houza

Houza is a Dubai-based real estate portal founded in 2020 by Amin Dada, who also founded Espace Real Estate. It was created as an agent-backed platform to offer a fresh approach to property search, sales, and rentals in the UAE. With a focus on quality content and transparency, Houza features extensive listings of residential and commercial properties exclusively from top real estate agencies across the country.

The platform was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address issues faced by real estate agents and consumers alike, such as fake listings and high agency costs. Houza aims to drive down listing costs for agencies and bring market-leading features like data-driven search rankings and exclusive “Only on Houza” early-access property listings. Backed by major UAE agencies including Allsopp & Allsopp, Betterhomes Group, and Driven Properties, Houza raised $5.5 million in a 2022 funding round to expand its market presence and enhance its platform’s capabilities.

Despite its promising start and strong industry backing, Houza ceased operations in early 2024 due to challenges with product-market fit and declining investor interest. During its operation, it managed to build a network of over 120 agency partners and offered more than 40,000 property listings across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, aiming to create a more transparent and convenient property search experience for users.