Buyer representation
A buyer’s agent in Dubai
Most agents you will meet in Dubai are paid by the seller. That is not a scandal — it is simply whose side of the table they are on. Buyer representation is the other side: somebody searching against your brief, inspecting on your behalf, and negotiating for you.
What the job actually is
The brief, before the search
A written brief rather than a wish list: budget band, what the property is for, the two or three things that will not be compromised, and the trade-offs already accepted. Most wasted viewings trace back to a brief nobody wrote down.
Searching beyond what is advertised
Portals show what is being marketed. A brief is also taken to owners, to other brokers and to developers directly, because at the top of the market the property that fits is frequently not listed anywhere.
Inspection and due diligence
Walking the property against the brief rather than the listing: plot position and what overlooks it, the condition behind the styling, service charges and what they cover, and the documents that should exist before an offer is made.
Negotiation on your side
Price is one term among several. Deposit structure, timing, what stays with the property and what the seller must produce before transfer all move, and they move more easily when somebody is arguing for you rather than for the other side.
Transfer and afterwards
The transfer itself, the costs that only surface at the DLD counter, and the handover. If the property will be let or sat empty while you are abroad, that continues rather than ending at the keys.
Who it suits, and who it does not
Worth having
- You are buying from outside the UAE and cannot view every week.
- You know your requirements precisely and cannot find them in what is publicly listed.
- You are deciding between communities and want the trade-offs argued rather than sold.
- The budget is significant enough that the wrong purchase is expensive to reverse.
- You want somebody whose obligation is to you rather than to a seller.
Probably not worth it
- You have already found the property and simply need the transaction executed.
- You want the cheapest possible route and are comfortable doing the diligence yourself.
- You are searching a single building where the developer sells directly.
What to ask before appointing anyone
Including us. A firm that is comfortable with these questions will answer them in a first conversation; one that is not will change the subject.
- 01
Who pays you on this purchase, and is that written down before we start?
- 02
Whose interest do you represent if I want a property you are also marketing for a seller?
- 03
What will you do that I could not do myself on a portal in an afternoon?
- 04
How will you show me what you rejected, and why?
- 05
What have you talked a buyer out of recently?
- 06
What do you know about running costs in this community, and how do you know it?
Where to start
If you already know roughly what you are looking for, the fastest route is a written brief — budget, what it is for, and what you will not compromise on. If you are still deciding between communities, the buyer guides argue the trade-offs first.
Enquire
Tell us what you are looking for
A short conversation establishes whether representation is worth having on your purchase, and what it would involve. If it is not, we will say so.
Know what you want but not which property? We search, filter and verify against a written brief — including homes that are not publicly listed.
Send a written brief instead