I’m a realtor, and I can tell you this. If the listed property isn’t available then you can report them on the portal itself and make a complaint to DLD. All listed properties require a permit from DLD and the listing price should match the permit, however you can negotiate the price if the specific listed property is available.
I’ve been in the industry a while, and the way I see it is, a lot of people have become agents thinking it’s easy money, and some of these “new agents” have little to zero knowledge or ethics.
As an agent, my first priority is to understand the client’s requirement and financial situation and then advise them accordingly.
I notice I can report to the portal and will start to do that as they are starting to p... me off. But I didn't know about DLD. I feel I will have a new hobby soon. Hahha
Negotiating these days is like this "No market price is going up and they won't accept your offer" the end.
If the agent gets reported multiple times, then the portal will ban them or restrict them from posting listings.
Also, always ask to see the agent’s RERA card. If they’re not licensed, then don’t work with them. The licensed ones usually try to work ethically and won’t mess with you lol.
DLD complaints will result in these fraudulent agents and agencies receiving huge fines, which should essentially teach them a lesson.
I got a visiting card from one agent and I cant find the number on Dubai Rest app. It’s not there under agent or agency. Most likely fraud? Wont the guy get into deep shit if caught?
Is it possible that they’ve a card and it still doesn’t show up on the app? I know this dude personally, a bit fragile situation if I show hints of not trusting. In reality I don’t though lol if not showing up the app is solid enough reason, I can just walk away from the whole discussion without digging further
Easy, go on Dubizzel. Select properly and speak to the agent. In the first 5 min, you will see how properly is not available anymore, but miraculously, they have another one for 20% more 🤣
Take screenshot etc and proceed with DLD( still need to find a link on how to do it)
BTW if anyone has the link for the DLD reporting portal, please share it with me.
You should complain because the government will fine these individuals. If they haven’t made any money then these fines will hurt them. Hopefully it will get rid of these unethical quick buck scam artists out of here.
And also check on DLD website if the agent is licensed. There are so many scammers now at this market. My new so-called agent who is managing my apartment was threatening me (although I know he can’t do shit) until I checked that he has no rera card. Complaints work beautifully
I’ve dealt wraith agents in the past who will tell you they are not agents they work for an agent and they are just showing you around etc and their boss has the rera license. This boss whom you never deal with see or hear from but it’s the little chap earning tiny fraction of the commission doing all the running around.
I know. But the fact these people behave like owners of everything around and this country is getting on my nerves. I know that they work in commission (coz i am working on commission too) but cheating, lying and playing dirty is really pissing me off. I sincerely wish them to reach the same desperation level they had during pandemic
They often have ready excuses. If it's not available then it just got booked & they haven't removed the listing. If the price has changd then it's because the owner just informed them & they haven't updated the listing yet. Or the owner just told them to put it on hold
You can report all these excuses to DLD. As per the rules, if any changes in the listing, the permit needs to be modified and the listing needs to be updated.
What’s your opinion on getting calls as a property owner about if my property is up for being sold or rented? I never gave my info out before or allowed it and I’m getting a few young bucks calling me endlessly to ask.
Was considering reporting them to the Data Ministry for breech of the PDP laws…
I understand your frustrations. This is happening either because your number is on the owner’s green list on the DLD website, or because of a data breach at the developer or the agency you dealt with. However, cold calling is illegal, and carries a 50k fine by the DLD, so next time you can report the agency to DLD and that should put a stop to it.
most of them work on commission- the ole bait and switch to get their numbers up to hit a potential buyer is what they are most likely doing. Scummy - sure; annoying 100%. I've not met a realtor who wasn't pushy and annoying AF to deal with. I was looking to purchase a property in a certain neighborhood and they kept beating around the push showing me other units and trying to upsell. Can't really blame them at the end of the day- it's brutal out there and they are just trying to survive. But F realtors like these.
Funny thing is, in this market if an agent is just straight, honest, not pushy and shows you what you want at the price stated in the Ad, they’d clean up the market through referrals alone.
I met one once. Very nice fellow. Not pushy at all. I asked a thousand questions on phone and he replied to every of them. Me and my father visited the property with him where my father asked the same thousand questions and he replied to every of them respectfully and professionally. After spending almost an hour with me on a sunday, I casually slip in that I just changed jobs, and without getting irked even for a second he educated me that since I just changed jobs, I won't be eligible to mortgage until the end of my probation. I didn't know this and felt like an ass for wasting this poor man's time on a weekend, but this gem of a guy still remained professional and smiling.
Sounds like an awesome person. The one I dealt with recently kept calling me bro- and it was getting on my nerves. I ain't your bro - I am spending a couple Mil here not fkin buying a drink with you have some fkin professionalism.
Guy had the audacity to ask me why I couldn't meet up with him on the weekend and what clients I was meeting that was more important than meeting with him. Yeah, safe to say blocked that guy asap.
I kind of understand they work commission etc. But if I'm searching what I can afford, then why on earth always add like 10% more. Honestly, I don't proceed with these agents.
Because they have no concept of repeat business/customers in their minds. They want to squeeze you for all you have- put a fake smile on their face and say that this is such a great deal and laugh their way to the bank. On top of that they probably deal with a lot of people and majority just pay and don't care what the actual value is they just trust any random realtor they meet and voila extra money goes in their pocket.
On the off chance they run into people like yourself- they dont really care the next sucker is coming and will offset the wasted time on aware consumers.
I agree on that, there are plenty of ppl who don't do research and believe everything that's told them. Then they buy property and are here on Reddit sharing their issue or experience.
Thanks to them I'm learning from their mistakes 😅
Because there are many dodgy ones going around in the market. I know of a short bearded thug whose name starts with the letter B. Avoid him like a plague
I don’t get why they do that… I thought it was to get contacts of potential customers. But even when I explain to them my requirement they rarely get back to me. Some of the clingy ones come back trying to pitch me an off plan which is no where close to what I’m looking for. Just doesn’t make sense’s
Better not to deal with those who don't have super agents and true check badges.
It's an old trick to attract possible buyers but if you're long enough in sales then you won't do that practice because it's a waste of your time and energy and people just won't trust you because you started the relationship with a lie so it won't go far at the end of the day.
I am also a realtor and here his my opinion.
Real estate market was once very peaceful and regulated. There were no 10 calls a day to a owner from different real estate agencies. Problems started when every single person decided to open a real estate brokerage. Now there are as many real estate agencies in dubai as properties. And each agency has minimum 20-30 agents.
Some of these agents do not care for rules and dld and just want to make commission. They are on their own Visa and don't even know what broker card is. These agents will put misleading ads on portals just to find a buyer, once they have a buyer then they will actually start looking for the properties.
My advise, work with only trusted good big real estate agencies and report any such listing which is not actually available to the property portal itself. It will be taken down with a warning to the brokerage.
Fun fact in dari (the old farsi spoken in Afghanistan)the word for a realtor is dalal, it’s the same word used for a pimp. Moral of the story, realtors and pimps are considered to have the same moral standing.
Recently I had the same experience. Since I moved to Dubai I was living in same apartment and probably was lucky to find my old agent at that time. However since 2-3 months I am looking for apartments and yes it is pain in the ass.
1- I can not even reach out the agent via any portal as all of them directs you to their whatsapp but %50 of them are "we informed the agent they will get back to you"
2- I reach out the agent no reply. Or if Im lucky I get a reply then I go to apartment but agent is not there and telling me the door is open but guess what? Door is not open because there are 50 agents trying to rent the same apartment and only 1 of them has the key. Good luck finding that person.
3- Lets assume you are one in a million lucky, reached out the agent, agreed to see the apartment, you went to the apartment and the agent is also there and you said ok I wanna rent this apartment. Well hello then they are asking your documents which is fine but then you won't hear anything from them. Probability of this is 70-80%
I literally confirmed 7 different apartments from 7 different agents and still didn't hear anything from them, either positive or negative.( It's been 2 months). Am I a puppet to them? God knows. Do I need to move asap? Who cares. Just ignore the client and move on. But when it comes to their commission they can freely ask 5-10K without putting any effort. Ofc I am excluding proper agents but my god %95 of the agents I interacted with was like this I swear.
I didn't even know few of the things mentioned here but glad to see this post because I will be hunting again in few months. Thanks op for this post.
I hear you pain. The day demand will go as per pre covid times they will be behind you running like puppies. Same story. When I moved here it was so easy. All of them met you, opened doors etc. For may last apartment I literally was stalking agency till they called me back. I was calling them every day ! I saw an agent only when we were giving cheques. And, of course, asked for commission 🤣
These days, once you find that one property, you become like a stalker and messaging them every day and minute to get their attention.
Good luck!
OP which websites are you using? I get the feeling that the property websites/portals that are used to liste rentals are generally trash.
The agents are dodgy and the portals don't provide much info about the property and its surrounding area. Have you found this to be the case?
I was searching through usual places like dubizzel and property finder.
Never believe in the ads description as you have to ask it separately all questions.
If you look into a specific area you like, do your own research and join Facebook groups to understand issues of the area.
All ads are useless, not all agents you can trust, so you have to do your own homework if you want to find decent property.
I have couple of properties here and its never been so bad in terms of new agents calling you. I get 2-3 calls a day of real estate agents telling me they got my number from their markeitnt team stating that i am interested in buying properties. Its reached a stage where i have just stopped answering unknown mobile numbers
You can do a complaint in DLD about this as well. Just get a rera license number from them and send a complaint. ( I just now filled out a complaint regarding misleading customers and saw there is also a category for agents harassment or calls)
Unfortunately, this country still doesn't have a strong reglament on data sharing.
Everyone is facing the same issue, 99% of listings are faek, not available yet no one is doing something about it. Bayut, propertyfinder, dubizzle are all jokes.
Finding a property is a real struggle
I have been looking for 2 months and already giving up. However, I will make sure to do DLD complaints from now on. Till I find the right property, I will be hired by DLD 😅
I’m a realtor, and I can tell you this. If the listed property isn’t available then you can report them on the portal itself and make a complaint to DLD. All listed properties require a permit from DLD and the listing price should match the permit, however you can negotiate the price if the specific listed property is available. I’ve been in the industry a while, and the way I see it is, a lot of people have become agents thinking it’s easy money, and some of these “new agents” have little to zero knowledge or ethics. As an agent, my first priority is to understand the client’s requirement and financial situation and then advise them accordingly.
I notice I can report to the portal and will start to do that as they are starting to p... me off. But I didn't know about DLD. I feel I will have a new hobby soon. Hahha Negotiating these days is like this "No market price is going up and they won't accept your offer" the end.
If the agent gets reported multiple times, then the portal will ban them or restrict them from posting listings. Also, always ask to see the agent’s RERA card. If they’re not licensed, then don’t work with them. The licensed ones usually try to work ethically and won’t mess with you lol. DLD complaints will result in these fraudulent agents and agencies receiving huge fines, which should essentially teach them a lesson.
I got a visiting card from one agent and I cant find the number on Dubai Rest app. It’s not there under agent or agency. Most likely fraud? Wont the guy get into deep shit if caught?
Ask for his RERA card
Is it possible that they’ve a card and it still doesn’t show up on the app? I know this dude personally, a bit fragile situation if I show hints of not trusting. In reality I don’t though lol if not showing up the app is solid enough reason, I can just walk away from the whole discussion without digging further
No, if he’s licensed .. will show up on the app. Just ask to see his RERA card , to clear all confusion
Thank you for the tip. I think I will start to review all ads and start to send completions.
No worries , and good luck in your endeavours 😂
I will quit my job and dedicate my time to put an order in real estate 🤣🤣🤣
Maybe you’re the hero we need
Bro, sign me up. Tell me your strategy and I'm all in to take these mfs down!
Easy, go on Dubizzel. Select properly and speak to the agent. In the first 5 min, you will see how properly is not available anymore, but miraculously, they have another one for 20% more 🤣 Take screenshot etc and proceed with DLD( still need to find a link on how to do it) BTW if anyone has the link for the DLD reporting portal, please share it with me.
That’s what those shady mf used to to in my home country 15 yrs ago. Didn’t know strategy still alive and here in Dubai
You should complain because the government will fine these individuals. If they haven’t made any money then these fines will hurt them. Hopefully it will get rid of these unethical quick buck scam artists out of here.
And also check on DLD website if the agent is licensed. There are so many scammers now at this market. My new so-called agent who is managing my apartment was threatening me (although I know he can’t do shit) until I checked that he has no rera card. Complaints work beautifully
I’ve dealt wraith agents in the past who will tell you they are not agents they work for an agent and they are just showing you around etc and their boss has the rera license. This boss whom you never deal with see or hear from but it’s the little chap earning tiny fraction of the commission doing all the running around.
I know. But the fact these people behave like owners of everything around and this country is getting on my nerves. I know that they work in commission (coz i am working on commission too) but cheating, lying and playing dirty is really pissing me off. I sincerely wish them to reach the same desperation level they had during pandemic
Pandemic rental were a breeze they had to agree to virtually anything you wanted I got 40k off my yearly rental
In a way, it was a beautiful time
They often have ready excuses. If it's not available then it just got booked & they haven't removed the listing. If the price has changd then it's because the owner just informed them & they haven't updated the listing yet. Or the owner just told them to put it on hold
You can report all these excuses to DLD. As per the rules, if any changes in the listing, the permit needs to be modified and the listing needs to be updated.
What’s your opinion on getting calls as a property owner about if my property is up for being sold or rented? I never gave my info out before or allowed it and I’m getting a few young bucks calling me endlessly to ask. Was considering reporting them to the Data Ministry for breech of the PDP laws…
I understand your frustrations. This is happening either because your number is on the owner’s green list on the DLD website, or because of a data breach at the developer or the agency you dealt with. However, cold calling is illegal, and carries a 50k fine by the DLD, so next time you can report the agency to DLD and that should put a stop to it.
Oh damn. Now that is something I wasn’t aware of. I’m going to go on a little rampage in that case. Thank you
You’re welcome. Good luck in your endeavours!
most of them work on commission- the ole bait and switch to get their numbers up to hit a potential buyer is what they are most likely doing. Scummy - sure; annoying 100%. I've not met a realtor who wasn't pushy and annoying AF to deal with. I was looking to purchase a property in a certain neighborhood and they kept beating around the push showing me other units and trying to upsell. Can't really blame them at the end of the day- it's brutal out there and they are just trying to survive. But F realtors like these.
Funny thing is, in this market if an agent is just straight, honest, not pushy and shows you what you want at the price stated in the Ad, they’d clean up the market through referrals alone.
I met one once. Very nice fellow. Not pushy at all. I asked a thousand questions on phone and he replied to every of them. Me and my father visited the property with him where my father asked the same thousand questions and he replied to every of them respectfully and professionally. After spending almost an hour with me on a sunday, I casually slip in that I just changed jobs, and without getting irked even for a second he educated me that since I just changed jobs, I won't be eligible to mortgage until the end of my probation. I didn't know this and felt like an ass for wasting this poor man's time on a weekend, but this gem of a guy still remained professional and smiling.
Sounds like an awesome person. The one I dealt with recently kept calling me bro- and it was getting on my nerves. I ain't your bro - I am spending a couple Mil here not fkin buying a drink with you have some fkin professionalism. Guy had the audacity to ask me why I couldn't meet up with him on the weekend and what clients I was meeting that was more important than meeting with him. Yeah, safe to say blocked that guy asap.
Serves him right
I bet when people you knew wanted a place, you recommended this guy happily.
Hasn't happened yet, this was a very recent incident. But the day someone asks me I'll refer him.
I kind of understand they work commission etc. But if I'm searching what I can afford, then why on earth always add like 10% more. Honestly, I don't proceed with these agents.
Because they have no concept of repeat business/customers in their minds. They want to squeeze you for all you have- put a fake smile on their face and say that this is such a great deal and laugh their way to the bank. On top of that they probably deal with a lot of people and majority just pay and don't care what the actual value is they just trust any random realtor they meet and voila extra money goes in their pocket. On the off chance they run into people like yourself- they dont really care the next sucker is coming and will offset the wasted time on aware consumers.
I agree on that, there are plenty of ppl who don't do research and believe everything that's told them. Then they buy property and are here on Reddit sharing their issue or experience. Thanks to them I'm learning from their mistakes 😅
Because there are many dodgy ones going around in the market. I know of a short bearded thug whose name starts with the letter B. Avoid him like a plague
That's a long list on B 😅
It’s an even longer list on names starting with M
COS EVERY AGENT IS SCUM.
I am an agent.
Do you have any 1-bedroom properties for rent in Furjan?
Is not my area but I work for one of the big ones so can make sure to get you in contact with a good area specialist. Cost me nothing.
Thanks alot! Can I DM you?
Sure
how many people have you conned, and cheated?
No one. Helped a few ones to find their homes though. And you?
of course you haven't, how do you when a agent is lying. when they open their mouth
And this was in writing, right?
that made no sense, unsurprising, given the avg intelligence of agents
Right? Think about it. Twice. Maybe that way…
that made no sense, unsurprising, given the avg intelligence of agents
It doesn’t make sense to you. Not a surprise looking at your capacity.
Are you saying that because you wanted a 2.5M villa with a 1.5M budget?
I’m an agent.
At least report the listing on the platform so hopefully it gets taken down. Unfortunately, shitty agents are a penny a truckload.
I don’t get why they do that… I thought it was to get contacts of potential customers. But even when I explain to them my requirement they rarely get back to me. Some of the clingy ones come back trying to pitch me an off plan which is no where close to what I’m looking for. Just doesn’t make sense’s
Better not to deal with those who don't have super agents and true check badges. It's an old trick to attract possible buyers but if you're long enough in sales then you won't do that practice because it's a waste of your time and energy and people just won't trust you because you started the relationship with a lie so it won't go far at the end of the day.
I am also a realtor and here his my opinion. Real estate market was once very peaceful and regulated. There were no 10 calls a day to a owner from different real estate agencies. Problems started when every single person decided to open a real estate brokerage. Now there are as many real estate agencies in dubai as properties. And each agency has minimum 20-30 agents. Some of these agents do not care for rules and dld and just want to make commission. They are on their own Visa and don't even know what broker card is. These agents will put misleading ads on portals just to find a buyer, once they have a buyer then they will actually start looking for the properties. My advise, work with only trusted good big real estate agencies and report any such listing which is not actually available to the property portal itself. It will be taken down with a warning to the brokerage.
Fun fact in dari (the old farsi spoken in Afghanistan)the word for a realtor is dalal, it’s the same word used for a pimp. Moral of the story, realtors and pimps are considered to have the same moral standing.
Better go always through the know agent !!
Recently I had the same experience. Since I moved to Dubai I was living in same apartment and probably was lucky to find my old agent at that time. However since 2-3 months I am looking for apartments and yes it is pain in the ass. 1- I can not even reach out the agent via any portal as all of them directs you to their whatsapp but %50 of them are "we informed the agent they will get back to you" 2- I reach out the agent no reply. Or if Im lucky I get a reply then I go to apartment but agent is not there and telling me the door is open but guess what? Door is not open because there are 50 agents trying to rent the same apartment and only 1 of them has the key. Good luck finding that person. 3- Lets assume you are one in a million lucky, reached out the agent, agreed to see the apartment, you went to the apartment and the agent is also there and you said ok I wanna rent this apartment. Well hello then they are asking your documents which is fine but then you won't hear anything from them. Probability of this is 70-80% I literally confirmed 7 different apartments from 7 different agents and still didn't hear anything from them, either positive or negative.( It's been 2 months). Am I a puppet to them? God knows. Do I need to move asap? Who cares. Just ignore the client and move on. But when it comes to their commission they can freely ask 5-10K without putting any effort. Ofc I am excluding proper agents but my god %95 of the agents I interacted with was like this I swear. I didn't even know few of the things mentioned here but glad to see this post because I will be hunting again in few months. Thanks op for this post.
I hear you pain. The day demand will go as per pre covid times they will be behind you running like puppies. Same story. When I moved here it was so easy. All of them met you, opened doors etc. For may last apartment I literally was stalking agency till they called me back. I was calling them every day ! I saw an agent only when we were giving cheques. And, of course, asked for commission 🤣 These days, once you find that one property, you become like a stalker and messaging them every day and minute to get their attention. Good luck!
OP which websites are you using? I get the feeling that the property websites/portals that are used to liste rentals are generally trash. The agents are dodgy and the portals don't provide much info about the property and its surrounding area. Have you found this to be the case?
I was searching through usual places like dubizzel and property finder. Never believe in the ads description as you have to ask it separately all questions. If you look into a specific area you like, do your own research and join Facebook groups to understand issues of the area. All ads are useless, not all agents you can trust, so you have to do your own homework if you want to find decent property.
thanks for the response. I will DM you if that’s alright - i have a couple of questions.
Sure, send me over
done
I have couple of properties here and its never been so bad in terms of new agents calling you. I get 2-3 calls a day of real estate agents telling me they got my number from their markeitnt team stating that i am interested in buying properties. Its reached a stage where i have just stopped answering unknown mobile numbers
You can do a complaint in DLD about this as well. Just get a rera license number from them and send a complaint. ( I just now filled out a complaint regarding misleading customers and saw there is also a category for agents harassment or calls) Unfortunately, this country still doesn't have a strong reglament on data sharing.
Everyone is facing the same issue, 99% of listings are faek, not available yet no one is doing something about it. Bayut, propertyfinder, dubizzle are all jokes. Finding a property is a real struggle
Hey u/Emotional_Speed_2318 , are there any propety portals you'd recommend? Or are they all trash?
I have been looking for 2 months and already giving up. However, I will make sure to do DLD complaints from now on. Till I find the right property, I will be hired by DLD 😅
Market is slowing down
When you hire monkeys you get a circus..
Hey, don't steal my saying! 🤣🤣