The past years have been challenging times for all industries, especially since the real estate market has been through various curves. 

Looking back, we see the past two years have caused massive disruption in various sectors of investments across the market. So-called commodities such as cryptocurrency and other e-commerce platforms have soared upwards and have caused a spiral among investors. 

Yet, most serial entrepreneurs or investors have always trusted the brick and the mortar, which is real estate. Billions of dirhams are parked away in the form of land and buildings, and this is still counted as the most trusted source of income and growth.

But how do you assure your money is safe in this fast-paced volatility-driven real estate market? How do you expect your prized investments to stay there as promised and deliver capital gains and recurring revenue? And even if it provides you immediate gains, what will happen to these assets in the near future? These are questions that normally arise when pondering deep on the future of the property and associated investments. 

The answer is clear: It is longevity and sustainability. If technicality is used, we may refer to this as effective life cycle utilization. The commercial gurus may derive formulas to maximize revenues, but the years to come are always based on certain probability computations. Here is where professional facilities management concepts and services come to play. In-depth planning and systematic execution can help to optimise the life cycle of the assets. 

FM is not just basic maintenance or fixing when it's broken but ensuring there is a detailed forethought on how the building is designed, built, and operated. The operational methods of each property may differ on countless parameters, but using best practices in FM, and the knowledge gained over the years, can add more years to the property’s useful life.

Employing a well-thought-out strategy for each aspect not limited to preventive maintenance, reactive maintenance, documentation, asset refurbishment, asset replacement, regular cleaning, etc.. can go a long way. These are not new concepts for the region, but the acceptance of change from the outdated “fix when broken” to “minimizing the breakdown” needs to be the key driver. 

Facilities managers must be able to demonstrate the long-term benefits of professional services to the stakeholders. Thus, providing them more stability, optimized operational cost, and low capital costs in the future. 

A simple breakdown or halt in the operation of an asset may have tangible and intangible values. Some are easily visible to untrained eyes, but at times, the intangibles can only be identified by experts. 

These unquantifiable items if ignored may cause a huge commercial impact. A trained and professional facilities manager through his impactful methods can put in a definite scheme to tend to each valuable asset which may maximise its useful life and the user can enjoy its full design potential. Poor maintenance and upkeep will lead to unsatisfied use of the asset leaving room for faster replacement and disposal. 

The thought processes in facilities management should be evolving and need to have a wider viewpoint with holistic involvement of multiple disciplines. This wider perspective and rigorous actions towards maintenance and upkeep of built properties will keep its glory and drive the values of the property upwards. It’s common knowledge to see that any unkept physical commodity always depreciates, so as properties. Thus facilities management is the key to setting the strategy for the future sustenance and value appraisal of any real estate.

The author, Fahad Mohamed, is Adeeb’ director for Dubai and Northern Emirates regions