KHAMIS MUSHAYT: A group of young dynamic Saudi women is thrilled at making a vigorous entry to the real estate business -- ending the monopoly of men at least in Asir province.
They say that the booming realty sector has opened up new job opportunities for qualified young women job seekers. These enthusiastic women are heavily involved in this thriving business and in particular dealing with female property buyers. Many women are eager to approach them either to buy or sell properties with the full confidence that the entire deal would be done in a discrete way. These customers are happy that these realty firms protect them from being victims of greedy male agents, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported last month.
The factors -- such as the opportunity to do business freely, to take advantage of the real estate boom, to acquire expertise and experience and to earn a profit -- are the driving forces behind these young women entering this sector. They are fully willing to stay on in the field and are determined to score success in this thriving sector.
Zeenat Al-Shahri, a real estate agent, sees that the realty sector is playing a vital role in strengthening the contributions of Saudi women in the development of the national economy.
"The volume of investments by Saudi women in the real estate sector has witnessed a steady increase as a result of several incentives being extended by the government. This has prompted us to open real estate offices that help women find the most suitable properties at reasonable prices. We also furnish them with information with regard to ideal ways of investments in the sector, as well as ways to get financing from local banks in addition to offering consultancy services with regard to buying and selling properties," she said.
Zeenat says that there is tremendous response from women customers.
"Many women contact the office with various requests, such as making investment in real estate businesses and protecting their investments from the reckless spending of their husbands, in addition to protecting privacy of their investments," she said while noting that there are special cases in which women want to protect themselves, as well as their properties, from the greed and selfish motives of their kith and kin.
According to Zeenat, this is a profession that requires a lot of patience and broadmindedness. "Sometimes, we have to tackle men who come to threaten and create problems after becoming suspicious of the fate of investments made by their women. In such cases, we ask our women customers to come and ascertain the status of their investments and their handling of the entire business," she said while stressing the need for increasing awareness among the public with regard to female real estate entrepreneurs.
Zeenat also highlighted the significance of giving moral support to women engaged in this field from their family members.
"This is a profession that requires courage and boldness. For this, the support of the family is crucial," she said, adding that she has learned the lessons and techniques of the profession from her father.
On her part, Ummu Talal, an employee at a real estate office run by women, said: "We fill out a registration form with all the relevant data about the designated property and the customer who wants to buy or sell it. We then forward it to the men's section to carry out field visits and make evaluation of the property. We get a written statement from the real estate office to show that this property was offered by the concerned woman employee in order to safeguard her right to commission when the final transaction is made."
Ummu Talal said that almost all the local banks are cooperating with the women-run real estate offices in expediting procedures for financing as well as in evaluating the properties.
"This profession has helped boost our confidence as well as strengthening our innovative ideas, skills and expertise in doing business, in addition to enhancing proficiency in the art of marketing and negotiations," she said.
Commenting on the topic, prominent real estate expert and businessman Maslah Al-Qahtani stressed the need for encouraging women's investment in the real estate sector.
"Like other business sectors, women should be given equal opportunities in this vital sector. There should be a working strategy to further energize the booming real estate sector with the active participation of women entrepreneurs," he added.
© Arab News 2011
