Comparing agent fees and actual service for a Dubai coastal home

A

AdaHope

Homeowner
Established
The unexpected difference between the proposals is not the headline fee but how much work each agent is actually accepting. After 106 days, I am still weighing how to market a Dubai coastal home expected to sell near AED 4,899,000. The lower-priced agent leaves several stages with me, while the costlier proposal appears to cover more of the transaction.

I am asking both agents to confirm the fee basis, when payment is earned and who is responsible for photography, buyer qualification, negotiation and closing. I also want response times, recent comparable results, viewing-feedback procedures, the approach after a deal collapses and any buyer-side relationships set out clearly.

My decision rule is becoming simple: a higher fee may be worthwhile if it buys named responsibilities and measurable service. If both proposals remain vague, I would choose neither on price alone. Is there another item that would expose a meaningful difference between them?
 
Put the proposals into the same table before comparing the totals. Ask whether the fee is fixed or percentage-based, what amount the percentage is applied to, and exactly when it becomes payable. Then list every included task and any separate charge.

For service, request named responsibility at each stage, expected response times, how viewing feedback is recorded, and what happens if an agreed deal falls through. Vague promises should not score the same as written deliverables.
 
What does “photography included” mean in the expensive proposal? Number of images, floor plan, editing, retakes, and ownership or reuse of the material can make that line less comparable than it appears. Also ask where and how the home will be presented, without assuming that more photos automatically produce better buyers.
 
I would not place too much weight on response-time promises alone. A quick acknowledgement is easy to measure but says little about buyer qualification or negotiation quality. Ask each agent to describe the offer process: what financial and timing information is gathered, how competing offers are presented, and whether all material terms reach you in writing.
 
Agreed, although the promised response time still matters if it identifies who responds. The key question from the opening is whether the person pitching for the instruction remains involved. I would ask for one named contact, the backup contact, and a clear explanation of which tasks are delegated after listing. That often exposes why two apparently similar proposals carry different fees.
 
Comparable sales need context as well. Ask for transactions that genuinely resemble this coastal home rather than a broad Dubai list, then ask what the agent personally handled in those transactions. You can also request the number of accepted offers that did not complete and, more importantly, what support is provided after a problem appears. The raw fall-through figure may reflect buyers, sellers or financing issues outside the agent’s control.
 
Before choosing, send all candidates the same short set of written questions and compare the precision of their answers:

1. Full fee basis and payment trigger. 2. Exact photography and marketing work included. 3. Buyer qualification steps. 4. How offers and counteroffers are documented. 5. Named person handling viewings, negotiation and closing coordination. 6. Support after an offer falls through. 7. Any relationship or potential conflict involving a buyer or another party.

For a property around AED 4,899,000, the cheapest proposal is not necessarily the lowest-cost outcome, but the highest fee still needs to be supported by specific commitments rather than a longer list of general services.
 
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