Dubai’s real estate agencies are entering a battle for “super brokers” as a more demanding property market forces firms to rethink how they recruit, reward and retain their highest performers.
Four senior industry figures say the rapid expansion that allowed thousands of new agents to enter the sector is giving way to a more selective phase.
Buyers and sellers increasingly want informed advice, reliable data and established relationships, making consistently productive brokers more valuable and more willing to demand greater independence.
That shift is also fuelling interest in hybrid agencies, which give brokers much of the freedom associated with running their own business while an established company provides the brand, marketing, technology, compliance and administrative support.
It is not simply an online-versus-office distinction. The central question is how responsibility is divided: the agent builds the client book and controls the working day, while the brokerage supplies services that would otherwise be costly or difficult to recreate alone.
Super broker placement
Nathan Kearney, managing partner at Executive Search, recently placed a broker credited with bringing AED450 million of business to their former agency.
The move was completed in a week, illustrating how quickly firms may need to act when elite talent becomes available.
“A strong commission split gets attention. Confidence in the leadership gives someone a reason to commit,” Kearney said.
He expects competition for proven performers to intensify, but cautioned that high sales at one company do not automatically transfer to another.
Agencies must understand the relationships, support and opportunities behind those results.
“A ‘super broker’ should be someone who can deliver consistently, including when transactions become harder to close,” he said.
Lewis Allsopp, founder of Allsopp & Allsopp, said the apparent glamour of opening an agency can conceal the difficult economics of running one.
Owners must contend with staff retention, rising property-portal costs, salaries, tax and other overheads, while often earning less than their best salespeople as they build the company.
M&A activity
He believes recent pressure on revenue has exposed firms operating with thin margins and could drive further mergers and acquisitions.
In his view, founders must choose whether they want to remain high-earning brokers or stop selling to concentrate on building a durable business.
Omar Abaza, managing partner of The Oppenheim Group, described the changes as evidence of a maturing market rather than proof that only elite agents remain.
“The gap between the strongest brokers and the rest of the market is becoming much more visible,” he said. “The people who genuinely understand their product, have strong relationships and consistently add value to their clients are going to become increasingly important.”
Abaza said experienced brokers are not necessarily attracted by the largest commission percentage.
Some have left 90/10 arrangements or closed their own operations to join his company because they valued its brand, marketing, international reach, developer relationships and workplace culture.
His version of the hybrid model treats brokers as entrepreneurs rather than conventional employees. They control their time and client relationships, while the agency supplies the platform around them.
Market knowledge
“We’re much more interested in results, professionalism and how someone represents the brand than where they’re sitting at 10am,” Abaza said.
“The future of the industry will increasingly be about empowering great brokers rather than managing them.”
Charlie Bannan, managing director of haus & haus, agreed that clients are placing more value on advice and market knowledge as conditions become more considered.
But he rejected the suggestion that Dubai is becoming a closed shop for newcomers, saying new agents can reach their first transactions faster when surrounded by experienced colleagues and supported by a trusted brand.
Bannan also questioned the assumption that independence always produces better results.
A hybrid structure may suit an established agent who generates their own leads, but larger firms can offer company-generated enquiries, referrals, shared listings, specialist departments and substantial marketing investment.
“Commission percentage naturally matters to an agent, but the number that really counts is what ends up in their bank account, not the split on paper,” he said. “A higher percentage of fewer deals isn’t always worth more.”
All four executives broadly agree that retention cannot be secured by contracts or headline commission rates alone.
Top brokers increasingly assess agencies as rigorously as agencies assess them, looking at payment reliability, leadership, culture, opportunity and whether the company can accelerate their careers.
For Dubai’s brokerages, the implication is clear: the next phase will not be won simply by hiring more agents. It will depend on building a platform that allows the best of them to produce and gives them a reason to stay.
