How to write a buyer requirement for Dubai co-broking

Every day, Dubai's agent WhatsApp groups carry hundreds of buyer requirements, and most of them read the same way: "2BR Marina, budget 2M, urgent." The agents who see it can't tell whether the buyer has cash or needs a mortgage, whether they'd take JLT instead, whether they need to move in this month or can wait for handover in 2028. So they either ignore it or send ten listings that miss.

A requirement other agents can act on gives them enough to shortlist in a few minutes without revealing who the client is. This guide sets out what to include, in the order agents read it.

1. Budget, and how it's funded

State the budget as a total in AED, and say whether it includes fees. A buyer with AED 2,000,000 all-in is shopping at a lower price than one with AED 2,000,000 for the property alone. On a ready purchase, the main costs on top of the price are the 4% DLD transfer fee, the 2% agency fee plus VAT, and trustee and registration fees.

Then say how it's funded:

Cash, ready to complete.
Mortgage, pre-approved, with the approval amount. Under UAE Central Bank rules, an expatriate buying a first home worth up to AED 5 million can borrow up to 80% of its value, so a 20% deposit plus fees is the minimum cash a mortgage buyer needs.
Mortgage, not yet applied for. Say so. A listing agent with a motivated seller will prioritise a pre-approved buyer, and it's better they know now.

2. Purpose: end use or investment

An end user and an investor shop for the same apartment with different questions. End users care about schools, commute, layout and outlook. Investors care about rental yield, service charges, tenant demand and whether the unit is tenanted. Say which one your client is. For investors, add the minimum gross yield they'll consider.

If the client is buying to qualify for a residence visa, say that too. A property worth AED 2 million or more qualifies the owner for the 10-year Golden Visa, so the price floor isn't negotiable for that buyer.

3. Property type, size and layout

Give the type (apartment, townhouse, villa), the bedroom count and the minimum built-up area. Bedroom counts alone are misleading in Dubai, where a two-bedroom can be anything from 900 to 1,600 square feet. Add the layout points that would rule a unit out: a maid's room, a study, a balcony, a ground-floor garden, or a minimum number of parking spaces.

4. Communities, ranked, with alternatives

List the communities in order of preference, then name the ones the client would also consider. "Dubai Marina first, JBR or JLT also fine" gets you three times the matches of "Dubai Marina." If certain buildings or clusters are ruled out, name those as well, since it saves agents sending stock the client has already rejected.

5. Ready or off-plan, and timing

Say whether the client wants ready property, off-plan, or either. Then say when they need to move in or complete. A client renewing a lease in three months needs a ready, vacant unit. A client buying for 2028 can look at off-plan with a payment plan. If ready, say whether a tenanted unit is acceptable. Many investors prefer one, and most end users can't use one.

6. Must-haves and nice-to-haves

Separate the conditions that rule a unit out from the ones that only rank it. "Must have: high floor, unobstructed sea view. Nice to have: upgraded kitchen, furnished." Agents can work with a long list of preferences as long as they know which ones are fixed.

7. What to leave out

Don't include the client's name, phone number, nationality, employer or anything else that identifies them. The requirement should be detailed enough to match and anonymous enough that no agent can approach the client directly. Share the client's identity only after a split has been agreed with the agent who has the right property. We cover the agreement itself in How commission splits work on a co-broke in Dubai.

A requirement written properly

Here's the WhatsApp version from the start of this guide, rewritten:

Buying: 2-bed apartment, Dubai Marina (JBR or JLT also considered). Budget AED 2,100,000 for the property, fees separate. Mortgage pre-approved at 75%. End user, moving in within 3 months, so ready and vacant only. Minimum 1,200 sq ft, balcony, one parking space. Must have: marina or sea view, floor 10+. Nice to have: furnished, upgraded kitchen. Not interested in buildings without a gym. Co-broke 50/50.

An agent with stock in those communities can tell in under a minute whether they have a match, and the client's identity is protected.

Writing a requirement for a tenant

Rental requirements move faster than sales, and the details that matter are different. A tenant requirement other agents can act on includes:

Annual rent, and the number of cheques the tenant can offer. One or two cheques open up more stock and more negotiating room than twelve, because many landlords in Dubai give better terms for fewer cheques.
Move-in date. Most tenants are working to a lease end date or a relocation date, and stock that's available two months too late doesn't help them.
Furnished or unfurnished.
Who the lease is for. An individual, a family, or a company lease for an employee. Company leases need landlord agreement and the right paperwork.
Occupants and pets. Many buildings and landlords restrict pets, and some communities have rules on the number of occupants.
Parking, and any access needs, such as a ground-floor unit or a lift.

A tenant requirement written properly looks like this:

Renting: 1-bed apartment, Business Bay or Downtown. Up to AED 110,000 a year, 2 cheques. Moving in by 1 March. Unfurnished, one parking space, one occupant, no pets. Must have: gym and pool in the building, walking distance to a metro station. Co-broke 50/50.

Writing a requirement for an investor

Investors compare properties on returns, so their requirements need numbers that end users don't usually give:

Minimum gross yield, such as "6.5% gross or better at the asking price."
Tenanted or vacant. Many investors want a unit with a tenant already in place and the rent stated, because it removes the vacancy period.
Service charge tolerance, in AED per square foot per year. Service charges vary widely between buildings and have a direct effect on net yield.
Short-term rental plans. An investor who plans to let the unit as a holiday home needs a building that permits short-term letting and a unit that can be licensed for it. Say so in the requirement, because it rules out a large share of the stock.
Exit plans. An investor buying off-plan to resell before handover is looking at different projects from one planning to hold for ten years.

Responding when another agent has a match

A requirement is only half the work. How you respond when another agent replies decides whether the deal goes anywhere.

Reply the same day. Agents with a strong listing send it to several buyer agents at once, and the first serious response usually gets the viewing slot.
Qualify the match before you take it to your client. Ask for the exact size, floor and view, the service charge, whether the unit is vacant, and the seller's position. Ten minutes of questions saves your client a wasted viewing.
Agree the split before you share your client's identity. The details that identify your client are the leverage you have in the co-broke. Keep them until the terms are agreed in writing.
Give feedback after the viewing. A short message saying why the client passed helps the listing agent and makes them more likely to send you their next listing first.

Why most requirements get ignored

Agents scanning a busy group make a decision in a few seconds. Requirements that get skipped tend to share the same faults:

No budget, or a budget without a funding method. Listing agents assume the buyer isn't serious.
One community and no alternatives. Matches are rare, so agents stop looking.
"Urgent" with no date. Every requirement claims to be urgent, so the word means nothing without a move-in or completion date.
Old requirements reposted unchanged. Agents recognise the same post from last month and assume it's no longer live.
Too much client information. Requirements that include a client's name or nationality make experienced agents wary of the agent who posted them.

Keep it current

A requirement that's been filled should be taken down, and one that's changed should be updated, with a date. Agents learn quickly which colleagues post live requirements and which leave old ones circulating, and they respond accordingly.

Frequently asked questions

What should a buyer requirement include?

The budget and how it's funded, the buyer's purpose, the property type and size, ranked communities with alternatives, the timing, and a clear list of must-haves.

Should I include my client's name in a requirement?

No. A requirement should be detailed enough to match and anonymous enough that no other agent can contact your client directly.

How often should I update a requirement?

Whenever the client's brief changes, and at least every two weeks while it's live. Take it down as soon as it's filled.

BrokerCircle is built around this structure. A requirement is posted with budget, funding, purpose, location, size and timing as separate fields, and AI matches it against listings across brokerages, showing each agent why a property fits.