How To Choose A Broker In Dubai Real Estate I Dubai Connect Podcast ™

Hi, I'm GG Benitez, a certified International property specialist and a licensed realtor connecting global real estate investors with the dynamic opportunities in Dubai real estate. Today on my first episode of season five of The Dubai Connect podcast, we are flipping the script and doing things differently. I'm actually going to be introduced and interviewed by one of my favorite guests that I've had, Mr. Tarak Jard. He is the executive director of DevMarks. How are you doing today? I'm doing well. I am so excited because this gives me the opportunity to be on the other side of the table and I've got a lot of questions for you. I was thinking about it the other day. We had a conversation and we were talking about what sets you apart being a broker, the way you do things, how professional you are. I thought I think people should know about it and I wanted to ask you if you would say the three unique aspects of what you offer as services to the potential client, what would it be? Thank you for asking and thank you for the idea because my family and friends are going to think this was my idea but I love it. I believe one of the differentiators is that I am a certified International property specialist, which from the states will understand it's the only internationally recognized designation by the National Association of Realtors. I've secured additional education, taking additional classes and not only reading a book and taking the test, but actually I've immersed myself by living in Dubai and the United States and Spain and immersing myself in the real estate world. Clearly the way that you do business here in Dubai is very different than how we do business in California, but also the buyer profile and the way they receive information is very different. I believe that having that designation sets me apart in that I'm able to understand different profiles while understanding how to conduct business in Dubai, Spain, and California. I'm just going to mention something that I love, which is when you say immerse yourself. I know that from experience. When you come to me and say, "By the way, I got this project and I'm so excited about it," you just tell me about it and you take your time to study the project and understand and then come back with a lot of questions. That's something that I do not come across a lot with other brokers. God bless them for doing a great job, but not in that depth and details. Why do you think it is important for your potential clients, for clients whether they're going to invest or whether they're going to live in that property, that you immerse yourself into the project and understand it well? Thank you and yes, you have been on the receiving end because we have so many conversations about what DevMarks is promoting from the current to the new one we're going to talk about in the next episode. I'm doing something different with The Dubai Connect. I am helping get Americans on board with what's happening in Dubai. These have been people that maybe have been sitting back, they've been hearing about what's happening in Dubai, but because they're not here and it's across the world, they weren't the top buyers. Even though I cater to global investors, because I am American-based, I saw the opportunity of why are Americans missing out. Let me educate them. Let me share with them what's happening in Dubai. After I teach them the process from A to Z of how to buy, one of the most important decisions they can make is who to invest with. You and I have discussed that not all developers are made equally. My name is on this. Gigi Benitez International is now a recognized brand. I have billboards in the United States. I don't know if you saw, but I met the Sheikh by the way. Did you see that I got to show my billboard? Of course I did. I have to tell you this. The pinnacle of my personal career was about two and a half years ago. I came to Dubai after my first trip and decided I want to do real estate. I attended the International Property Show and I sat in the audience and I was watching the speakers on stage and I said I'm going to be on that stage next year. I remember His Excellency Marwan bin Ghulati was speaking and I approached him right afterwards and I said this is who I am, this is what I'm going to do and he said okay. I was very bold and we took a photo together. The next year I was invited to speak on stage. So that was last year and I saw His Excellency Marwan walking around and I went up to him and I showed him my fancy brochures that I had been creating because I do seminars and webinars all throughout the United States. I said you probably don't remember me but last year I introduced myself and he said yes I remember. I don't think you did but it's okay. I showed him my brochures and I have a photo of him giggling and looking at the brochures. I said I'm going to get the DLD on my podcast this time and I did. Then last Friday my husband came for the first time to check out Dubai with me and we're walking around and we see His Highness walking around with his entourage and I said to my husband that's His Highness and he said no it's not and I said yes it is. My husband's American mentality is there's no way that the Sheikh, the leader of Dubai, would be walking around with just eight or ten, because where in the United States would that happen? Where one country there's no way, absolutely. My husband said no it's not and I said yes it is and we're going to follow him. I see him walking up the escalator with his crew and the security guard at the end looks at me and goes like don't come further. I don't take no for an answer. So I went up to that security guard and I said no, no, no, let me introduce you. Let me tell you who I am, as if I thought I was such a big deal. But I don't know if you say it sometimes people believe it. He starts laughing and he said no. I said please look what I'm doing. I'm connecting and I pull out the billboard and I pull out a reel on my Instagram that has the Sheikh's voice saying I want to be the number one city in the world. I said I'm telling Americans this. So he's like, look, just wait on the bottom of the escalator, he's going to walk down. The Sheikh starts coming down the bottom of the escalator and he's got his whole entourage with him and I start to approach him and I'm thinking you know I might get jumped right now and I might get arrested but if I get arrested because I was just trying to tell the Sheikh what I'm doing, I'm actually okay with that. I was okay with risk. So he starts walking off. I approach him and I said may I show you something. I have my mobile phone out and I had the reel that has his voice but the video is of the billboard saying invest in Dubai that I have in San Diego. I show it to him and he looks at me and goes, this is in America? And I said yeah. My mom said just speak to him in English. He's more educated than you are. He pats me on the back and the security guard starts laughing and they walk away. That was last Friday, wow, at the Atlantis. What a story. Oh, I mean that's amazing. I am absolutely inspired by his vision for Dubai, of course. When I talk about Dubai real estate, it's not just come and make money. It's about the vision that the Sheikh has for Dubai on a whole. That inspiration and what I said about being a first generation Arab American and trying to create that bridge and then to get to meet him, you know he's probably not going to remember it for a moment but for me I will never forget that moment. And I hopefully it's just the beginning, inshallah. That is amazing. Thank you. I have a name and a brand that I'm creating. I come from a PR background. I've had a Public Relations firm for seventeen years. So I am not going to present a project that my partner Ahmed and I don't fully support and get behind. Whether it's understanding with the DLD if they have a strong financial backing, making sure that they have timely delivery, give or take. We know that there's always a little bit of a cushion. Knowing if they have a brand awareness, so when it comes time to resell that project or rent it out, is that a good decision? That is so important to me before I advise any client. Yes, sitting down and understanding who's the developer, what's the location, what is the price per square foot, what's the layout like, what is the quality, what's your reputation for delivery? It's one of the most important decisions that they can make. I'm not trying to sell and run. I'm guiding my investors for the long haul. I had two clients that purchased three properties in Dubai sight unseen. They never came to Dubai. They came two days ago and I finally got to show them on a little road trip not only what they bought but I'm guiding them with the financial concierge to secure the Golden Visa, with a mortgage broker to secure financing, with the property manager to manage the property for their rentals, and helping them time the sale of the project when it's time to do that for capital appreciation. So it's a long-term partnership and I'm going to be there in a few years when they're ready to sell, rent it out. I don't want them mad at me. Listen, this is great and honestly, I mean I've been in the market since 2004 and I've seen a lot of brokers come and go. Now you've got a lot. I think the numbers are estimated around 100,000, I'm not sure, but you not all registered right? That's that's another story all together right? But you know what I mean. Listening to the services that you get to offer and especially when you talk about the long run and educating them, I mean I haven't heard that. I don't see a lot of brokers doing that. I know for a fact that this podcast you've invested a lot of time and money in it. I've seen a lot of the episodes and they're educating people. So you're definitely adding a lot and informing the potential clients. But that investment shows that you're there for the long run. You're not just like you said, you're not going to hit and run. What we see a lot of cases unfortunately is that once the commission is collected by the brokers and I'm not saying all of that, but the majority, the client is then coming back to us and saying, "Oh, you know what, I was told this and this is not true." We try to go back to the broker to understand what happened and unfortunately they're not there. For me there's a bigger mission for me that I think also goes into this. First of all, I come from pharmaceutical sales background, which was several years. I was a sales trainer. I come from having my own PR firm, starting my own company. I have a beauty brand. So I'm an entrepreneur. That's the business side of me. The personal side of me is that as a first generation Arab American who only discovered Dubai about two and a half years ago, I want to create a bridge between America and Dubai and real estate is just my vehicle. So my purpose isn't which of course my clients want to make a lot of money, but me personally, it's not just about business and finances. But there's such a personal gratification of having people discover what Dubai offers lifestyle-wise, safety-wise, business-wise. And real estate is one part of it and that's what I know how to do and create that opportunity. But when I have clients that come here from America and they say, "Oh my goodness, we had no idea," that's my sense of fulfillment. That's fantastic. I've got a lot of questions but let me ask. You know, in terms of the way you interact with your clients, okay, so let's say I'm a client. I'm overseas. Let's not concentrate on the states. Okay. I see your great podcast and I get in touch with you. So how do I get in touch with you and how can you help me in return? Absolutely. WhatsApp, right? I mean WhatsApp in the Middle East, by the way. I don't know if you know this, but in America we don't do WhatsApp. That's not a thing. But now of course just get in touch with me on my WhatsApp. I'm very active on my Instagram at Gigi Benitez International and I share daily behind the scenes of what I'm doing, going from developer's office to developer's office, meeting with fine developers and fine agents and fine companies such as DevMarks and yourself. I share that on my Instagram to give a behind the scenes look. So they can reach out to me on my Instagram but the most easiest way is to reach out to me on my WhatsApp. I have that information on my podcast. I also have a website, GG Benitez International. On the website I'll go through top areas, top developers, the list of how to purchase, a lot of facts and questions that are commonly asked. I try to really put out as much information because the real estate market is so busy. What I'm trying to do is get ahead, share as much knowledge as I can. So by the time somebody comes to me, I've answered most of the questions. Can you buy as a foreigner? Yes. Freehold properties, what is the average price per square foot? I share that info. What are the top up and coming areas? I'm constantly updating my podcast with the top and upcoming areas. Who are the top developers to trust? I'm constantly sharing that information. How to secure financing? I have property mortgage finder on here. What is the market outlook? I have Property Finder on here. How safe is it? I have the DLD senior adviser, Dr. Mahmud Al-Buery on here talking about the safety or attorneys on here. I try to send out so that someone can sit, do their homework and then come to me to say okay, we want to participate, we want in on what's happening or we're moving here and so we know that you're going to be in it for long run. Then we'll finalize that before and then we'll get going with them and sit down with them and understand the most important thing is to understand for me what are my client's goals, what is their timeline, what is their price point that they want to invest in and then walking through the entire process and not just up until but throughout. Listen, this is fantastic. I got one last question. I think this is very very what I call it, it's a term that's very dear to me and this is the customer journey. Yes, right. If you can just take me through the customer journey from the time someone gets in touch with you until the property is bought and what happens after that? Definitely, and by the way for my Californians and Americans, this is very different than Dubai, right? In California the customer journey is we take them and we show them properties and they look at brochures and they go back and talk to the wife and then bring the wife and the kids. No, it's not happening in Dubai. So the customer journey in Dubai is first to ask them once they reach out to me, what do you know about Dubai's real estate? What brought, what is, what brought you interest here? What created that interest? I really want to understand that customer and then talk about what are their goals. Okay. So if they're looking to move here and if they want the Golden Visa, for example, then obviously we have to hit a certain minimum. If they're going to live here we need to know, are schools important to them? If they want waterfront property? No, they want, let's say, rental income from short-term Airbnb? Okay. There's certain areas. So it's really understanding that client, their goals, their needs, their timeline, their price points. From there I confer with my team which includes my partner on the ground here, Ahmed, who's been doing real estate for twenty years. So he brings forth that significant experience. No matter how much I've immersed myself and I've spent months at a time here, leaving my family in San Diego, staying here, and like as if I was doing college all over again, but I cannot catch up to twenty years of experience from 2004. I can't. So you and I have offline conversations and I'm gaining as much information, but there's no way I can catch up. So I confer with my team including Ahmed. We sit down and we curate three to five options based on that client's needs, desires, timetable and price point. We know that one of the most important strategies to implement is if there are launches coming up, we have to submit what's called an EOI, an expression of interest. Which just means that we're going to secure their position in the queue on the day of launch on a first come, first serve basis based on when we submitted that EOI. So then whether I'm in town or my partner Ahmed, on the day of launch we're there. It's crazy on the day of launch, hustling to see if we are able to secure a unit at all or multiple if there are multiple buyers. We let them know, God willing they're happy, they're excited, we move forward. They then complete their deposit over the next 24 to 36 hours of that typical 20 percent. Then we work with them until they secure their SPA. Then I stay in touch until they secure their Oqood from the DLD. Then typically, "Okay GG, now we need to be connected with the financial concierge to start our Golden Visa, to open our bank account," and then if they come out here, because most of my clients have purchased, never coming... I was going to jump in and ask you that. I mean can I, can I do all of these things without having to get on a plane and come all the way down here? They all do. Wow, okay. They all do. Every single client that has purchased, okay, sorry, all but one client that has purchased from me, every single one. In November was my record-breaking month. Have done it sight unseen. Overseas. Everything is easily done online. You have to get them used to the idea, Americans of submitting their passport via WhatsApp and sending that, because most Americans don't even have a passport, that's true. And you know, dealing with sending that information over WhatsApp, everything's done online. But the most exciting part and I have a reel on my Instagram showing this is if they choose to come, I make sure to coincide my trip to Dubai at that time so that I can be the one to see the look on their face and in their eyes when they see. In fact, it was a DevMarks project in The Pier that I have another reel of. I had two clients, never been to Dubai, but they are global investors. They own property in Spain, Portugal. They're from the United States and own property in the US. So my last trip out here six weeks ago I said please, you guys need to come so I can show you Maritime City. I can show you the plot of The Pier as residents. I have to tell you, their initial intention thought was to purchase the property and then potentially hand it over, sell it before hand over for capital appreciation. After they came and Ahmed and I took them to your sales center to do this fancy little video and experience center of seeing what's coming up and then we drove them to Maritime City to see the plot and they got a lay of the land, they decided they're keeping that property, they're going to short-term Airbnb it and they're going to be spending many weeks of time here in Dubai. I know it sounds silly but I get emotional about these things. That doesn't sound silly. That's great because you invested a lot of time and effort and you know and to see that, because again that takes us back to the whole thing, the long run, you're here for the long run. Exactly I am. And so and they're Americans, you know, and that's what's so exciting. I had a surge of American investors by the way after the elections and are definitely picking up Canadians, absolutely. I have UK, I have Singapore, I have from global, but there's a special thing about having Americans that probably would have thought Dubai, Middle East, Arab country, no way, and now not only are they investing but they're wanting to be part of the life that Dubai offers. That's great to hear. So with that, I want to thank you. I know we have another episode we're going to do right now about a project that you have coming up. So please make sure to like, subscribe, follow and get ready for a very informative season five of The Dubai Connect podcast.