Kenny Ogunleye from YAS Properties won the Outstanding Agent Award for Northern Emirates on November 2018. He shares with us his best tips and tells us more about the current market situation. Scroll down to discover more!
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been in the industry now for the past 4 years. I actually started my career in the industry as an Accountant. After a while, I decided to move to Sales Department and it’s been going on fine!
Which areas do you specialise in?
I specialise in Al Hamra, AL Jazeera and Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.
Why did you decide to become a real estate agent?
I have a four-year degree in banking and finance. I’ve always liked to be in the finance line but when I moved to the UAE finding myself in a real estate company, I developed the interest from my colleagues, the information they shared with me and the day to day activities. I think it’s a really nice profession, that’s why I switched! It’s challenging particularly for Ras Al Khaimah which is a small city and there are a lot of real estate companies. It’s a competitive market!
How would you describe the current property market?
The current market, from what I can see, is good to some aspects for the investors or for an individual who wants to buy a property. This is the right time to buy! But for the seller, it’s not a very good moment. But I don’t expect the market to go down more. Hopefully next year it will start to pick up!
Tell me about your big achievement of last month
Actually I would like to talk about my last month big achievement. We all know that the market is tough now so we are trying to go into some existing companies, releasing agreements with universities and colleges for the staff. That’s one of the greatest thing we’ve been trying to achieve for a while. When it comes to sales, even tho the market is tough, I was able to achieve some business sales, I did seven big rentals and two sales, one bedroom and studio.
How do you tailor your approach so you set yourself apart?
Actually I have some personal attribute which have been helping me in this line: ability to listen when my clients are talking, ability to find them what they need and some other post-rental services. Most of my clients recommend me to some other colleagues. It’s all based on referral. In this current market, recommendation have been really helping, we are getting our new clients from the old ones.
Property seekers are always after their ideal location, and all kept within a certain budget. How do you strike the balance to get them what they want?
Sometimes it’s very challenging because your client wants the best deal in a particular location, but we are always trying our best to find them what they desire. As an agent, you need to find them a solution in order to keep them.
What has been your favourite listing ever? What made it special to you?
One of my favourite listing ever was when I listed a one bedroom apartment at 870,000 AED for sale. I listed it in the morning and I received a cheque in the afternoon. Within one hour of listing, somebody clicked and made a call to view the apartment. And this lead was from Property Finder. When leads come from Property Finder, we close at least 40% or 50% of them.
Any words of advice for someone looking to sell their property in Dubai?
For people who want to sell their property now even when they push me, I tell them: first of all, let your price be realistic to what is happening on the market. You have to have the understanding of this market situation. If you are willing to wait for a while, it’s good. But if you want to sell now, then you have to let you price be suitable. You have to have a belief in your agent.
What’s your best-negotiating tip?
One of my best negotiating tip is understanding the product. I have one theory: before I sell anything to anybody, first of all I have to buy this product myself. I have to put myself in the condition of the buyer, I have to understand what is the market, the environment, the demand and what is the desire of the buyer.
What’s your favourite thing to do on your days off?
I spend some time with my wife if she’s around in Dubai. But most of the time, I spend my weekends and days off with my friends and with some of my new clients. I enjoy meeting with my clients during the weekends!
If you had 2 million dirhams to invest in real estate, where would you put your money?
I would love to invest in Al Marjan Island, there are some news amazing projects coming up. And some few units in Al Hamra.
If you didn’t work in real estate, what career would you pursue?
Despite the fact that I have my degree in Banking and Finance, I have always dreamed of going back to the classrooms. I would love to pursue a teaching career. I love sharing ideas and knowledges with new people.
What is the question you are most often asked by property seekers?
Some property seekers ask many questions: can you advice us? do you think we can buy or we can rent? And I also ask them: how long are you planing to stay in RAK? If you are planing to stay more than 6 years, the best thing for you then is to buy if you consider the renting price over the year. And some of them ask me: what is the best deal in the market? I usually tell them that sometimes it’s good to talk about the price but sometimes what matters is that you’re getting what you need. Actually some clients, when they find something that suits their desire, they go al little bit higher in the price.
How big of a role does Property Finder play in your job?
When something is the best, I don’t know how to rate! Actually Property Finder has been so helpful. To give you an example, for the past four months now, I have been able to develop myself, the way I talk to my clients through this call recording. Sometimes during the week, I go back to the calls I have made, listen to them, see what I did right or wrong and how I can improve. The call leads that come from Property Finder have also been helping me in building a good database for the company. I can extract all the information I need. We are using several different portals but actually Property Finder has been very different.
Do you have what it takes to be our next Outstanding Agent Winner? Go to propertyfinder.ae/league to apply.
