About HFO

A brokerage built around what happens after the keys

HFO International Real Estate is a RERA-licensed brokerage in Dubai. We buy, sell and let property for residents and for investors abroad. Through licensed partner companies in the HFO group, our clients' properties are looked after for as long as they own.

1,000+Properties transacted
13+Years in Dubai
650+Clients advised
35%Repeat and multi-unit investors
Arnd Hannecke

How HFO came about

Arnd Hannecke. In Dubai since 2013, independent of any developer.

Our job is not to sell you a property. It is to make sure the one you buy still makes sense in ten years.

Arnd Hannecke arrived in Dubai in 2013 after more than 30 years in German and international real estate. He found a market full of opportunity, a regulator that was tightening the rules every year, and almost nobody explaining any of it at eye level to buyers who were not already here.

The first clients were investors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They did not just need someone to find a unit. They needed someone to attend the handover, register DEWA, find a tenant, collect the rent and tell them honestly when to sell. That became the model: one adviser, the whole journey, with licensed partner companies for everything beyond brokerage.

Today HFO is a team of advisers and specialists who, with the group's partner companies, have guided more than 650 clients through purchase, handover, leasing and ongoing care. Most of our clients still come from German-speaking Europe. A growing number are Dubai residents who want the same standard of advice at home: independent of developers, documented, and available after the transaction.

What we hold ourselves to

Independent of developers

We are not tied to any developer's inventory. When a launch does not pass our checks, we say so, even if it costs a commission.

Net, not gross

Every yield we quote is calculated after service charges, management and realistic vacancy. Gross numbers sell; net numbers hold.

One adviser, start to finish

The person who shows you the property is the person who answers your WhatsApp three years later.

Documented

Inspections, handovers, statements and decisions are written down and shared. In Dubai, whoever has the documents wins.

Two languages, one standard

English and German, Dubai residents and buyers abroad, the same process and the same honesty.

Leadership

The leadership team

Six people with backgrounds in brokerage, corporate advisory, property care and systems. Together they run every transaction at HFO and coordinate the partner companies that look after our clients' properties.

Meet the team →
  • Arnd HanneckeArnd HanneckeFounder, Managing Partner
  • Etienne FaklerEtienne FaklerPartner
  • Georg OrtnerGeorg OrtnerChairman, Advisory Board
  • Janette OrtnerJanette OrtnerRegional Director Switzerland
  • Julia PichlerJulia PichlerHead of IT & Systems
  • Nica IgnacioNica IgnacioProperty Care Services

Licence and registration

Legal name
HFO International Real Estate LLC
RERA Office Registration (ORN)
52726
Trade licence
1524552
Broker card
28383
Regulator
Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), Dubai Land Department
Office
Office 02, Fronds Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Quoz Industrial Third, Dubai

The HFO group and partner network →

Thirty minutes with an HFO adviser. No obligation.

In Dubai or online, in English or German. Bring your questions, a listing you are considering, or a portfolio you want reviewed. You will be matched with the adviser who knows your community and your situation best.