The Evolution of Property Online

It’s understood in Dubai that if you’re looking for property, your search should start at bhomes.com. This website has become the go-to real estate resource for its massive database of listings, its advanced search features, and above all its unparalleled images, floorplans, maps, and unit information. Well, now there are two additional reasons to get online, with the new “Make an Offer” and “My Account” features. 

Make an Offer

It’s understood in Dubai that if you’re looking for property, your search should start at bhomes.com. This website has become the go-to real estate resource for its massive database of listings, its advanced search features, and above all its unparalleled images, floorplans, maps, and unit information. Well, now there are two additional reasons to get online, with the new “Make an Offer” and “My Account” features. While a simple concept, this feature allows for more efficient “price discovery” in the property market; it lets owners know what buyers are willing to immediately pay for their property.  In the current economic climate, it can be very tempting for owners to be presented with a real price at which to sell.

There are three goals with the Make an Offer feature:

1.  Help bring price clarity to the market
2. Provide buyers the unprecedented ability to “set the first price
3. Assist landlords who may be in need of a quick sale to find a willing buyer

This system is a unique way for buyers and sellers to find each other in the current market environment. To take advantage of it, just visit bhomes.com and click the Make an Offer button on any property unit page.

My Account

The “My Account” feature is the latest and greatest method for keeping track of your property searches and favourite properties.

After signing up for an account (free and easy, of course), you’re able to save any search you make on the website.  After you save a search, you just click that search in the future and up-to-date search results will appear. You’ll now always be aware of the prices of 3-bed duplexes in Downtown or how many beautiful Le Reve penthouses are on the market.

In addition to saving your advanced search criteria, you can also save specific properties to your account.  Worried about how long the 3,000 sq. ft. 2-bed will stay on the market at AED 150,000?  Want to keep track of prices and availability of properties in your own tower? Never want to lose sight of the 114th storey full-floor Burj Dubai office that keeps you inspired? Now you can do all these things and much more.

Over the coming months there will be numerous features added to My Account, giving you further connection to the UAE property market.  New features are arriving soon, so check back often. 

To sign up for your own account, just visit bhomes.com and click on the link in the upper-right corner of the window. Sign-up is free and takes just 2 minutes. Enjoy!

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Leasing Fraud – A Cautionary Tale

As economic conditions tighten, people get desperate.  Unfortunately, desperation can keep good people from exercising caution and, even worse, can turn already bad people into criminal fraudsters. While Dubai is generally a safe and secure city, people should always practice due diligence when it comes to serious transactions, such as buying or leasing real estate.

Better Homes has been made aware of a number of scams specifically involved fake leasing agreements.  Fortunately, there is an easy way to protect yourself from falling victim.  Below is a recent story reported by Better Homes Property Management division:

“A member of our Leasing Team was negotiating with a lady interested in multiple units at a building we were managing in Barsha. This building is exclusively leased by us at Better Homes- nobody else can lease out the units.  The lady claimed that another leasing company was offering multiple units in this building at a much lower rate than Better Homes was charging.  She showed us the ad online.

We called this other company, posing as an interested client, to see what was going on.  The man who picked up the phone stated that he was able to offer the units at such a low rate because his client had reserved two floors a while ago but, due to economic conditions, no longer had employees to set up in the units.

After hearing the man’s story, our Leasing Consultant identified herself as a Better Homes agent and the man started to panic.  We knew that the story was fraudulent because we’re the exclusive agency for the entire building and two floors had never been rented to anyone.  After warning the man that he better stop such fraud he made up excuses such as we dialed the wrong number, he was talking about a different building, etc.

A couple days later, we followed up and called him again posing as a different interested client.  Again, the man made up the same story. When we asked to see the original Tenancy Contract, the man said he would obtain it and then never called back. Basically, the man was scamming people into giving him security deposits and agency fees.  A victim may unknowingly pay this money only to be told upon moving into the building that nobody has any idea why they’ve arrived.” 

Janine Crisp, Head of Property Management, explains, “All it takes to avoid these scams is to ask for a copy of the original sales agreement and title deed. Most clients don’t know this and they are vulnerable to fraud.”

There are three morals to the story:

• Always make sure to check the original title deed and tenancy contract. Feel free to contact RERA to double check anything.

• Always work with a reputable sales or leasing agency, and make sure agents are who they say they are.  In some cases fraudsters pretend to work for reputable agencies, so if you’re concerned just call the company and confirm the employment… get the agent’s mobile number from the company and then call that number.

• If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  If you’ve really found a bargain out there, a double check on the credentials won’t derail it, and may save you from significant financial trouble.

Feel free to give Better Homes a call at +971 600 52 2212 with any questions or concerns.

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Capitalize on your Property with Property Management

Need higher occupancy levels and quality tenants?

Tired of collecting rents and managing maintenance?

Need supervision of tenants and contractors alike?

Supported by the largest team in the UAE, we offer the following services:

Hand Over and Inspection

• Arrange handover from developer to tenant
• Conduct an extensive written inspection report

• Follow-up with developer on snagging

Marketing

• Bhomes.com, the UAE’s largest property website
• Magazine–Circulation of 25,000 copies per month
• Prime spaces in leading newspapers

Rent Collection

• Consistent, on-time rent collection and payment
• Free tenancy contract renewal
• Government authorized credit screening

Dispute Resolution

• Compliance with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)
• Access to trusted legal teams
• Rent recovery

Maintenance and Services

• Supervision of property contractors
• Networking with government agencies for regulation updates
• Free insurance quotations

Tenant Management

• Regular property inspection and follow-up report
• Supervision of tenants’ use of property (to avoid subletting and damage)
• Immediate crisis resolution and mediation
•  Management of security deposits

Call us on +971 600 52 2212 and get the solutions you need to manage your property and make it profitable.

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Pay Your Rent - One Month at a Time

It’s finally here… Better Plus presents a monthly rental payment solution. This means that you can now say goodbye to large, up-front rent cheques and choose to pay monthly instead. We also do an immediate assessment, so you know what can be financed.

How does rental finance work? 

We all know that rent in UAE is expensive and up-front payments are burdensome, to say the lease. Better Plus now offers you the ability to pay your rent on a monthly basis, which for many expats is what you were used to back home. We pay the landlord one cheque up front, and then you pay us monthly installments, just like financing an auto, television, or furniture. This gives you much more flexibility in terms of where you can live, as well as keeping your finances liquid.

 Our Rental Finance service is called Rental Assist and offers three great products (available in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman).

 Kickstart – 3 times your monthly salary in advance for people who arrive in the UAE.

 Assistant – 6 or 12 months rental paid on your behalf directly to the landlord, after which you repay the same in monthly payments.  Fee-based finance.

 Maximiser – 6 to 12 months rental paid on your behalf directly to the landlord, after which you repay the same in monthly payments. Period of payment is up to 48 months and interest-based.

The process takes 10 working days to finalise. We also do an immediate Affordability Assessment and certify you absolutely FREE of cost.

Speak with our Service Advisors about the package best suited to your needs. Call 04 407 4600 today. You can also click here for more information.

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Better Homes’ Contact Number has Changed

Our new Customer Care number is 600 52 2212. 

 You can call us on this central landline number to enquire about residential sales and leasing, commercial sales and leasing, property management, short-term rentals, and international property.

Save our new 9-digit 600 number today; we look forward to serving you.

Visit our website at www.bhomes.com.

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Market your Property with the Property Information Pack

To help landlords market their property effectively, Better Homes presents its newest service offering - The Property Information Pack (PIP). By capturing a property’s unique selling points and marketing it using our extensive marketing avenues, we give each property a point of differentiation and make it stand out from the competition.

What does the Property Information Pack (PIP) offer landlords?

PIP helps landlords:

• Identify and expose the unique selling points of their property

• Provide potential buyers with an information-rich listing

• Market their property effectively

• Expose their property to UAE’s biggest buyer database

• Increase opportunities for sale to the right buyer at the right price

By signing up for PIP, landlords can avail the following services for their property:

• Professional photo shoots

• Google Maps and satellite images of a location and surrounding community

• Digital brochures

• Floor plans

• Virtual tours with 360-degree imagery and Flash animation

Marketing avenues for properties include:

          • Magazine

• Website

• Outdoor signage

• Property gallery showcases in our offices

• Prime spaces in UAE’s most widely read newspaper

All the above services are listed in our Standard and Deluxe packages. Click here to view details of these packages online.

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