From Ambition to Achievement: The inspiring career journey of Associate Director; Carine Damoo!

From Ambition to Achievement: The inspiring career journey of Associate Director; Carine Damoo!

Friday 31 March 2023Wed 16 Feb
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From Ambition to Achievement: The inspiring career journey of Associate Director; Carine Damoo!

“There’s a saying - Normal gets you nowhere”

On this week’s episode of Taking Care of Business; Associate Director Carine Damoo talks with Carl Allsopp; in the trajectory that has led her to this respected title and to winning the best agent award by Bayut and Dubbizzle.

On today’s episode, Carl is joined by Carine to discuss all things real estate, her journey towards becoming Associate Director and the differences between selling real estate in the UK vs. Dubai.

So, let’s get right into it!

Carl asks Carine - What did you do before joining Allsopp & Allsopp?

Carine shares that after university she was a bit confused on where to go but found a great interest in the property market. Through this interest she landed a job in a corporate company in the UK, where she worked for four years starting as a negotiator and eventually worked her way up to branch manager.

After giving it a lot of thought, Carine finally decided this wasn’t her path and took a leap of faith by moving to Dubai, which brought her to Allsopp & Allsopp. She was highly driven by the opportunity, lifestyle and weather of Dubai to relocate.

What are some differences between working in Dubai vs The UK market?

Carine explains that as she worked in a market town, her job was quite stagnant and followed a 9 to 5 schedule which made it quite slow paced. It was the same people, same houses and there wasn’t much action. Whereas, Dubai’s market is non-stop, an agent is always working on another deal as the demand for properties in the city is consistently on the rise.

She explains she enjoys the work/life culture here and likes the opportunity she gets from working in Dubai as she’s always meeting new people.

**What was your job like when you first started? **

Joining the company 10 years ago, Carine tells us that she began straight into sales where she started working on apartments. Her communities were JLT, Greens and Views, and Marina. She says back then it was easier to cover more areas but now it's better to be a specialist in one community as the city is quite fast-paced and eventually it's better to stick to perfecting one area rather than dabbling in multiple.

Carine explains how after moving from apartment sales to villas, she finds it easier to work with home-owners rather than landlords and foreign investors as there is also more opportunity with villa communities.

Although Carine came from real estate experience, her journey towards working in Dubai was hard as she was still figuring out the city, the market and everyday was different but she believes she is where she is today because she was thrown in the deep end from the start. Be it learning floorplans, apartments or just talking to different landlords and developers.

What advice would you give to someone who’s considering a career in real estate?

Carine recommends new joiners to always begin in leasing as renting properties is a great way to get started. You learn the ins and outs of the market and certain properties can even get rented out within hours. The main learning curve is meeting new landlords, understanding the styles of each property, with leasing its very one the job training which teaches you how to build your way up and your confidence around the market compared to sales. As sales comparatively is quite slow-paced with high-pressure to a fast-paced leasing career.

What’s changed in the last 10 years, being with Allsopp & Allsopp?

Carine says the branding and the marketing of the company in her eyes has changed drastically. From clicking unfiltered images with her cellphone, we are now doing well shot, beautifully edited videos that are trending on all major social platforms.

Culture?

The culture has changed quite a bit according to Carine. From being a smaller office space to knowing everyone, the company has grown to nearly 500 employees and Carine explains that it's very different now not knowing everyone. But, she does love how everyone is still intact and there is a lot of respect on the work/life balance front.

**What has your growth at Allsopp & Allsopp been like? **

Carine shares that she has been promoted seven times in her ten years at the company. Starting as a property consultant, she has worked her way up through the ranks and is now the Associate Director.

Now, she feels more confident, has more industry knowledge and is also well-reputed in the market. Her current title also adds more weightage which has helped her with new clients too!

Having her title, Carine feels that she is more trusted by clients who are looking for ultra-luxurious properties and are looking for someone with extensive knowledge in the market.

Carl asks Carine, has she ever felt like giving up?

Carine shares that in her first year at the company, she hadn’t seen a sale in nearly 12 weeks which led her to crying on her desk, and she felt this wasn’t for her. Carine was about to call it quits when she sat down with Managing Director; Marc Walters who offered her some words of wisdom and some assistance. After that she closed a deal a week before the Christmas break and since has been unstoppable!

And what set Carine apart was her love for her job, as she enjoys finding people the right homes and believes not everything is the way it's seen on selling sunsets!

Carl asks Carine - What was it like winning the Best Agent in Dubai award?

Carine shares that as there was a high level of competition, but when she won her experience was surreal and she finally felt like all the hard work had paid off!

To hear more on Carine’s journey, tune into Taking Care of Business, every Friday!

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