{"id":1106,"date":"2016-01-10T19:26:54","date_gmt":"2016-01-10T12:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/?p=1106"},"modified":"2016-01-10T18:04:37","modified_gmt":"2016-01-10T11:04:37","slug":"uk-online-property-marketplace-says-goodbye-to-estate-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/uk-online-property-marketplace-says-goodbye-to-estate-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"UK online property marketplace says goodbye to estate agents"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\nSelling a house is a big deal \u2013 so would you approach it in the same way you\u2019d stick something on eBay?For most people the answer is \u201cno\u201d, with many choosing to enlist an estate agent when preparing for what is invariably the biggest monetary transaction of their lives.But for one 25-year-old British entrepreneur who grew up in Abu Dhabi, resorting to a realtor is an \u201carchaic\u201d solution.Haashim Rifai, whose father is Emirati, is the co-founder of Emoh \u2013 \u201chome\u201d spelt backwards \u2013 an online marketplace for Brits wanting to \u201csay goodbye to estate agents\u201d. The website promises to help people sell their homes themselves \u2013 and potentially save thousands in the process.
\nEmoh launched in the UK in October, and Mr Rifai says he plans to bring it to Abu Dhabi by early 2017.Cutting out the middlemen can help UK home sellers save big bucks, Mr Rifai says. With UK estate agents\u2019 fees typically between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent of the property value, that amounts to between \u00a37,500 (Dh40,000) and \u00a312,500 \u2013 plus 20 per cent sales tax \u2013 on a \u00a3500,000 home.Emoh, which was inspired by the likes of eBay and Airbnb, allows a user to list their property for sale in 10 steps, and offers guidance on the sales process. Interested buyers can arrange viewings directly with the seller; if an offer is accepted, the transaction goes through the normal legal channels.
\nThere are existing online estate agencies in the UK such as Emoov and Tepilo, both of which charge \u00a3595 to list a property. But unlike those websites, Emoh does not charge to list. Instead, it hopes to make money by charging users for optional extras such as professionally prepared photos, floor plans and environmental reports \u2013 with maximum fees of \u00a3249.Estate agents contacted by The National defended the role they play.
\nBen Crompton, managing partner of Crompton Partners estate agents in Abu Dhabi, says expert advice is vital when selling your home, as even a small improvement in service could make a massive difference in the transaction price.\u201cPeople can perform all sorts of services themselves; people can do their own accounts, clean their own house, even fix their own car \u2013 but they turn to experts in those fields to save time and to have the job done properly,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cIt is the same with selling your house: yes it can be done yourself, but if you want it done expertly then use a professional.\u201dBut Mr Rifai was dismissive of the profession \u2013 and he believes it will eventually disappear.\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t like dealing with estate agents \u2013 they\u2019re one of the most hated professions,\u201d says Mr Rifai, who moved to London from the UAE to attend university, where he met his business partner. \u201cWe thought, how can we remove that element? We looked at the Airbnb model, and how they\u2019ve disrupted the hotel industry.\u201d
\nHomeowners are better placed than estate agents in selling their own homes, Mr Rifai argues, as they can answer potential buyers\u2019 questions with more authority.\u201cIn many of the cases, it\u2019s actually the estate that complicates the whole transaction. Because you don\u2019t know what they\u2019re telling the other side \u2026 All the legal stuff is done by a conveyancer anyway, not by the estate agent. They\u2019re purely marketing people,\u201d he says, adding that the company can also arrange a professional valuation of a user\u2019s home, at a cost of \u00a319.95 including sales taxes.
\nAside from eBay and Airbnb, another inspiration for Emoh was a negative experience faced by Mr Rifai\u2019s father when renting out a property in London.\u201cThe tenancy came to an end but the estate agent didn\u2019t tell us. And throughout a period of three months he was actually subletting the property to someone else and keeping the rent,\u201d Mr Rifai says.But it is early days for Emoh. The site \u2013 pronounced \u201cem-oh\u201d \u2013 currently has just seven listings, all properties in London, and has yet to see a sale through to completion.
\nMr Rifai says he expects listings and sales to start picking up in spring.After that, his next move will be launching Emoh in Abu Dhabi, then elsewhere in the UAE.\u201cI\u2019ve heard so many cases, especially in Dubai, of people getting fleeced for their money,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we\u2019ve proved [Emoh] has worked in the UK, we\u2019re bringing it to the UAE. People can come to the platform and they know they\u2019re dealing directly with the homeowner, instead of dealing with someone they don\u2019t know \u2013 and who could potentially cheat them out of their money.\u201d
\nbusiness@thenational.aeFollow The National\u2019s Business section on Twitter
\n
\nSource : thenational.ae
\nRead more…UK online property marketplace says goodbye to estate agents<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Selling a house is a big deal \u2013 so would you approach it in...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-hQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10594,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/abu-dhabi-property-consultants-to-be-qualified-by-end-of-2016-as-most-brokers-are-not-brokers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1106,"position":0},"title":"Abu Dhabi property consultants to be qualified by end of 2016 as 'most brokers are not brokers'","date":"April 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r \r All of Abu Dhabi's real estate consultants should be properly trained and qualified by the end of this year following the introduction of the new real estate law.Abdullah Al Bloushi, the executive director of land and property management at the Department of Municipal Affairs, said that training courses\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":169117,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/uae-positions-itself-as-key-partner-in-uks-11-4bn-green-hydrogen-expansion-at-abu-dhabi-summit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1106,"position":1},"title":"UAE positions itself as key partner in UK\u2019s $11.4bn green hydrogen expansion at Abu Dhabi summit","date":"January 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\r UAE expertise in renewables and CCUS centre stage at Abu Dhabi World Future Energy Summit as UK targets green hydrogen expansion The post UAE positions itself as key partner in UK\u2019s $11.4bn green hydrogen expansion at Abu Dhabi summit appeared first on Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/UAE-green-hydrogen-UK-1000x667-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":156448,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/dubai-and-abu-dhabi-vie-to-attract-chinese-luxury-property-buyers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1106,"position":2},"title":"Dubai and Abu Dhabi vie to attract Chinese luxury property buyers","date":"June 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Dubai and Abu Dhabi are jockeying to become the United Arab Emirates\u2019 (UAE) top luxury property market amid increasing demand from Chinese buyers, according to agents. 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