Type of site Online property portal Founded 2008 CEO Haider Ali Khan | Available in English, Arabic Headquarters Dubai, UAE | |
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Owner Arabian Web Publishing Group FZ-LLC | ||
Bayut.com is a Dubai-based property portal and a privately owned company. It is one of the leading real estate web portals in the UAE maintaining a large database of realty listings. Bayut connects sellers and lessors with buyers and renters from all seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah). It is well known as a powerful and effective advertising and marketing medium for thousands of property advertisers. Over the years, the company has gained a solid ground in UAE's online real estate space by offering unique services to clients such as its price index, market analysis tools and informative blogs updated daily.
Contents
History
Bayut was founded in 2008 by the brothers Zeeshan and Imran Ali Khan, following their success with Zameen.com in Pakistan. Their elder brother Haider Ali Khan remained a strategy adviser to Bayut in its initial years but in 2014 he took up the role of company CEO full-time, following 20 years of experience with global giants such as Goldman Sachs, Silicon Labs and National Instruments. In 2015, Bayut.com gained additional investors in order to expand into other Gulf states. In 2015, Bayut welcomed industry leaders SeLoger CEO Roland Tripard and Mitula Group Chairman Simon Baker — who has previously headed the REA Group as well as iProperty Group — into its team.
Services
Bayut.com's database lists over 95,000 property listings including homes, villas, apartments and commercial buildings available for sale or rent in the United Arab Emirates. Bayut.com offers a search engine that helps users customise their search by entering the desired property location, type and price range. Interested buyers and investors can contact realty experts at Bayut for a timely advice on real estate matters. The website also contains lists of schools, hospitals, shopping malls, cinemas and transport in UAE.
Investment
In September 2015, Bayut.com wrapped up a series B investment round, raising $9 million in new capital from three global investment funds to fuel growth into newer markets. The investment went into Bayut’s holding company The Emerging Markets Property Group, which also controls Zameen.com, Pakistan’s leading property portal. Following the series B funding, Bayut's holding company EMPG raised another $20 million in January 2016 for expansion in the Middle Eastern region.
Property Search Feature
In year 2012, Bayut launched its unique Property Search Trends feature that helps users ascertain the top areas trending across the UAE.
Mobile App
Bayut launched its smartphone application for the iOS platform in November 2014, while the android-based version was rolled out in January 2015. The application allows users to browse listings on the go whilst containing the same number of listings as the desktop version. The software allows users save a search, mark properties as favourites, as well as to share them on social networks. The app operates in both English and Arabic.
Marketing
The company kicked off its first major video campaign entitled 'The Perfect Home' in October 2016. The bilingual ad starred local celebrity Tom Urquhart. The ads are available on Bayut's official youtube channel
MyBayut
In January 2017, Bayut launched a new blog entitled 'MyBayut', [1]. The blog features articles on four major aspects of UAE real estate and living: Home Improvement ('MyHome'), Real Estate Advice ('Tips'), Lifestyle ('Pulse') and Market Reports ('Trends'). An additional feature is 'Bayut After Hours' that covers company events and culture.
Facebook Collaboration
In April 2016, Bayut.com collaborated with social networking giant Facebook to launch its ‘Save to Facebook’ feature.
Awards
In November 2009, Bayut.com was declared the 'Best Property Portal' in CNBC Arabian Property Awards. Bayut.com won the award for Best Arabian Property Portal and was also nominated as the contender for “World's Best Property Portal” award.
Networking Events
Bayut regularly hosts networking breakfast and dinner events in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi that help bring real estate professionals together. The events have become an effective platform for real estate professionals across the UAE to discuss industry dynamics and share insights.
Football League
In February 2016, Bayut hosted a successful football tournament in Dubai in which teams from more than 12 leading real estate agencies took part. The matches were played at Sportmania situated in Jumeirah Lake Towers. The tournament was eventually won by the team from Driven Properties, Dubai.
Cricket League
In May 2016, Bayut hosted a cricket tournament in Dubai. The event was played between 16 teams from Dubai’s noted realty agencies. The event was played over two days, May 12 and May 19, at InSportz, Al Qouz, Dubai. The team from Aeon and Trisl lifted the tournament trophy.
Bayut in the Press
- Huffington Post- Haider Ali Khan: Always Look for Opportunities to Improve
- Forbes: Dubai Back To Being Muslim Capital Of Real Estate
- Huffington Post: How Real Estate Is Steering Dubai's Economic Progress
- Huffington Post: Why Dubai Is Becoming Bollywood's Home Away From Home
- Opinion: S&P's flawed guesstimates on Dubai property, by Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor
- Inman: How women are using real estate to break international molds