As much as UAE residents love their life in the Emirates, they also enjoy complaining. Trawl any social media platform and you will find numerous complaints about bad real estate brokers. But are they really any worse than other professionals in the country? Here are a few reasons why brokers get such a bad rep:
How fees are paid
In most parts of the world, brokers help landlords rent out or sell their property. This means landlords pay brokers for this service, but in the UAE tenants tend to pay. Historically, there was a small pool of ultra-wealthy landlords that did not want to pay agents to bring them clients; in fact many tenants went straight to the building they wanted. If you have tenants paying agency fees, this affects how landlords choose which broker to work with. If you’re not paying for the service, then why care about the quality of who you use?
Lack of exclusivity
Landlords in the UAE often avoid giving brokers exclusivity on marketing their properties - something that allows sub-standard agents to find work. If a landlord exclusively works with a single broker, they tend to pick what they consider the best one. If they don’t, then any broker who cold calls them can get involved. They believe the more brokers market their property, the higher the more chance of having it rented or sold. However, this can lead to agents not spending much time on any particular unit. Consider the number of times tenants are told to 'just go to the building and the unit is open'. Ten agents may be working on the same unit but only one has a chance of closing the deal - so, it's likely the majority will not spare the time to do a viewing.
The UAE is a transitory place where many do not own their own homes. Many residents will only interact with one or two brokers during their stay here. In other parts of the world, you can find agents that have been in business for 30 years; everyone in their city knows them. This is not the case in Dubai or Abu Dhabi where turnover is high. New people to the country have no clue who is good or bad. My advice: ask for a referral from friends or colleagues before hitting the internet.
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Read more:
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Regulations
The UAE is a young country, therefore its regulations are continuously evolving. However, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency exam is pretty taxing and Abu Dhabi has tests to pass now too, but these do not approach the difficulty and length of qualifications in other, older, real estate markets. This again is part of the transitory nature of the Emirates: if you are in your home country and looking to be a real estate agentthen investing time and money in studying and passing exams is well worthwhile. If you are only going to be in the Emirates for a few years then it is less valuable to truly understand the laws and market here.
High turnover
The high turnover we see among residents also applies to real estate agents. I have lost track of the great staff that have left because they were a “trailing spouse” (male and female) and their partner moved on to another opportunity. This results in an endless stream of “rookies” who take a long time to learn the ropes, annoying many clients in the process. The short lifespans of UAE brokers also means little is invested in training. Companies in the real estate industry need to invest more in training their staff which will in turn will improve the standards of customer service and the knowledge base of agents.
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Read more:
Traps to avoid when buying property in the UAE
How buying a home in the UAE can halve your rent
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Customer service
An understanding of good customer service and business conduct differ wildly across the globe. I had a meeting last month with an eastern European, an Emirati, an Arab national and an Indian national and the attendees arrived in dribs and drabs with some up to 30 minutes late. I will not tell you who arrived when, but everyone felt they were on time. Equally customer service varies between continents, so while the broker may feel they are offering great customer service, the client may disagree.
Hiring costs are low
Real estate brokers are cheap to employ. If real estate agencies are only paying their staff commission, then they only have the visa and insurance costs to pay. If employees cost little to take on, then their employers do not take the time to select them carefully or train them. Some firms in the UAE go through hundreds of brokers a year, spending little or no time or money on their career progress.
Brokers are not well paid
Contrary to popular belief, most estate agents are not making huge amounts of money. Yes, some of the great ones are earning well, but most do not earn enough to be the main breadwinner supporting a family. This means the industry either attracts young single employees with low overheads, the less well educated or “trailing spouses” whose partner makes the primary income.
While some brokers flout regulations, deliberately mislead clients and are just generally dreadful at their jobs, others have great potential. If I had three wishes: landlords would pay real estate agents instead of tenants; regulators would take a pro-active approach in going after illegal brokers and clients would seek a referral for a good broker as opposed to clicking on pretty pictures or the lowest prices. Good performance needs to be rewarded.
Ben Crompton is the managing director of Crompton Partners Estate Agents
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
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Author: Shalash
Translator: Luke Leafgren
Pages: 352
Publisher: And Other Stories
THREE
Director: Nayla Al Khaja
Starring: Jefferson Hall, Faten Ahmed, Noura Alabed, Saud Alzarooni
Rating: 3.5/5
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
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Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
