The House · Est. 2008

A practice built on patience, not prospecting.

ZERAPHIS was founded in Dubai in the spring of 2008 by Maison Zeraphis, a former director of acquisitions at a Geneva private bank, after she could not find a single broker in the city willing to represent her father in a sale. The first office had two desks, a copy of The Aesthetics of Architecture, and a list of nine families.

Eighteen years later the practice still works from a list — longer now, but never published, and never longer than the partners can serve directly. We accept four new principals a year. We turn down most.

Every transaction is conducted under our private mandate. Every introduction is made by a partner. Every property is shown without haste.

— Maison Zeraphis, Founding Partner

Six Principles

The conditions on which we accept a mandate.

Discretion as Default

No name, no address, no photograph leaves this office without the principal's written consent. Every brief begins under NDA.

One Partner, One Family

Each principal is paired with a single partner for the duration of the relationship. We do not rotate staff.

Inventory Before Demand

We refuse to take more mandates than we can honour. The list closes when the year is full.

Architecture First

We will not represent buildings whose architects we cannot defend. This has cost us a great deal of business. We have not regretted it.

The Long Relationship

The average ZERAPHIS principal has been with us for nine years. Most acquire, hold, refurbish, and sell — all within the practice.

One Fee Structure

A single, transparent retainer. No commissions, no kickbacks, no vendor incentives. The principal is the only client.

The Partners

Three principals, eighteen years.

Founding Partner

Maison Zeraphis

Former Director of Acquisitions, Banque Pictet. Geneva → Dubai, 2007.

Senior Partner

Rashid Al Mahmoud

Architecture, AA London. Joined 2011 from a family office in Abu Dhabi.

Partner

Élise Marchant

Sotheby's International, London. Joined 2017.