“The property has not changed. The purpose has.”
Kinan Sheikh El Hara, edited from his written submission
The purpose changes the property
Four people can consider the same home and be evaluating four different things. One imagines living there. Another is considering rental income. A third is thinking about long-term growth, while someone else is focused on preserving what they have built.
The property has not changed. The purpose has. That is why I do not start by recommending an island, a development or a particular listing. I start by understanding what the client needs the decision to achieve.
Different goals need different briefs
Abu Dhabi offers different ways to live and different kinds of property to consider. I do not believe one area is the answer for everyone, or that a property can be called a good opportunity without reference to the person considering it.
If the priority is a home, I want to understand the life it needs to support. If the priority is income or a longer-term investment, the conversation needs to address the assumptions behind that goal. An appealing presentation cannot, by itself, establish what a property will deliver.
I follow how communities are evolving: what is being developed, how infrastructure is changing and what the longer-term vision looks like. But I also want to distinguish what exists now from what remains a plan. The direction of an area helps shape the questions I ask about a property; it does not answer those questions for me.
What I mean by an order maker
A client may arrive saying, ‘I want this property.’ An order taker could simply work towards that transaction. I think a consultant should do more.
I want to understand why the client chose it, identify other relevant options and challenge an assumption if it deserves another look. I call that being an order maker. It does not mean creating pressure to buy. It means helping create a clearer brief, so the eventual decision has a sound reason behind it.
Before anyone signs, I want them to understand what they are buying and why it fits their objective. If it does not fit, deciding not to proceed can be the right outcome of the conversation.
That is the perspective I wanted to share through Knownable. Real estate advice should add value before there is a deal to close. For me, that begins by turning a broad ambition into a decision the client can explain in their own words.