How Dubai changed the life of a British property agent

How Dubai changed the life of a British property agent

Dubai: A British expat, who specialises in selling luxury properties in Palm Jumeirah and Emirate Hills, says there is no place quite like Dubai when it comes to being a realtor - despite him foraying into the business during the global downturn.

Barnaby Crompton, better known as Barney, relocated to Dubai from London in 2008 when the world was reeling under recession. But ironically, as the 42 year old told Gulf News, it was the real estate sector that brought him to Dubai that very year.

“I was an estate agent from the age of 17. And the recession in the UK had been going on for about six months. When I looked elsewhere in the world to find a market that was doing well, Dubai came up as the only real estate market that was bucking the trend at the time, so I moved here in September 2008,” he said.

The phone stopped ringing

Barney recalls how the phone stopped ringing soon after. “I was assured by colleagues that the phones would start ringing again and it was totally normal, but the phones didn’t really start ringing again for another nine months. In the interim, I managed to sell four properties before Ramadan