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The investment that almost secured Daniel, and still worked out
Daniel wanted to buy an apartment in Dubai. His goal was clear: to grow wealth and build stable returns. Because he was looking for trust, he chose a large British real estate agency. He thought it was the safe route.
There, he was told that he had to pay an Expression of Interest (EOI) first. Not to the developer, but directly to the broker himself. According to them, this was the way to guarantee a spot in advance when launching a new project.
For Daniel, that sounded like he was buying security. As if this office gave him access to opportunities that were hidden from others.
The broker's promises
The story he was told was compelling. The project would be officially launched next Thursday. The broker would even get access to the unit selection a day earlier. And 19 EOIs would have already arrived, safely parked in their accounts.
It sounded like Daniel had prior knowledge and was assured of the best units.
But that image was wrong.
The reality behind the scenes
Discussions with the developer himself showed that no official date had been set at all. No marketing materials were shared with agents. And there was even no certainty that the project would be launched that week. Afterwards, it turned out that the launch took place only a month later.
Where the broker talked about guarantees and exclusive access, in reality, there was only uncertainty. The unit that Daniel had in mind did not suit his goals at all. He was looking for stable rental income in a community with proven demand and a healthy balance between supply and demand.
For someone who was looking for certainty, this was not an opportunity but a risk. What was sold to him as an exclusivity actually turned out to be a lock-in in a deal that did not suit him.
What would have happened without Second Opinion
Had Daniel paid the EOI blindly, he was immediately financially secured to the broker. Not protected by the developer's terms and conditions, but entirely dependent on an office that set its own rules.
And even if he had been assigned a unit, he would still have been stuck in an investment that undermined his strategy. Instead of stable rental income, he had to deal with a property that was difficult to rent out and that put pressure on his return.
His plan to build controlled wealth would have turned into a stressful lock-in.
Recovery, grip and rest
Because Daniel called in a Second Opinion on time, the situation could be reversed. The analysis showed in black and white that there was no official launch date, that the broker tried to sidetrack him, and that the unit did not match his profile.
With those insights, he was able to distance himself from the investment, revise his strategy and look further at investments that did fit his goals.
Instead of getting stuck, he had the opportunity to confidently build a portfolio that is future-proof.
The lesson Daniel shares with other investors
His story shows what we see more often at GREM. Even a large and international-looking real estate office can work with its own structures that put you as a customer in an unfavorable position. An EOI sounds innocent, but in practice it can be a lock-in without legal protection.
And a unit that looks attractive on paper can't match your strategy as an investor at all.
Read what Daniel said about working with GREM
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