Buyer's agent
A buyer's agent is a licensed broker who acts for the purchaser rather than the seller: finding and assessing homes, negotiating and seeing the transfer through.
What Buyer's agent means for a buyer
In Dubai any licensed broker can act for a buyer. The arrangement is recorded in Form B, the buyer's agreement with the brokerage, which sets out what the agent will do and what they will be paid. On a resale the buyer customarily pays their agent 2% of the price plus 5% VAT (see broker commission); the seller's agent is paid by the seller under Form A.
Off-plan purchases work differently. When you buy direct from a developer, the developer pays the agent and you pay no commission. That is standard Dubai practice, and it means an agent's income depends on which launch you choose. A buyer's agent on an off-plan purchase should therefore tell you plainly who pays them, and show you the developer's record, the escrow details and the full payment schedule whichever project you pick.
What a good buyer's agent does: checks that the project is registered and the developer licensed, explains every fee before you reserve, reads the SPA or Form F with you, tells you when a property does not fit your brief, and stays on hand through handover or transfer.
Before you appoint one, check their broker card and office ORN on the Land Department's systems.
Questions about the buying process?
An adviser can explain how this applies to the property you're considering.
- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
- No fee to you on off-plan purchases: the developer pays us
- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
