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It’s all in the profile

Whether you want to buy some property in Dubai or merely invest some of your hard-earned bucks in off-plan developments, Profile offers custom-made service that includes a Hummer ride among other things

ASK ANY UAE resident what their biggest pet peeve is about trying to settle here, and up there with finding a job and coping with the traffic is dealing with estate agents. It is a peculiar phenomenon in this region that even though you’re willing to part with a considerable amount of cash in either purchasing or renting a property you will never take precedent over an agent’s weekend, holiday, dentist appointment or trip to Carrefour. And when he (invariably a he) does show up, for some reason it is forbidden to actually see inside the place you wish to hand over your life savings for... helpful.

It is therefore a great relief that someone with a complete knowledge and tremendous experience of the real estate business has decided to take up the cause initially here in Dubai but eventually in the Emirates as a whole. Profile is a British estate agent firm who, for want of a better phrase, takes care of all your worries. Never before has this region seen such a complete service. With offices in Ireland, Spain and England Profile is truly an international corporation with an international reputation.

To explain the complete real estate experience and unique after sales service it would be prudent to go through the various stages that Profile takes care of. The first stage is the building of the property. Apart from the actual contracting, Profile fund and manage all aspects of the building work such as purchasing the land, designing the properties and sourcing reliable contractors so investors can have peace of mind that once their deposit goes in to an ESCROW account the building is guaranteed by a fully licensed company. Once the building is complete Profile then takes care of the interior design and by the time the development is up and running all units are generally already sold. With the market in Dubai being as it is most units that Profile manages are bought before the foundations are set.

This is again another way in which the company comes into its own. For those looking to invest in off-plan developments or for those who have bought out of a brochure in a country thousands of miles away, Profile offers a tour of the site in question in one of their ten Hummers that one can see prowling the streets. The investor will arrive at his/her hotel and Profile will pick them up to survey their new purchase.

The buyers or prospective buyers are accompanied by a RERA trained agent specifically selected to field any questions the customer may have from the location of good local schools to the cost of obtaining a driver’s license. After the sale Profile then goes on to manage the property so if investors wish to rent out their purchase the company will facilitate their choice with the minimum of fuss. City Times spoke with Andrew Brett, the Director of Profile, whilst on a Hummer tour of one of their sites in the all new Sports City.

“What we offer is a complete life cycle,” Brett began. “From the designing stages to the clients moving in or renting out their property, we are there making things as easy as possible. We offer total service which is why when a prospective client phones up we try and obtain as much information as possible before we take them anywhere so we don’t waste anyone’s time. We also do this so we can match up our agents to the client so they can provide quality information.

For example, if we have a family coming to see a site, they are not going to want a twenty-six year old who knows where all the best bars are. There are clients who do want that but we match up people based on the information they give us, hence the name Profile.” Brett continued, “The Hummer tours are a unique chance for investors to see their properties and the surrounding areas. Seeing the sites give them peace of mind because firstly they can see that the building work is taking place and secondly they can see that the brochure didn’t give a false representation of the area.

When our information says ‘overlooking the cricket stadium’ that is what it means and investors can see that for themselves. After they have visited the site we then take them back to our sales centre located in a villa opposite Wild Wadi where negotiations can take place. There we have virtual tours on DVD of the property they are interested in and they can sample some of the interior designs we have and actually meet the interior designers all whilst sipping on a latte! Customer service has to improve in this region and we are already at the forefront with what we do.”

Profile has managed to bring to Dubai a service which would set even the most sceptical investor’s mind at rest. Their new Waterfront development- the 050 Building has just opened up. Visit www.profile.ae for more information.