Introducing: Conor Mackie, the 24-year-old Irish broker who sold the most expensive villa in Dubai for Dh280 million on the Palm Jumeirah.

Five years ago, when a young man named Conor McKay was studying business in Ireland, he watched the TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, in which young real estate agents sold luxury homes in Los Angeles, and dreamed of being like one of them. He was impressed with their entrepreneurial spirit, extraordinary business skills, and extensive client base. And today, while still young (he's only 24), Conor McKay can confidently say that he has achieved more than he ever imagined.

It doesn't matter at all who bought the most expensive villa in Dubai, because Conor Mackay has become the man of the moment with a Dh280 million deal for a villa on Palm Jumeirah Island. Previously, the highest price a property sold for in the emirate was Dh185 million.

"This makes me proud. I feel I am the best broker in Dubai and I am grateful to this city," says Conor Mackay. He once flew to Dubai with a one-way ticket on February 2, 2017, and he hasn't looked back since. He had previously been rejected by three different real estate companies because of his young age, but Belleview Real Estate saw potential in him and decided to hire him.

Conor Mackay is modestly silent on the exact amount of his earnings, but considering the standard two percent commission that brokers in Dubai receive from real estate buyers, we can safely say that he earns millions of dirhams. He says he worked very hard to get to where he is today. He made his first deal to rent a villa worth Dh140,000 and his commission was Dh3,500.

In addition, Conor Mackay believes his youth is a big advantage.

As an example, he talks about how he actively worked to close a deal on a Dh280 million villa when it was just starting to be built. He spent a lot of time looking for buyers and showing the property until he finally found a buyer who fell in love with the place.

Conor Mackay believes that one of the reasons people are investing in Dubai real estate is the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to strict blockchain measures and an excellent testing system, Dubai quickly returned to normal, and wealthy people from abroad began to actively purchase real estate in the city. Combine that with an already undervalued real estate market and it's safe to predict continued growth.

In five years Conor Mackay sees himself owning his own luxury villa on Palm Jumeirah Island and working in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Moscow. He hopes his name will become iconic on a global scale. At this point, Conor has plenty of reasons to celebrate as he has made such great strides at such an early age. After all, he will soon turn 25 on his birthday, April 25.