# Why can't estate agents market property



## blazeaway (Sep 28, 2011)

What is it about pointless photo's on UAE websites, I do 't want to see pickiest of cupboards etc. good pictures of villa would be good!!


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

Too much effort for many of them. You're lucky if the property exists much of the time


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Because most of them are ****ing idiots. Usually goes:

Me: Hi I'm calling about the apartment on Dubiz...
Russian Lady: You want apartment? I get you apartment. Where you want apartment?
Me: I'm calling about a particular apartment in *building*.
RL: You want Marina? I have lots of apartments in Marina. How many bedroom?
Me: No no no, you have listed a specific apartment, I'm calling about this specific apartment.
RL: I have lovely apartment in JBR, low level community facing.
Me: *Hangs up*

It just staggers me how many of them fail to realise that if they have a website that is regularly updated with live properties, and plenty of photographs, they'd get a lot more business and spend less time on the phone in "sales" mode.


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## Bulls_96 (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm so glad i'm not the only one that thinks like you guys!
They take the WORST possible pictures of apartments. I guess a picture is only worth one word in UAE.


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## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

Many don't even take a photo, it's some badly copied stock photo from the developer's website.

It's pretty easy to spot the decent ones though.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Every single villa in Umm Suqeim/Jumeira has the Burj Al Arab in the back garden I noticed.


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## lxinuk (Mar 18, 2012)

I've been here house hunting this week. I got through to agents who always said 'that villa has gone'....please text me your requirements. So I cut out the middle conversation and just text requirements and they don't call back! I have contacted 20 agents and only two have responded well!!! It's very frustrating....but I think I found one so all may be good .....


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## Kawasutra (May 2, 2011)

I like the computer generated pictures from the sales brochure the most....!


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## m1key (Jun 29, 2011)

lxinuk said:


> I've been here house hunting this week. I got through to agents who always said 'that villa has gone'....please text me your requirements. So I cut out the middle conversation and just text requirements and they don't call back! I have contacted 20 agents and only two have responded well!!! It's very frustrating....but I think I found one so all may be good .....


What areas are you looking at?


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## lxinuk (Mar 18, 2012)

m1key said:


> What areas are you looking at?


Anywhere in the middle!! I am working Al Soufah, husband in Shahjah. So we have being looking from Business Bay up to Mirdiff - villas and apartments (I prefer one, husband prefers the other) .

Not fussy really 4 beds, parking for 2 (prefer covered), office would be lovely, decent pool would be lovely.

Lx


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## Roadworrier (Jul 3, 2012)

lxinuk said:


> I've been here house hunting this week. I got through to agents who always said 'that villa has gone'....please text me your requirements. So I cut out the middle conversation and just text requirements and they don't call back! I have contacted 20 agents and only two have responded well!!! It's very frustrating....but I think I found one so all may be good .....


I am looking at Villas this week as well. Of the 10 agents I have contacted, 3 actually responded. There are several absolutes I've noticed:

1) Anything in Jumeira/Umm Suqiem 150k and under is a dump and the agent is someone named Jugdish or similar (anyone remember that Seinfeld episode?)
It is also uniformly true that the sales person in the ad (especially Western sounding people) transfers you to someone else who barely speaks English.

2) There seems to be an endless supply of those pillbox-sized 2 BR townhouses in Springs for rent. 3 BR's are fewer, and the agent always insists on showing you one that is way above the prices you see in Dubizzle, PropertyFinder.ae, etc.

3) JVT and Arabian Ranches seem to have tons of supply as well, of all sorts. But
everyone wants to show me the Springs. I'm OD'ing on beige stucco! Help!

4) JVT is inexplicably growing on me - I guess I just like having my own freestanding villa instead of a stucco rowhouse,and in a palette of various colours depending on the street. You just need to have 4x4 or AWD to get through the obstacle course in and out of the development. And it is closer to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi than Arabian Ranches. Plus my colleague already is living there and likes it.

5) I sense the farther the villa is away from Marina/Jumeira Beach, the less expensive and more plentiful they are. 

The tough part for me is having traveled on business to Dubai for 12 years now off and on, Umm Suquiem and the "old" Jumeira have been my favorite area and it is clear I am priced out of there. My ideal location would be anywhere within walking distance of the Chalet Restaurant on Jumeira Road.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Roadworrier said:


> 1) Anything in Jumeira/Umm Suqiem 150k and under is a dump


You just have to keep looking, it's a grind but there are gems. Also they are all going to be in a state of disrepair, you have to judge whether it's is a cowshed (90% of what you will be shown) or if it can actually be cleaned up.

That said, it took 6 weeks and chemicals outlawed by the Geneva Convention to get ours into a liveable condition but now here hopefully it's our home for our time in Dubai.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

i got lucky at the lower end in Jumeirah too.
I was shown some true hovels, but as long as you can live with a 1970's beige or avocado bathroom suite, they are there. It seems to depend on the landlord.
If you are going to live in an old place, you want a landlord who deals with issues.
My AC packed up on day 3 (ominous....!) but they were on site within 15 minutes from the phone call, and fixed it.
The entire place had been re-tiled and re-painted throughout, all doors re-varnished etc.

walk to the beach, pool round the corner, 10 minute commute to school and work.

Compared to a newer property in Springs? 
row after row of same same?
speed bumps to everywhere
heavily car dependent?

for me - no contest!

everyone's different, though.


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