Apart from finding a property you like, you will also need to consider whether you will be able to finance the purchase.
Dubai is different to most of countries in that the lenders will not consider each property on its own merits. Instead each lender will lend only on specific developments.
If you are resident in the UAE this does not posed to much of a problem as most developments will have at least one lender who will provide mortgages on their properties.
However, it is more difficult if you are not resident in the UAE as only a handful of banks will lend to non-GCC nationals who are not resident in the UAE. These lenders generally provide loans on Emaar, Jumeirah Beach Residence and the Palm properties but very little else.
As such, a lot on non-residents are putting down deposits only to find that they cannot get finance for the remainder of the loan.
Additionally, most lenders will only lend up to 70% of the launch price of a property (not the resale property). As such, the purchaser often has to actually place 50-60% of the properties value down for the deposit. This has caught many an uninformed investor out!