Highlights from Bayut’s Ninth Webinar: The State of Real Estate
We’re back with the highlights of the latest episode of The State of Real Estate. For Bayut’s ninth Webinar, we sat down with the highly successful women of the UAE real estate sector to know more about their journeys, how they balanced work and family responsibilities during this unprecedented time, the impact of COVID-19 on their personal and professional lives and a lot more.
WHO WAS PART OF THE BAYUT WEBINAR?
Our ninth webinar was once again moderated by Fibha Ahmed, our highly-successful Sales Director for Bayut and dubizzle Property. Joining her in the discussion were our three distinguished guests, Safura Abasniya, General Manager & Partner at Aston Pearl Real Estate, Zeina Khoury, Chief Executive Officer at High Mark Real Estate and Katie Savage, Director at The Urban Nest.
Watch the full webinar below or take a look at these highlights to learn more about the experiences of these successful women in real state and the challenges they had to face and overcome over the course of time.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN WORKING IN THE UAE REAL ESTATE
The discussion started with our guests sharing interesting tales of their entry into the real estate industry, the obstacles they overcame to achieve success and the strategies they employed to rise above the challenges posed by the recent pandemic.
Our panellists also discussed the resilience of the market and how it reflects on the hard work the fraternity puts in to strengthen the real estate market of the region.
“In this pandemic, we’ve seen huge property sales in Dubai and that’s because brick and mortar make sense to people. They want to invest in something that has long-term value. It may be surprising to see the market surge but it really means we’re working hard,” said Katie.
MAINTAINING WORK-LIFE BALANCE DURING PANDEMIC
Our guests also spoke at length about how they managed to work from home while taking care of themselves and their families during the lockdown. They also shared their perspective on how important it is to make the right use of time and invest it in learning new skills.
“I believe in times like these you have to work more on your skills because, at the end of the day when this is going to finish, you need to have the right tools to make sure that you come out of this stronger,” said Zeina
They also acknowledged the support they received from their families and nannies during these challenging times.
“Everyone wondering how those super-women live and how they cope with busy life and routine. Let me tell you this we’re all human beings and no matter how strong we’re, we’re still women and we do get help from our family, our nannies and our partners,” said Safura
Safura also pointed out that women, regardless of how successful they are, go through difficult phases in their life but they can achieve their goals if they set their priorities right and master self-discipline and build time-management.
“It’s very easy to say you need to balance your life. What I truly believe is, first of all, you need to set your priorities and work on your self-discipline and time management. The rest of it can be all worked out with the help of family.”
UAE OFFERS EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO WOMEN
It’s a well-known fact that the UAE offers a conducive environment for women to thrive. According to the statistical snapshot shared by Fibha during the discussion, even the cabinet has a 30% representation from female ministers.
In fact, the real estate sector of the UAE includes a large number of female investors who make sound decisions to achieve their financial goals.
Talking about the presence of women in the real estate sector of the UAE, Zeina said, “Female investors are very much present in the market and I think this is a result of women wanting financial independence and making their own decisions.”
Safura and Katie also agreed with Zeina’s statement by elaborating on how times are changing, with women now expected to be equally educated and equally responsible as men.
When asked whether appearance co-relates with success for women, our panellists negated the statement, saying “Success has no gender and there is no nationality that stands behind success.”
They further elaborated that success depends on your hard work, passion, perseverance and consistency. It has nothing to do with your appearance or gender.
Towards the end of the discussion, Safura shared powerful advice for women who want to achieve success in their life. She said, “Take challenges. Never listen to someone who would doubt your skills or your potential. If anyone closes the door behind you, there is always another door that will open; you just need to knock.”
THE BAYUT REAL ESTATE QUIZ ON KAHOOT
At the end of the Webinar, both the guests and viewers got the opportunity to participate in a fun quiz on Kahoot. The quiz consisted of questions about the most influential and successful women in the world.
And that sums up our ninth webinar of the State of Real Estate series. Bayut has always had a gender positive environment, supporting women to flourish in the workspace and achieve their goals. To appreciate the efforts of all the strong and independent women working at Bayut, we even celebrated Women’s International Day on 8th March 2020 in our company with great enthusiasm and fervour.
If you’re interested to learn more about the ongoing environment in the UAE real estate market, you can also check out our previous webinars which delve into various aspects of the property industry in the region.
Curious to learn about any topics in particular? Let us know in the comments section below.
