In a city sculpted from ambition and bold moves, Ben Bandari deals in certainties. When we meet at Villa Flora, a mansion that embodies Dubai’s particular brand of opulence, Bandari’s calculated confidence feels like part of the property’s fixtures. His gestures – the meticulous cuff adjustment, the practiced sweep of an arm toward the golf course vista – telegraph a man who has transmuted Dubai’s relentless optimism into quantifiable assets: $5.99 billion in transactions over two decades.
The afternoon light cascades across Villa Flora’s pristine marble floors, casting geometric shadows through floor-to-ceiling windows that frame a manicured golf course. Here in DAMAC Hills, Bandari adjusts his impeccably tailored blue suit sleeve, revealing a gleam of his luxury watch. His pink silk tie captures the light as he gestures toward the panorama.
“Not bad, right?” he says, the understatement hanging in the air like fine perfume.
Reality TV transforms business
To millions of viewers across 60 countries, Bandari is the breakout star of Million Dollar Listing UAE, the Emmy-nominated reality show currently filming its highly anticipated second season. The first season broke viewership records on STARZPLAY, becoming the number one show within 24 hours of its premiere.
“It’s been a really, really great experience, and the exposure has been great,” says Bandari, reflecting on how the show has transformed his life. “Everywhere I go, everyone knows Ben Bandari. I have random people, literally daily, in the real estate world congratulating me on season two.”
For the casual viewer, Bandari appears as the consummate professional – serious, focused, all business. Yet behind the cameras, colleagues know him as the strategic mastermind who spent five years pitching the show before finding the right partners in Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Aldar Properties. Most recently, DAMAC has joined as a sponsor for Season 2, creating a triumvirate of the UAE’s most influential property players backing the program.
“In terms of business, it’s been amazing,” Bandari explains. “Sellers who’ve watched the show contact me to give their properties exclusively. Buyers reach out because they want to deal with someone they’ve watched. And developers send boxes of chocolates every week, asking us to come to their sales offices.”
The show’s success has provided unprecedented recruitment opportunities. “A lot of agents want to work for me and for BenCo real estate,” he notes, describing how his personal brand has grown exponentially since the show’s premiere.
The reality behind reality TV
While Bandari’s televised success has inspired many to enter real estate, he cautions against assuming the job is as glamorous as it appears. “Once they dive into the industry, they quickly find out it’s not as easy as it seems on television. On TV, it just shows the listing appointment, the open houses, and closure of deals.”
The reality includes “a lot of hard work, a lot of stress, a lot of rejection. Nine out of ten deals pretty much fall through. It’s a numbers game that takes discipline to become successful.”
He emphasises the fierce competition in Dubai’s market. “It’s a very cutthroat industry. There’s 26-27,000 registered real estate brokers. People are jumping into the industry because they think it’s quick money and fast cash. It’s not.”
The upcoming second season will expand to 12 episodes, with Bandari once again starring alongside Riad Gohar and Rami Wahood, joined by new cast members Sara Serhan and Mai Khaled. “The two weeks that we’ve filmed, I can assure you there’s more drama than all of Season one,” Bandari reveals, though he’s quick to clarify: “It’s not trash TV. It’s arguing about real estate, it’s arguing about who’s listing.”
Beyond the brokerage
The TV exposure has supercharged Bandari’s newest venture: DevCore Properties. “We’re a project sales and marketing company that works with developers from land acquisition to design to build.”
DevCore functions as both the consultant and sales arm for developers navigating Dubai’s complex property sector. “We have our own in-house architects and consultants. We know all the contractors in this country. We can advise them on the right path.”
The venture has already secured its first major client. “Our first developer on board is LEOS International, a UK developer that’s been on the market for about three years. We’ll be handling their sales and marketing for Weybridge 5, their fifth building in Dubailand with about 190 units.”
He describes the project as a “state-of-the-art” and “sexy” building with studios, one, two, and three-bedroom units priced at approximately $1,300 per square foot. “The good thing about this building, which LEOS has never done, is they’re selling it fully furnished at this price. It’s turnkey, so once it’s handed over, you can rent it out and from the rental income, you can pay the instalments.”
From dropout to Dubai icon
Few have observed Dubai’s rise from as many vantage points as Bandari. When he arrived in 2002 with CAD 700 (approximately $510) in his pocket, Dubai had just begun its freehold revolution. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s decree allowing foreigners to buy property in designated areas was transforming the emirate from regional outpost to global luxury destination.
“Media City, Internet City didn’t exist,” Bandari recalls of early Dubai. “It was dark at night. There was really nothing there. And 70 per cent of Sheikh Zayed Road today was not around.”
Born and raised in Vancouver to Iranian parents, Bandari’s early career was tumultuous. “I was a dropout, a university dropout. I came from a very strict family where you had to be a doctor or an engineer. I did retail. I was a telemarketer. I was pretty much scraping, hustling, trying to make money in Canada.”
His fortunes changed when a family connection led to Dubai, where he accepted a position paying just $436 monthly. “I was the lowest-paid Canadian on the planet. I lived in a one-bedroom with five people. It was like military – we’d wake up in the morning and all stand in line to take a shower.”
The intervention
What truly transformed his career’s trajectory was his mother’s visit to Dubai. Appalled by his living conditions, “My mom pretty much challenged me,” he recalls. “She started calling real estate companies herself.” This led to Better Homes, where Bandari rejected $2,726 salary for a 50/50 commission structure.
In an unexpected twist, his mother joined him in real estate. “My mom actually wanted to work as well. She’s like, ‘it’ll be fun, and I’ll show you how it’s done.'”
The decision paid immediate dividends. “My first month, I sold a villa in The Meadows, all off-plan, $545,190, 2 per cent – $10,903. I made $5,451,” he recounts. “The next month I made $10,903, the month after, my third month, I made $21,806.” By 2004-2006, Bandari was averaging over $54,519 monthly.
Surviving boom and bust
When the 2008 global financial crisis hit, Bandari faced devastation. “We sold a building, literally a $190.8 million building in Waterfront. The payment was due right before everything collapsed. The developer ran off with the money.”
Half of his wealth disappeared overnight.
Instead of retreating, he recalibrated. This experience informed his decision to launch BenCo Real Estate during the pandemic. “I learned my lesson in 2009, 2008. All the real estate companies that set up and started their empires today… they set up during a crisis.”
Leadership philosophy
Today, Bandari manages his brokerage, television career, Bandari Investment Group, and DevCore while mentoring the next generation of real estate professionals. His management style reflects his journey from shared apartment to luxury real estate empire.
“My leadership philosophy, my management philosophy is basically take care of your people and your people will take care of you,” he explains. “I try to establish more of a friendship with the people who work at BenCo and DevCore.”
This philosophy manifests in his office arrangement. “I don’t have an office for myself, so I sit with the staff. Our business model is horizontal management, not vertical. There’s no hierarchy. Everyone’s the same, including myself.”
Despite managing 60-70 staff members across two businesses, “I’m basically there for every single one of them. I answer their calls, I answer their messages. If they need me to meet a client, I try and take time. Juggling the two businesses, my own clients, the TV show – it’s difficult, but I know this is what’s going to elevate and make me successful.”
Building a legacy
For all his ambition and business acumen, Bandari has a surprising focus on mentoring the next generation.
“Don’t think you can do it all on your own,” he advises. “Find someone that can mentor you, even if it means working for three, four months for free or on a lower salary, just to sit by them, listen to them, listen to the way they talk, how they negotiate.”
As our conversation concludes, his phone lights up with details of another potential transaction. In a city defined by ambition, Ben Bandari – once a university dropout with $510 to his name – has become as fundamental to Dubai’s luxury real estate sector as the Burj Khalifa is to its skyline.
“Now the driving force for me today is not just to save money. We’ve already made the money,” Bandari says.
“I want to build a legacy. BenCo Real Estate – we go international, we have maybe 20 branches here, London, China, the US. This is what really turns me on right now.”
In this industry, he concludes, “you are only as relevant as your last transaction – and as effective as the people you’ve taught along the way.”
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