Interview with the secretary

Me: What is the procedure to sell a property?

Miss. Cyntia: Well the buyer has to come to the office personally if he wants to buy a property. He
completes a form that will provide the details of the property required. The agent then searches
the files and provides him/her with a list of properties available. The pictures of the property are
shown to the buyer. Once the property is identified the agent arranges a visit to the property and
then the documentation is completed.

Me: What is the procedure for a seller to sell a property?

Miss. Cyntia: If someone wants to sell a property they would fill the sellers form. An agent is
assigned the property based on the location and the seller is informed about the progress of the
sale.

Me: How do you store the details presently?

Miss. Cyntia: All the files are hand written and are stored in the filing cabinet. These folders are
stored in order of location and reference number. Labels are used for each file and it helps me to
search for the properties when there is an enquiry.

Me: What are the problems with the current system?

Miss. Cyntia: The old program is very slow and has limited features. A lot of paper work has to be
searched and also there are a lot of errors in data that causes delays. There were situations where
incorrect details were sent to buyers. The quality of outputs is poor and searching for the
matching properties is a tedious task and demands a lot of time. Customers are unhappy with our
service as queries are not answered immediately.

Me: What are the types of properties do you sell?

Miss. Cyntia: We specialize in selling apartments, villas, studio and semidetached properties in
various locations in Dubai.

Me: What details about the property do you store in your file?

Miss. Cyntia: We store details such as location, floor type, area, number of bedrooms, bathrooms,
living rooms and facilities such as garage, garden or a pool. The agents details and pictures are also
kept in the file.

Me: What inquiries do you get from customers regularly?

Miss. Cyntia: Customers often have different requirements. Some queries are simple but some
could be complex. e.g. A villa in Jumeirah with a pool and garage.

Me: How many agents do you employ and how is their salary worked out?

Miss. Cyntia: We have 8 agents who are responsible for selling the properties to buyers. Updated
property lists are provided to agents on a daily basis and properties are assigned to them. These
properties are shown to prospective buyers after their requirements are matched with the
properties available. The buyer is presented with the list of properties that meet his/her
requirements. The agent then arranges a visit to the property. When a property is sold the agent
informs the secretary and the property is deleted from the list. The agent is paid 4% commission
on the selling price of the property. The agent salary is calculated at the end of the month.

Me: What do you expect from the new program?

Miss. Cyntia: The new program should provide quick response to all the queries of the buyers and
agents. It must have the ability to produce organized reports and summary reports as requested
and there must be minimum errors when reports are printed. I would also like to see some
calculations done automatically. The commission and salary must be calculated by the program.

Data flow chart showing the processes involved when selling a property. This is drawn using the
information obtained during the interview with the secretary.