How to Choose a Buyer's Agent in Dubai

What a buyer's agent should do for you

A real buyer's agent in Dubai represents YOUR interest in the transaction:

• Defines your brief properly — yields, areas, beds, view, end-use vs investment, payment ability, mortgage path
• Sources off-market inventory — 30% of our completions never hit a portal
• Pulls real DLD comparable analysis — last 90 days of actual sale prices in your target building
• Negotiates against the seller's broker — armed with comparables, not vibes
• Coordinates due diligence — service charge ledger, NOC, snagging where applicable
• Manages the trustee process — appointment booking, cheque preparation, fee verification
• Stays available post-handover — DEWA setup, maintenance vendor referrals, future transactions

If they're just sending you Property Finder links, they're not a buyer's agent — they're a search assistant.

Six questions to ask

1. "What's your transaction count in this area in the last 12 months?"

You want a number. "Several deals" is not a number. We can name our 5 biggest deals last quarter and the building each was in. Anyone serious can.

2. "Show me your last DLD comparable analysis for this building."

If they can produce a recent DLD-data-backed report on a comparable building, they're serious. If they pull asking prices from Property Finder and call those comparables, they're not.

3. "Are you also representing the seller?"

Dual agency happens in Dubai (it's not banned) but you need to know — and pay accordingly. We never dual-agent. If your broker does both sides on your transaction, get a price reduction (typically 25–50% of normal commission).

4. "What's your post-handover process?"

Good answer: "We'll coordinate DEWA, give you our snagging contractor, register Ejari for your tenant, and stay in touch as your portfolio grows." Bad answer: silence.

5. "Have you closed in this building / cluster recently?"

In a deeply local market like International City or specific Marina towers, broker-by-broker building knowledge differs widely. We've sold 30+ units in Spain Cluster — we know which buildings have AC issues, which floors get loud from the highway, which units are renovated. Most brokers don't.

6. "What's your commission, and is anything else billed?"

Standard buyer-side: 2% + 5% VAT. Anything beyond — administrative fees, DLD-process fees, "documentation" charges — should be flagged at the start. Surprise fees at trustee day are a red flag for the next time.

Red flags

• Pressuring you to make an offer the same day
• Unwilling to share their RERA Broker Registration Number (BRN)
• Communicating only via WhatsApp images, no written summaries
• Asking for any payment before transfer day
• Discouraging you from speaking to the seller directly (transparent transactions are fine — sometimes useful)
• Making promises about appreciation, yield, "guaranteed" returns

How we earn it

We win buyer-side mandates by: 1. Running a real DLD comparable analysis on day one (free, no obligation) 2. Sharing our active portfolio of off-market inventory 3. Being clear about commission structure upfront 4. Naming the agent who'll be on your transaction (not "the team") 5. Showing you 5 names of recent buyers who'll talk to you about us

Ask any broker for the same. The ones who can deliver are the ones to work with.