Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Accommodation in Dubai

arniegang's right. it's all relative.

for the price of some 2 bedroom apartments here, i can buy a very nice house in a very nice suburb in toronto.

in fact, 2 bedroom condos in downtown toronto can be had for anywhere from 400K - 600K CDN (1.2 million - 1.8 million AED). and trust me, as nice as the marina is, it's definitely no downtown toronto

people have been telling me to buy, but i'm reluctant as my plan is to be here for about 5 years then head back. if it was long term, i'd think about it, but i'm not sure the property market will be so hot in 5 years with all the problems i've seen here.

speakingn of problems, i saw what happened in the rains here in 2 million dollar villas in emirates hills

Light House project scam (see my post of the blacklist)

o ,wow! so now i see all u people teaming up together abt the free hold property scam....
really i am surprised at such double standards,...
let me ask u guys a few questions..
1- who does this country belong to....... locals right!
2-who runs the government here..........locals right!
3-who has made these property laws.....locals right!
what happens after 20-40 yrs period when your property is useless?who do u go to complain that u were cheated?...... the local government right!
who tells u that u cannot press any charges against the property owner for cheating u?..... the local law right!
so why are u the same people who defend the nationals whenever anyone raises an issue against them in the forum??
majority of the expats DO face problems with the local law,government,people it is your duty as expact to support expact who want justice frm the government and not gang up against them!
if u think the locals are proctecting your intrest then why are you writing abt dubai properties if u dont find any fault in anything that the locals do?..be happy and embrace the property facts as well!.... cheers!

So exactly why are the buildings only expected to last between 25-35 years? Is this mostly due to the environmental stresses such as heat that is exerted on the building or do they construct everything out of poor quality materials?

I agree with Liban that owning property is one of the best ways to grow ones personal net worth ... however its not always a bad idea to rent ..... an area you find desirable to live may not always make a good area to invest and therefore you could be better off renting there and freeing up your capital to invest in a more profitable region.

Does anyone know who the big professional investors are in Dubai - it would be interesting to know if they are in sell mode at present??

nadzeer wrote:o ,wow! so now i see all u people teaming up together abt the free hold property scam....

Caveat Emptor. If you don't buy into it, you won't be a victim of whatever "scam" you're talking about.

This is a property market that has been going for only 3 years (for expats) and should be seen as risky. It's hardly the same as buying into an established Western property market - and there's numerous stories in the West of people falling victim to property scams despite all the protection and legislation that exists.

majority of the expats DO face problems with the local law,government,people

The majority? What's your source?

it is your duty as expact to support expact who want justice frm the government and not gang up against them!

My duty? My duty as an expat is to follow the laws of the country I'm living in and do my best to respect the culture, citizens and government. I'm an expat, not a citizen and so the obligation is on me to adapt to where I live, not on the country to adapt to my lifestyle.

Having said that, I have also been in situations and seen situations where I thought the way things turned out was horribly unfair. Of course I think that would never happen like that in my home country.

In the end though, you either look at the overall picture and buy into the opinion that Dubai is a fascinating, rapidly growing, multicultural city trying to improve living conditions and provide opportunities to satisfy all residents, and enjoy the adventure with all its teething problems. Mistakes are and will be made.

Or you can view Dubai as a city that is corrupt, decadent, opportunistic and will sooner or later go the way of the Roman Empire.

Either way, you'll be able to find evidence to support your POV.

To flip the topic around, does anyone have any thoughts on, or recommendations of, builders or developments where the quality is superior?

Toronto,

please check your personal messages.

Best wishes

Ashley

TorontoSM wrote:To flip the topic around, does anyone have any thoughts on, or recommendations of, builders or developments where the quality is superior?

I've heard good things about Union Properties developments.