting potential buyers off, he says this is all the more reason to buy, especially as Dubai is still so much more affordable than other major global cities.
“The prices in Dubai are much lower than if you compare them with the international market. We are two and a half times cheaper than Singapore, two times cheaper than Shanghai, and five times cheaper than Hong Kong. In the West, we are three times cheaper than central London. In Europe, you take developed cities in Germany, France, or Monaco, we are three, four, or five times cheaper,” he insists. “Dubai is still at the beginning. It’s going to go up and up. I am expecting another 15-20% growth every year in terms of rental, in terms of appreciation, provided you buy from the right developer at the right location. And this will keep on continuing.”