Think in Decades, Not Quarters: The Long-Term Mindset Property Rewards

By Fahd Dawood, Founder & CEO, FD Global Properties

I was watching The Crown last night.

There’s a scene where Queen Elizabeth walks in and finds Margaret Thatcher still at her desk. Everyone else had gone outside for sports. Thatcher hadn’t even changed.

The Queen asks her to come join them.

Thatcher says: "Not while there is a crisis in the country."

And the Queen’s response stayed with me. She says:

"My father taught me there’s always another crisis after the previous one has passed."

Life goes on.

Here’s why this matters if you’re looking at property – Dubai or anywhere.

Thatcher was elected. She had a four or five year window. Every decision she made was shaped by that window – she had to.

The Queen wasn’t elected. She was Queen for life. Her window was fifty years. Crisis in the 80s, crisis in the 90s, crisis in the 2000s – she simply kept moving forward.

Same two people. Same crises. Completely different reaction. Because the window was different.

I see this with clients all the time.

Someone tells me they’ve got a ten year horizon. I tell them, good, now actually think in ten year terms. And more often than not, they come back wanting to talk about what the market is doing this quarter.

Do not let short-term blips in the market dictate long-term decisions.

Markets go up. Markets come down. We’ve lived through 2008, the slowdown of 2014 to 2016, the pandemic, and whatever this year decided to throw at us. Alhamdulillah, we’re still here, still building.

Truth be told: property rewards the Queen Elizabeth mindset, not the Margaret Thatcher one.

This article is general market commentary from FD Global Properties and is not financial, legal or investment advice. Property values, rules and market conditions in Dubai change; speak to a licensed advisor about your own situation before you decide.