Whose side we are on
In most property markets, almost every professional in the room is paid by the seller or the developer. The agent showing you the property, the agent who introduced them, and frequently the adviser who recommended the agent. None of them is being paid to get you a better price.
We are the other thing. We act for the client, we take instructions from the client, and our fee comes from the client.
What we actually do
We are not agents. We manage the acquisition or disposal on your behalf, end to end, and we bring in reputable licensed agents in the relevant market to do the agency work.
- Sourcing. Searching to your brief across the market, including stock that is not publicly listed, rather than being shown one firm's inventory.
- Agent selection and management. Identifying reputable, properly licensed agents in the relevant jurisdiction, appointing them, and holding them to your brief. They work to us; we work to you.
- Investment and financial analysis. Realistic net yield after service charges, management, void periods, maintenance and tax, rather than the gross figure in the brochure. Total cost of acquisition including every fee and duty. Sensitivity to the assumptions that actually move the number.
- Due diligence coordination. Title, developer track record, escrow position on off-plan, service charge history, planning and structural position, and the project's actual status rather than its marketing status.
- Transaction management. Sequencing, documentation, deadlines, and coordination of every party through to completion, so you are dealing with one point of contact rather than six.
- Negotiation. On your side, with the leverage of a comparison set and a genuine willingness to walk.
- Administration. Registration, utilities, handover, and the paperwork chain afterwards.
- Power of attorney. Where you cannot attend in person, the POA must be drafted, notarised and legalised correctly for the receiving jurisdiction. That is one of our core competencies and it is where remote purchases most often stall. See document attestation.
Selling
The same principle in reverse. We manage the disposal, appoint and direct the agent, test the price against evidence rather than the agent's opinion, and run the process. Because our fee does not depend on which buyer you accept or how quickly you accept them, our advice on whether an offer is good is worth something.
Ongoing management
For owners who are not in the country, the recurring problems are consistent: tenant issues, maintenance decisions taken without you, service charges that rise without explanation, and rent that arrives late or not at all.
- Appointing and supervising a licensed managing agent, and holding them to account on your behalf rather than you being their client.
- Reviewing service charges and challenging increases, which almost no overseas owner does.
- Financial reporting you can actually use, showing the net position rather than gross rent.
- Coordinating rent remittance and the banking side.
- Escalation where a tenancy goes wrong, working with legal advisers in the relevant jurisdiction.
Where we work
Globally. We are based in the UAE and are most active across the Emirates and the United Kingdom, and we work with clients acquiring in Europe and further afield through licensed agents in each market. Ajman, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah are markedly less well served by independent advisers than Dubai and, for yield-focused buyers, frequently more interesting. Ownership rules for foreign buyers differ by country, by emirate and sometimes by individual development, which is among the first things to establish rather than the last.
What we will not tell you
Fees
A fixed fee for a defined engagement, or an agreed percentage of the purchase price, set in writing before the search begins. Every cost is disclosed. If we cannot find something that meets the brief, we say so and the engagement ends rather than drifting toward whatever happens to be available.
Common questions
Are you estate agents?
No. We do not sell property and we do not represent sellers or developers looking for buyers. We represent the client in acquiring or disposing of an asset, and we appoint and manage reputable licensed agents in the relevant market to carry out the agency work.
Who pays you?
Our client, and only our client. We never accept a fee, commission, rebate or referral payment from the other side of a transaction, or from any agent, developer or vendor involved in it. If one is offered we decline it. That is what makes independent representation meaningful.
Why does the fee arrangement matter so much?
Because it determines whose interest your adviser serves. An adviser earning a commission from the seller has a financial interest in you buying, at a higher price, from that particular seller. Ours only works if the outcome is right for you, which is why we can advise you to walk away.
Can I buy without travelling to the country?
In most cases yes, through a properly drafted, notarised and legalised power of attorney. Getting that instrument right for the receiving jurisdiction is where remote purchases most often stall, and it is one of our core competencies.
Which markets do you cover?
Globally, working with licensed agents in each market. We are most active across the UAE and the United Kingdom. Ownership rules for foreign buyers vary by country, by emirate and sometimes by individual development, so that is established early for a specific property.
Will you tell me whether to buy?
We will give you the honest arithmetic on a specific asset, including net yield after service charges, management, voids, maintenance and tax, and the full acquisition cost. We do not give investment advice and we do not forecast prices.
Do you handle service charge disputes?
Yes. We review service charges, challenge increases that are not justified, and escalate where a formal process is needed, working with legal advisers in the relevant jurisdiction. Most overseas owners never scrutinise these at all.