Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Accommodation in Dubai

Ok, I have done my research, emailed several agents, read some forums etc etc and I am still not 100% sure I have covered all bases.
I would love some feedback / advice ...
My wife, myself and 2 dogs are moving to Dubai from the Uk in August. Because we have 2 dogs I need to go for a Villa / townhouse with a small garden and if possible nearby open spaces to walk them.
We prefer to buy but as we have not sold our house in the UK, I do not think that a 10% cash deposit is sufficient to get a mortgage so unless someone can tell me otherwise looks like we have to rent in Springs for 12 months.
Given our ideal monthly rental budget of 2000 GBP do forums members think that we are making the best move or are mortgages easily obtained in Dubai? We could pay up to 3000 gbp a month for a mortgage.
What do you guys think ?
We are over in 2 weeks to finalise our home and I am feeling the pressure as you can imagine !

most local lenders will not finance upto 90% unless your a resident for 3 years or more. However Barclays is now lending 90% i am not sure what the terms are though.

but i think its better to rent your first year this way you will get a better feel for the city and the different areas before buying into anything.

good luck !

ogdeni wrote:Given our ideal monthly rental budget of 2000 GBP

You're aware it's normal to pay a year's rent up front? Sometimes split into 2 or 3 post-dated checks. By renting first, you might save a good part of the year's rent on the purchase price because you're not desperate to buy and therefore in a better negotiating position. Except the villa market is low supply and high demand.

I think you are both giving good advice.
Its probably best to initially rent and yes I am aware that we need a hefty deposit. I have located a couple in the Springs area at around 20k GBP a year so I will probably go for that option. I may stretch a little and try Arabian Heights - what do you think ?
We are out there in 2 weeks - any advice re that area - are some parts better than others ?
Any advice would really help - when we are there we have 6 days to confirm something Thanks

ogdeni wrote:Any advice would really help

Watch out for this boy.

Get here and look at the areas/places before you sign up. Traffic is a problem for entry/exit to some areas I think.

Springs 4,
2 bedroom villa, quite large, fully furnished for short term let (3 or 6 months) at 17,000 Dhms a month if 3 months, 15,000 Dhms a month for 6 months. 2,000 Dhms deposit needed.

AVAILABLE 28th JUNE, viewings no problem at all, the current tennants are very open to viewings.

Thanks,

Abdullah
Plesae call me on my UK number as I'm in the UK at the moment:
00447841328623

Townhouses in both these developments are going through the stratosphere pricewise and despite any common sense, continue to rise.

A guide to prices:
4M (very small 2 bed townhouse) 130-150k
3M/E (3 bed but a lot bigger) 150-180
2/1/M/E (3 beds and loads more space) 180-210

All these townhouses have car ports for 2 cars.
You will pay more for nice views, near lake etc.
M is a middle unit
E is end unit.

Just to clarify, those are annual rental prices in AED!

Duh

Advice taken - I am here now ! I have 6 days in which to locate something.
Should I consider Sharjah ?
All I seem to come up with is Springs or Marina !

Sharjah living will mean 4 hours of traffic gridlock every day in rush hour traffic, so not recommended if you can help it.

Mirdiff is currently the choice for people seeking value for money and a 'reasonable' (for Dubai anyway) journey to work.

admog wrote:Mirdiff is currently the choice for people seeking value for money and a 'reasonable' (for Dubai anyway) journey to work.

Sounds interesting. As I am on a very tight schedule maybe you can "kick start" me - does Mirdiff has restaurants, shops etc ? can you recommend a good estate agent for that area who offers annual rentals ?
Cheers for the pointer Admog !

ogdeni wrote:does Mirdiff has restaurants, shops etc ?

Yes - Uptown Mirdif. No bars though.

Sharjah? - drive there at 6 pm on a weeknight or drive from there to Dubai at 6 am and then decide.

Real Estate Agents in Dubai - Better Homes, Landmark, Asteco are three names worth a look.

Easiest way of finding a property in Mirdiff....

Drive around Mirdiff, most villas to let will have estate agents boards with phone numbers outside. You can see the sort of places you like the look of outside before making a call...

A WORD OF WARNING - Part of Mirdiff is directly on the airport flight path.
Which part will be perfectly apparent if you go there around 6pm and stand just for a few minutes.

Good luck in your search

Hi guys and thanks for all your help. I will tell you what happened...
we viewed Springs, and Marina.. and Midriff ... and everywhere !!!!!
The outcome.... totally confused and we left non the wiser
I am tempted to just buy rather than rent - 2 options come to mind - Springs being the easy way to buy because there are so many for sale and also.. we fell in love with the the final phase on the Palm - the apartments at the top of the "main stem" which are coming on sale in September ( 6 blocks).
Here is my thinking ... the Palm is unique, its a one off and I think that the value increase will be excellent and therefore a good investment - the question is .. am I right in my logic ???
Comments as usual gratefully recieved before I get an ulcer !!
PS - I apologise for any errors / spellings - I am sat in London in the rain and on my second bottle of wine

ogdeni wrote:Here is my thinking ... the Palm is unique, its a one off and I think that the value increase will be excellent and therefore a good investment - the question is .. am I right in my logic ???

There's two more under construction. Palm Jebel Ali (bigger) and Palm Deira (even bigger).

If you're feeling confused, I'd suggest renting until you're more sure of what you want to do.