Property Finder, the Middle East’s leading real estate platform, today released its first operational intelligence white paper, titled From Instinct to Intelligence: The Future of Agency Productivity with AI. The report reveals how Dubai’s rapid expansion is redefining competitiveness and reshaping agency performance, and why agencies are increasingly turning to AI-supported tools to keep pace with market complexity.

Drawing on Property Finder’s proprietary data, industry interviews and extensive analysis, the white paper outlines a decisive shift: market growth alone no longer guarantees success. Today, performance depends on operational discipline, precision and intelligence-led decision-making, supported by data and emerging AI capabilities.

Between 2022 and 2025, the number of active agents grew by 30% annually and listings rose 34%, yet engagement per listing fell by 36%. Leading agencies now oversee portfolios 118% larger than in 2022, with marketing budgets up nearly 190% as competition for visibility intensifies. These dynamics have created a new operating reality where attention, not demand, is the scarcest resource and where traditional, manual approaches struggle to scale.

The research also highlights the rise of the precision homeseeker, buyers with clearer criteria, higher expectations and far less patience. Time spent on listings has already dropped from 60 seconds to around 40 seconds, and attribute-led searches have risen sharply. Meanwhile, performance is consolidating: 5% of agents now

generate more than 40% of platform leads, intensifying pressure on mid-tier talent and elevating execution quality and transparency as core agency priorities.

The paper concludes that UAE agencies face a new challenge: managing growth profitably. With portfolios spread across more communities and operational decisions multiplying daily, agencies are increasingly seeking tools that can help prioritise actions, guide spend and support faster decision-making. Agencies must now determine, often in near real time, where to allocate budgets, which listings to upgrade and how to maximise ROI amid rapidly shifting conditions.

The report spotlights Property Finder’s first-of-it’s-kind predictive AI-supported engine, Credit Optimizer, launched to help agents obtain more leads and boost their ROI by analysing live market signals and surfacing clearer upgrade recommendations. Pilot results include:

● +26% more leads on upgraded listings

● 30% lower cost per lead

● Up to four hours saved weekly for admin teams

● Overlooked listings surfaced as priority opportunities

These results point to a broader industry shift: as market complexity rises, agencies that adopt smarter, data-led approaches are better positioned to compete effectively.

Michael Lahyani, Founder & CEO, Property Finder, said: “Dubai’s real estate market is growing at pace, but growth alone no longer drives performance. Agencies are operating in an environment where complexity has increased and competition has intensified. The agencies that win will be the ones able to make faster and sharper decisions with the right data.

Property Finder will continue to stand firmly behind agents, giving them the tools, data and technology to stay competitive in a market that’s moving at speed. Our focus is to use AI not only to enhance the customer experience, but to improve agent productivity and deliver stronger ROI on every dirham they invest.”

Sam McCone, Managing Director at McCone Properties, remarked: “Running an agency today requires a level of operational discipline we simply didn’t need a few years ago. It’s not just about listing more, it’s about navigating far more complexity at far greater speed. What Property Finder is doing with tools like Credit Optimizer is helping agencies cut through that noise. Instead of spending hours debating which listings to push or where to allocate budget, we’re getting clear, data-backed priorities that let us move faster and with more confidence. It’s what agencies need if they want to scale in this environment.”

Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of FAM Properties, added: “We’ve reached a point where traditional methods simply cannot keep up. Portfolio sizes, upgrade decisions, and community coverage have all multiplied. Advanced tools and AI are not a luxury, they are becoming essential. They help us focus on what matters, prioritise accurately and ensure every marketing dirham works harder. The agencies that embrace intelligence-led operations will be the ones that lead Dubai’s next chapter.”