Between people and money there is always an element of trust — an invisible yet decisive factor in any financial relationship. Tatiana Sinitskaya, CEO and partner at Circle Property, has created a business model where clients don’t simply purchase square metres, but gain a long-term financial partner. Today, I can sell a property via text message.
I simply write: it costs this much, we need this much, funds required tomorrow, please send. We’ll earn this amount. That’s it — no presentations, fancy images or lengthy persuasion.
In Dubai, my name works on its own — investors come to me saying: we know everything about you, here’s the money, put it to work. I never imagined I’d end up here. My career was built in the Russian banking sector until fate connected me with Circle Real Estate shareholders.
They invited me to join their team, impressed by my approach: pack your bags, we’re waiting for you. You’ll love it here. What makes us distinctive in a market where there are hundreds of brokerage firms?
We operate not as an estate agency, but as a family office with elements of an investment fund. Our clients remain with us for an average of 12 years, whilst our longest-standing investor has been with us for 16 years. The average net yield for investors from rental income over a 3-5-year horizon is 60-70%.
Capital appreciation of the property value provides additional income on top of this. One of our main advantages is the ability to find properties that never reach the open market, purchasing them 15-25% below value. Our investors achieve returns others can only dream of: 10-11% net annual yield from commercial property rentals alone, and 22-25% when factoring in capital appreciation.
We have cases where clients reached full return on investment within 4-5 years. In Dubai, I observe a phenomenon unseen in any other country — the number of emotional purchases is simply off the charts. I once had a client whom I advised against buying a particular property.
Six months later, he returned saying: I don’t know what happened, but I bought it. It’s genuinely perplexing what percentage of people succumb to this Dubai enchantment.