Propertyfinder.ae hosted its first networking event of 2012, with over 150 real estate brokers and property agents in attendance from across the UAE gathering to celebrate a great year for the property portal and the industry as a whole.
The event also saw the re-launch of the propertyfinder.ae quarterly awards, which recognise outstanding achievements and best practice within the real estate industry based on the 2.2 million visits the company received last quarter.
Unfortunately agents tend not to be well perceived well by the public and consumers in the UAE, with frequent complaints about them and their poor customer service. Propertyfinder.ae has thus implemented the awards so to establish new benchmarks for quality, and thusly encourage brokers to improve and to introduce a level of transparency in the industry.
Four companies who have stood out to propertyfinder.ae and its users were picked for excelling in one of four categories: Best Marketing Campaign, Best Property Portfolio, Best Newcomer and Most Popular Broker.
The criteria for these awards were based on a number of factors including creativity, performance, average ranking among peers, scope and breadth of campaign, overall quality and the number of enquiries received from the public.
The winners of the Q1 Awards were:
Best Marketing Campaign: Salwan
Best Property Portfolio: Lannhill
Best Newcomer: Fine & Country
Most Popular Broker: Asteco
The response to the awards has been overwhelmingly positive with the opportunity to recognise best practice amongst peers warmly welcomed.
Nicholas Robinson, Director of Property Sales and Leasing for Fine & Country said ‘’It just shows you that hard work and dedication can be rewarded with both deals and being recognised by our peers as award winners. Thank you propertyfinder.ae.’’
“We are very aware of the importance of the web as a tool to reach our customers and appreciate efforts by propertyfinder.ae to improve our reach and reputation. Asteco strive to be the best in the region; thank you for the award and your support.” Elaine Jones, CEO Asteco property Management.
“We work extremely hard to provide our customers a top quality level of service and our listings reflect this. Our agents have specific guidelines to follow before the listing goes live.’’ Ross Gardiner, Director, Lannhill.
The awards follow propertyfinder.ae’s own achievement in being placed third in the Dubai SME 100 last month as well as a huge rise in year on year traffic on the website with a 249% increase in visits, and a 174% increase in enquiries for both buy and rent.
Renan Bourdeau, Managing Director propertyfinder.ae concluded, “We are trying to raise the bar within the real estate industry in the UAE, increasing transparency and encouraging a more professional approach from our brokers. Our traffic is growing all the time and the winning brokers are those who generate the most visits and leads from our users for a number of reasons. We hope that the awards will encourage our real estate companies to compete in a positive way and also celebrate their hard work and successes.”
The success of the evening and the awards demonstrate a desire to improve standards within the industry. There is also a willingness by brokers to exchange ideas and best practices to the ultimate benefit of both consumers and the agents.
