Chris Clarke “If You Don’t Make the Calls, Someone Else Will”
Chris Clarke began his property career in the UK as a trainee negotiator with the country’s largest estate agency group. Over the following years, he steadily progressed, moving into senior negotiator roles, property listing, and eventually working as a mortgage advisor.
Despite this upward trajectory, Chris felt his growth had plateaued, working long hours, limited pay, and a workplace culture that didn’t align with his ambitions. This led him to seek new opportunities abroad.
Upon arriving in Dubai and joining Allsopp & Allsopp, Chris quickly realised that while his UK property background helped with the initial training the market here was completely different. The training provided was excellent, and colleagues Chloe and Jade were always on hand to support him during the transition however there were lots of differences in the UAE market that he needed to learn.
One of the biggest challenges initially was handling rejection. In the UK, clients often call the estate agency to view properties or book appointments, making the process more reactive. Dubai, by contrast, demanded a more proactive approach such as managing client enquiries, finding prospects, listing properties, taking photos, and doing your own marketing all in a single role, unlike the UK system where there is a designated person for each job role.
Chris’s breakthrough came just two months into his role. A colleague approached him at 5 pm with a “hot buyer’s criteria”, and he decided to stay late that evening, contacting every single seller in the community that matched the requirements. Within 24 hours, the property was secured, viewings were completed, and contracts signed.
“Taking the risk and moving to Dubai was the best thing I ever did. My thought process now is that if I am not making the calls then someone in another agency is and that can be the difference between £0 and £10,000 in your pocket.” Chris says.
Chris initially started in the Town Square community but quickly moved to the Creek and Meydan team, following a plan he had set himself from the beginning. Over the past 12 to 18 months, he focused on apartments in Dubai Creek Harbour, before shifting entirely to District One Villas, where he has truly thrived.
To date, Chris has completed 50 deals with Allsopp & Allsopp, a testament to his dedication, proactive approach, and ability to turn challenges into success in Dubai’s competitive property market.
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