Ghreiwati Property Development: choosing an agent, and knowing whose side they are on

Almost every Dubai purchase involves a broker, and almost every buyer picks the one attached to the listing they liked. That is a choice about the apartment, not about representation, and it is worth separating the two.

Verify the licence first

• Brokers are registered and carry a card with a number. Ask to see it, and check the number rather than the card.
• The brokerage itself is licensed too, and that is a separate registration.
• An unlicensed intermediary has no accountability, and you have no complaint route if something goes wrong. This is the one non-negotiable check.

Then ask who they act for

• On a resale, the listing agent acts for the seller. They are competent, useful and not neutral. Their duty on price runs the other way from yours.
• On a new project, the agent is usually paid by the developer. A "free" service for the buyer is free because someone else pays — which is fine as long as you know it, and misleading if you do not.
• The same firm on both sides happens, and the conflict is structural rather than personal. Ask directly whether they represent the other party too.
• A buyer's agent, engaged and paid by you, is an option people rarely consider here and it changes the incentives entirely.

Questions that separate a good agent from a good salesperson

Ask these and listen for whether the answers contain numbers:

• What did comparable units in this building actually transact at? The data is public; a good agent has it ready.
• What is the service charge, and how has it moved over three years?
• What are units in this building actually letting for, and how long do they sit?
• What is approved on the plots around it?
• What are the drawbacks of this specific unit? An agent with no answer either does not know the property or is not going to tell you.

Commission and paperwork

• Two per cent plus VAT is the common buyer-side rate on a resale. It is negotiable, particularly on larger values.
• Get the agreement in writing — what is owed, by whom, and at what point.
• Never pay a broker directly for the property itself. Purchase funds go to the seller or through the trustee; commission is separate and paid on completion.
• Verify banking details independently before any transfer, through a channel you initiated.

Based on the Dubai brokerage licensing framework. Confirm registration details through official channels.