Better Homes runs false claims on property ads

Chris Saturday, 23 March 2013 11:55 PM - UK

How do we know which Real Estate agents we can trust?

Chris ,UK

david Monday, 25 March 2013 10:08 AM - uae

That's easy Chris . . . none of them!

Jassam Al Khafaji Thursday, 7 February 2013 1:44 PM - Saudi Arabia

I am an owner of an estate agents in KSA. If you think the UAE market is bad...come and see what goes on here. Generally speaking.....governments should put in place strict regulations on estate agents in what and how they advertise their properties. There should be control on the information (price, completion dates, finshing...etc) that is released to the public. Misleading the public is very unprofessional and unethical, and the knock on effect of misleading the public, is that the public start to genralise and say that all agents are unethical and not trustworthy. There are many honest, ethical and trustworthy agents operating in the market....but because of SOME agents misleading the public...we are all placed in the same boat. Honest agents find themselves spending much time having to prove themselves that they are honest as opposed to closing deals and making comissions the proper way. Market Regulation, Regulation and more regulation is what is required.

Bassam Wednesday, 16 January 2013 8:39 PM - UAE

Please please please never forget that they are all the same, absolute unscrupulous unethical real estate agents, my consolation is that I never trusted them and never dealt with them.

Ripped off Sunday, 20 January 2013 2:11 PM - Not UAE

Brian when people get ripped off it is unscrupulous. Better Homes are no better, you obviously were not involved in projects being affected by this unscrupulous marketing. It is not human error and well intended as most of them did this for a sale and nothing more. To sell off plans and promote as they and many others did is unscrupulous as they knew what they were doing and should be held accountable! You may have been one of a very few that may be satisfied with their service but there are thousands upon thousands that were ripped off! Again if this doesn't affect you, there is no claim for you to even be here. You are renting an already completed unit/house or whatever that's easy, anyone can do that, try getting BH or anyone else to rent a hole in the ground!

Brian Thursday, 17 January 2013 10:35 AM - UAE

I don't work for or with Better Homes, but have known them for many years. Originally I rented through them, and then when I bought a flat in the Greens for investment I gave it to them to rent out and manage, as I'd always found them to be professional and reliable. There are undoubtedly bad estate agents in the UAE, but you can't tar all agents with the same brush - it's like saying 'all' bankers are dishonest, or 'all' politicians are unethical. Yes, Better Homes certainly should have checked their website better - and I'm sure they will in future! - but this wasn't unscrupulous marketing, just careless.

Agentio honesto Wednesday, 16 January 2013 7:55 PM - UAE

I am an agent, and believe it or not a ethical one. I never charge more than I should and I usually split commission meaning I take a great deal less just to make the deal go through. Better homes charges 3 percent as a rule and much more if they can. yes you heard it right, but disguise it in the deposit they collect from the unsuspecting buyer . They have a big name but their agents are not professional. Don't let their size fool you. In their case size does not matter. It's about time they caught out. Shame on you.

Liz Wednesday, 16 January 2013 11:56 AM - UAE

And now Better Homes are on Dubai Eye trying to blame everyone but themselves. As the people who run the website they should be running checks, which actually work, and not the web manager just checking for 'grammatical' mistakes. Take responsibility Better Homes.

Shany Tuesday, 15 January 2013 7:23 PM - UAE

Thanks Tengo! you cant label a whole company because you see 1-2 mistakes on its webiste posted by it's employees! The employees are liable not the organisation. Like I said surely if you are looking to buy a property in Oceana or Tiara the shopping mall not being there will not turn you off, there are plenty of other facilites which are USP's alone. It is so shameful to try and bring a company down like this and tarnishing it's reputation.....this was no doubt a low blow and was uncalled for. However, Better Homes doesn't need me to argue it's case because people who have dealt with them know they are the best in the market to deal with.

The Consultant Wednesday, 16 January 2013 12:17 PM - UAE

Shany, ethically the company is responsible for the actions of its employees, and in most cases legally responsible as well. The company is responsible for hiring, training and supervising its staff as well as the content of its website. Consequently they should not be employing lazy, incompetent or untrained agents and they should be actively removing inaccurate content from their own website.

I do, however, agree with the point that this is a widespread practice, with developers failing to remove out of date information and real estate agents simply copy-pasting stuff that they know (or ought to know) is not accurate and it seems curious that Better Homes have been singled out for criticism.

Peter Wednesday, 16 January 2013 12:00 PM - Qatar

Nice rebuttal, Shany. Let us know which branch of Better Homes it is, that you work in?

As for the point of employee being liable, I'm afraid that's only partly true. The organization too is very much liable, as they are expected to maintain strong oversight over their employee's ethical behavior.

True this is not only applicable to Better Homes, but great article by AB in lifting the lid on some either lazy or unscrupulous practices by real estate firms in U.A.E. Hopefully this will act as a catalyst for better quality information on websites etc that are put up in the future.

Ronald Wednesday, 16 January 2013 11:53 AM - UK

Yes Shany, and what PR firm do you work for? This is shameless, paid for and entirely without credibility. It looks like a cheap attempt by Better Homes to wrest back their disgraced image. Blaming an employee for what is on a company website is childish and unprofessional. The buck stops with management.

Arsalan Tabani Tuesday, 15 January 2013 5:43 PM - United Arab Emirates

As I am from the same line of business, I feel it is not deliberate albeit its incorrect and misleading.

The information agents use in their ads are often from information which exists in websites of the project. Usually content found online and in brochures are usually outdated are usually written in sales and marketing materials distributed along with the original sale of the property. Agents in the region tend to increase quantity of information rather than the quality of it. Its an important issue to address and someone new to the industry can be misled.

Arsalan Tabani Wednesday, 16 January 2013 3:37 PM - United Arab Emirates

I am not saying it is right in anyway. I am just saying it is not cheating.

Its not the same as being treated by a doctor because:-

1) if you make purchase decisions online for real estate looking at those ads. Yes you are affected. But I am sure most people do more research including visiting the actual site.

2) I doubt any of those agents who had their ads listed would further advocate those facilities verbally when you speak with them. Because being lazy they have not read the text they posting.

Anna Wednesday, 16 January 2013 2:01 PM - United Arab Emirates

Good one Telcoguy - maybe it is time that Real Estate agents get a bit more professional and competent.
A while ago I tried to buy an apartment in Abu Dhabi. I am very well informed about the industry and it was shocking to hear the lies the real estate agents told me. At a point I stopped correcting their misheaps and decided not to buy anymore - purely because of the ignorance and unreliability of the sales people.
Then they also have the practice of listing fake properties for lower prices on the website - so they can catch a new fish to sell a more expensive property.
I am so glad I got out and now with the new mortgage law, I think I had an angle guiding me in the right direction.

Telcoguy Tuesday, 15 January 2013 6:51 PM - UAE

So your point can be summarized as agents are not bad-meaning people, just lazy and incompetent. Did I get it right or am I missing something?

For your information most people have professional standards a little bit more strict. Would you accept such lousy standards from a doctor treating you or your family?

Manesh Gurnani Tuesday, 15 January 2013 5:41 PM - uae

Q: who are Better Homes
A: Real Estate Agent.
need i say more....................

NOT FOR SALE Tuesday, 15 January 2013 4:42 PM - UAE

Our house was featured by an agent - we've never heard of - complete with large glossy picture -as for sale. Which it is not. We feared they would pretend to own it and try to sell it from under us - one of the many scams they pull. They seemed very surprised when we threatened legal action if they didnt remove the listing.

Riaz Tuesday, 15 January 2013 4:41 PM - UAE

Obviousley some one is upset with Better Homes, AB how can you wirite such an article, you highlighted that on one of the ads it mentions the metro runs through the Palm when actually its the monorail, aren't they the same thing just different words. That just goes to show your impartial reporting tactics.