When considering buying or renting a home in Dubai you have two options: Go through the local newspapers and check their section dedicated to properties or you could have a real estate broker do all the dirty work for you. For those of you who think you can go it alone without the assistance of a broker there is two factors you need to consider:

Classified ads can usually be very appealing, sometimes too appealing. So whenever you come across one that seems a little too good to be true it most probably is. For example, I was going through the classifieds a few months ago when I found this: 2 bedroom guest house available, excellent condition, water and electricity included, on Jumeirah road next to Mercato. Excellent location- 8,000 AED per month. That is way too good to be true but there was a contact number on it so I said why not. Now I know why not! It was dreadful! There was no air conditioning, the doors were rotting from the bottom as though there had been some sort of flood in the house and the kitchen was more like a public urinal. And I’m sure you’re asking well if the kitchen seemed like a urinal what was the bathroom like. Trust me; you do not want to know! Luckily I didn’t give up. I still checked out all those too good to be true ads and I actually managed to find one! So it’s not impossible to find your dream home by following the classifieds but it’s like finding a nice top in a thrift shop. It takes time and lots of rummaging.

In my opinion searching through the classifieds and properties section of newspapers is more suitable for a bachelor. As a family you have quite a few additional factors that need to be considered while finding a place to live. Is the flat suitable for children, are there other families in the area, are there schools/nurseries close by? In cases like that it more convenient to go to a broker. They can tailor to your needs a lot better than chasing ads on your own. You can find real estate brokers by checking the yellow pages or the properties/classifieds section of newspaper. A lot of the ads regarding properties available are placed by brokers. Find one or two advertisements that are of homes that seem suitable to you budget wise and call the contact number available. Tell them your specifications and sure enough they will have more than one property available to show you.