# Questions prior to moving to dubai



## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

We are thinking of moving to Dubai, me, wife and kid aged 3. However, we're in a bit of a different situation than most. First of all, we won't directly have an employment in dubai, probably never will. I own businesses in a few countries in Europe and the idea is to move to Dubai for the tax incentives. I might set up a company in Dubai, depending on what advise i receive.

In order to get a visa in first place, i was thinking on buying a flat. I'd be traveling frequently, and I'm sure my family would travel with me quite often, especially for the longer stays.

This means that the apartment should be located in a place where my wife can easily get around, and preferably a walking distance to some services at least. She might be a bit uncomfortable driving in Dubai. 

I'm looking at investing up to about 2 million Dirham in the apartment. In a later stage, if we find Dubai a good place to live in, we'll buy a "proper" home for us. If this would happen I'd like the first apartment to be easy to sell.

I've been mainly looking at the marina, as I really love the views and marina living. What worries me is the ongoing construction sites, and if there are the services we need close by. 

Now, do you think the marina would be suitable for the needs I've described? What is your opinion about buying a property? I do understand some constructions have gone seriously south, but I'm sure there are some that have at least been ok. Im not looking for quick money, just a good place to stay in.

We will naturally come over to Dubai to have a closer look and investigate the areas, but it helps to do some research online first.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Hi MrInk and welcome to the forum

The problem I see with your plan is that the government has proven to be very unreliable when it comes to visas tied to property, even if you manage to get one under the current rules , this could change any day (as it has happened many times in the past), and if you do a search on the DNRD website, and such visa would only be valid for 3 years under, unless the rules change, again  

Here's an article with some info on this type of visa however if you check the DNRD website there's nothing there so who knows if this has been implemented in reality:

UAE extends property investor visa to 3 years - Emirates 24/7

You're better of setting up a business at one of the free zones and get sponsorship through that. Do a search here on the forum for RAK free zone and a lot of information will come up. That seems to be the easiest and less expensive way to set up a business here but of course it all depends on the type of business as RAK only sponsors certain business categories.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

dizzyizzy said:


> Hi MrInk and welcome to the forum
> 
> The problem I see with your plan is that the government has proven to be very unreliable when it comes to visas tied to property, even if you manage to get one under the current rules , this could change any day (as it has happened many times in the past), and if you do a search on the DNRD website, and such visa would only be valid for 3 years under, unless the rules change, again
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice! I will get legal advice, both locally and in dubai, in order to get everything in place. Can anyone recommend a good firm to seek advice regarding the setup of a company in the free zones? 

The thing im most concern of is however the apartment and the neighborhood. I'm sure I will get the legal structure sorted out. At least I will professional help. Regarding the apartment, it's more of a personal thing and up to preference, ie. harder to judge up front.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Definitely get proper advice. I know a couple of people who have bought property and they deeply regret it (one of them even had to do a runner), but I also know a couple of families who bought villas and are happy with their investments and have had no problems finding tenants, as the properties were of high quality and in good areas. You may check Overseas Property Investment Forum 

Hopefully people who have had experience dealing with property consultants will give you their advice shortly 

Good luck


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

PS on the above forum you will find lots of information on what properties NOT TO BUY so is definitely worth the read 

(and maybe it will even put you off from investing in property here )


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

dizzyizzy said:


> PS on the above forum you will find lots of information on what properties NOT TO BUY so is definitely worth the read
> 
> (and maybe it will even put you off from investing in property here )


I've read lots on that forum and its a good source of information. However, it's hard to get a clear updated picture of the situation. An investor who invested in 2006 is most certainly angry with all delays and broken promises. However, an investor coming in now might see things in a different light, especially if things has started to work. That's why I'm trying to get a clearer picture from people actually living on site.

Secondly, I'm investing in an apartment I intend to live in. The tax benefits will be larger than the actual apartment value. This doesn't of course mean that I want to make a bad investment. Furthermore, I won't be taking a loan for the apartment, so can can be in for the long haul and wait for the market to turn. 

Is the marina a good place to live in for an young family? Any preschools or nurseries in the area? Someone with experience of living in the marina with kids? 

So many questions


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

I would personally advise you to spend a few months here with your family on a holiday before you make a decision.

I personally would not invest in property here. You'd be lucky if your property was still standing after 30 years. Property values have also declined sharply and with the recent news that UAE is likely to enter a second recession as a result of the economic situation in the US, it is quite likely that this decline in property values will continue. It is very very difficult as well to sell a property as there is simply no market for properties anymore. Few people have the money to buy a property whereas the seasoned expats know better than to invest their hard-earned cash. 

Property prices aside, you need to look closely into the maintenance fees. Whilst property prices have been falling, the maintenance fees have been going through the roof and there is no sign that greedy developers will reduce the fees that they charge in the near future.

I would assume that you will be buying a completed property. You certainly need to budget for ongoing maintenance. Few things in an apartment live past the one year warranty. Expect things to start breaking or malfunctioning as soon as the warranty runs out.

Investing in property is not my thing but as Izzy has said, please get legal advise before you sign on the dotted line. I would highly recommend that you spend a few months here to give yourself time to look around and understand the market before you make your final decision. This will give you time to experience the lifestyle here - who knows, you may not even like the place and you certainly do not want to be weighed down with a property if that happens.

If its the tax free lifestyle that you are after, why not head to one of the Caribbean islands, such as Bermuda? You'll have sun, sea and sand on your doorstep all year round.

With respect to your other question, the Marina is a very westernised area with a vast array of restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. From an adult perspective, there are loads to do. However, if you are after an area where your children can at least see trees and have parks to run around in, I would not necessarily agree that the Marina is the best place. The Lakes, Greens, Springs, etc are probably better areas.

I haven't lived in the Marina for close to 2 years but when I did live there, there was a nursery in JBR. Dubai is relatively compact so there will always be childcare facilities only a short car ride away.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

Maz25 said:


> I would personally advise you to spend a few months here with your family on a holiday before you make a decision.
> 
> I personally would not invest in property here. You'd be lucky if your property was still standing after 30 years. Property values have also declined sharply and with the recent news that UAE is likely to enter a second recession as a result of the economic situation in the US, it is quite likely that this decline in property values will continue. It is very very difficult as well to sell a property as there is simply no market for properties anymore. Few people have the money to buy a property whereas the seasoned expats know better than to invest their hard-earned cash.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the warnings. I'm aware that property values have declined and there is a possibility of a double dip. I've also read quite a few forum posts regarding the quality of the builds, so I will be quite careful choosing the building. I also find the rents proportionally high compared to the investment amount. If things go south, I guess I can always rent the apartment. 

The thing is, the tax benefits will be huge for me and I've structured my businesses in such a way that a move could be possible, although still requiring me to work actively. 

We were on one vacation already in Dubai, and we will naturally travel a few times before we will make a purchase. Bermuda is completely out of the question as I will be traveling to Europe once a month. We will also keep our apartments in scandinavia in order to spend time there. So we might only be 7 months a year in Dubai.

Do you think the Marina is a bad environment for kids? I mean I'm not looking for the perfect family haven, as truth be told, I'm not sure we'd actually like it.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

MrInk said:


> Thanks for the warnings. I'm aware that property values have declined and there is a possibility of a double dip. I've also read quite a few forum posts regarding the quality of the builds, so I will be quite careful choosing the building. I also find the rents proportionally high compared to the investment amount. If things go south, I guess I can always rent the apartment.
> 
> The thing is, the tax benefits will be huge for me and I've structured my businesses in such a way that a move could be possible, although still requiring me to work actively.
> 
> ...


I think the Marina is nice, is just a matter of your preferences really. Do you want easy access to the beach? then Marina is nice, is just that there are no parks or green areas there, but if you are ok with that then go ahead, there are plenty of nice buildings and apartments there. I'd go for something near Marina Walk so your wife can go for a stroll. If you want something more green and with a family/community feeling, then The Greens is a good option. Otherwise you can get a villa in Jumeirah / Umm Suqueim, where it shouldn't be difficult for your wife to make friends and join mum/toddler groups. I think your best option is come and stay in a serviced apartment, see lots of different units and shop around until you find what you feel more comfortable with, there is something for everyone out there


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## ipguy (Jul 31, 2011)

I understand that if you have, or want, to buy a property you may be better off picking Downtown over Dubai Marina. I was told it is faster to sell and to rent there. At least that is what the people I know think. The reasoning being that nobody know how Dubai Marina will develop.
My feeling is that if you can buy and plan to be here a few years you should buy. DO NOT THINK PROPERTY PRICES WILL GO DOWN MORE THAN WHAT YOU WILL SPEND RENTING
Do other expats feel the same way?
No idea which buildings. Does any expat know?


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

ipguy said:


> I understand that if you have, or want, to buy a property you may be better off picking Downtown over Dubai Marina. I was told it is faster to sell and to rent there. At least that is what the people I know think. The reasoning being that nobody know how Dubai Marina will develop.
> My feeling is that if you can buy and plan to be here a few years you should buy. DO NOT THINK PROPERTY PRICES WILL GO DOWN MORE THAN WHAT YOU WILL SPEND RENTING
> Do other expats feel the same way?
> No idea which buildings. Does any expat know?


I'm a bit of the same opinion, as long as I will buy in a good building. I mean say I buy a property for 2 million. That should get me an apartment around 1700sqft (yes I do know I can get much larger for the same price, but for sake of argument now). For the same apartment, I'll be paying about 170k a year in rent. That would mean that in 6 years, I've paid half the value in rent. The service charges seems to be around 9-15 dirham/sqft. If it would be 15, which seems very high, it would be 25k a year. Lets assume another 25k in other costs a year. That would be 300k, so still 700k difference in cost, if the property will keep the same value. 

What I like about the Marina is the closeness to the beach, as well as the possibility to buy a boat and have it outside your doorstep. I think the Marina, at least on paper and pictures, looks like one of the better developments. I mean I'd rather have a marina view than beach view, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. There might be other problems as I've read, noise from cars/mc's in the evening, build quality, new buildings being built all the time etc. However, if one buys in the center of the marina and waterfront, there's always a limit how many buildings will fit. It's close to the "subway", which can be great for the wife if she doesn't feel like taking a car up in traffic, should have shops etc. nearby and the beach for the kid. 

The main concerns are if it feels like living in a construction site (will travel and have a closer look) and build quality. And of course, I don't want to buy an apartment that falls in price.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

MrInk said:


> Thanks for the warnings. I'm aware that property values have declined and there is a possibility of a double dip. I've also read quite a few forum posts regarding the quality of the builds, so I will be quite careful choosing the building. I also find the rents proportionally high compared to the investment amount. If things go south, I guess I can always rent the apartment.
> 
> The thing is, the tax benefits will be huge for me and I've structured my businesses in such a way that a move could be possible, although still requiring me to work actively.
> 
> ...


I don't think that the Marina is bad for kids, however, I believe that there are other areas in Dubai which are more conducive to family life. If I had to choose, I would opt for The Lakes. On the downside for you, whilst there are loads of places for your children to run around, there is only a small shop and health club there so it does not tick all the boxes in terms of being close to transport network, marina view etc. There is however a nursery there. If your wife were to drive, the Marina is only about 5 minutes away though. 

As Izzy has rightly said, it all comes down to what you are after.

Based on your other posts, it does seem though that the Marina is one of the areas in Dubai that would fit quite closely to your requirements. Plan a visit and spend some time here - for sure, once you find the right area and the right apartment, your gut feeling will tell you so. 

Good luck.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

Maz25 said:


> I don't think that the Marina is bad for kids, however, I believe that there are other areas in Dubai which are more conducive to family life. If I had to choose, I would opt for The Lakes. On the downside for you, whilst there are loads of places for your children to run around, there is only a small shop and health club there so it does not tick all the boxes in terms of being close to transport network, marina view etc. There is however a nursery there. If your wife were to drive, the Marina is only about 5 minutes away though.
> 
> As Izzy has rightly said, it all comes down to what you are after.
> 
> ...


Thanks man, I think my gut feeling has pointed me towards the marina all the time. I just need to double check, and as you point out, spend a bit of time there. 

I will have a closer look at the lakes as well. Wife just likes to have everything around, and in fact so do I.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

One question. How do you calculate sqft in Dubai? Seems it varies a lot and people tend to cheat? I mean ive seen ones with balcony calculated into the total sqft and others that don't do that.


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

It`s always hard to know as most places tend to include the balcony. The only way i`ve judged it is to either check dubizzle for similar apartments or google for apartments in the same building as most of them will still have the original builders info online somewhere.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

MrInk said:


> One question. How do you calculate sqft in Dubai? Seems it varies a lot and people tend to cheat? I mean ive seen ones with balcony calculated into the total sqft and others that don't do that.


I've heard of sections of the outside hallway being included in the square feet of apartments.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

Mr Rossi said:


> I've heard of sections of the outside hallway being included in the square feet of apartments.


That is certainly a highly innovative approach to calculate square feet of apartments. I wonder if you're also allowed to furnish that part of the hallway as well.


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## MyDubaiLife (Aug 16, 2011)

Hi,
Try looking into JBR (at The Walk) which is next to or I think actually part of the Marina area. It provides a very nice atmosphere for family living. There are a lot of restaurants, grocery stores and hotels with very good facilities like gym, pool and specialty restaurants. Downside is that during weekends especially in winter, the one way traffic coming out of The Walk can be a real pain.

With regards to relocation, try checking out Intouch Relocations. I think they can provide a good service in providing you information about moving to Dubai.

Good luck!


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

My personal choice would be to avoid JBR for a few reasons. 
Its just too big by which I mean that there are loads of empty apartments and as the rents are falling the general upkeep of some parts is being reduced to a minimum hence it now appears to be a lot more down market than when it was first opened. 
Living on that side of the Marina can be a bit of a nightmare for traffic congestion at the weekends as it has become one of the must go places to cruise in your flashy car/bike.
Chiller costs appear to be quite high in comparison to other developements.
It`s rare to find an apartment that is not overlooked by a couple of others.

Just my opinion, don`t live there myself but have plenty of mates who do, i live on the east side of the Marina and qouldn`t move to JBR even if the rent was cheaper.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

Felixtoo2 said:


> My personal choice would be to avoid JBR for a few reasons.
> Its just too big by which I mean that there are loads of empty apartments and as the rents are falling the general upkeep of some parts is being reduced to a minimum hence it now appears to be a lot more down market than when it was first opened.
> Living on that side of the Marina can be a bit of a nightmare for traffic congestion at the weekends as it has become one of the must go places to cruise in your flashy car/bike.
> Chiller costs appear to be quite high in comparison to other developements.
> ...


Thanks for the replies. I've read a few negative things abour JBR, mainly noise and traffic, so that's why I'd stick to the Marina side. Another reason is that the "subway" would be a walking distance from the Marina, if wife wants to go to a mall or something without taking the car. Always a plus. 

How do you find life at the Marina? From what I read from property investors, it's hard to hear anything positive, but how is it from your perspective? Positives and negatives?


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Wanna put down my 3 cents (2 + inflation) 

If I understood correctly, the major reason for your move is to enjoy the tax benefits of the UAE. 

My question may sound weird, but Do you really need to live here in the UAE to run your business ? some people run it remotely.

I will assume you need to; then, my guess is that you are planning to stick around in the UAE for a long time. If you are planning to raise your family here in the UAE I would not think property as an investment unless you are thinking to move but then again I think it is hard to couple investment with family specific needs. 

You are facing a BUY market. Prices are going down and there is a chance that they will keep going FURTHER down due to the recession. As an investor, you want to entry when it bottoms rock solid or very close to it. 

I would recommend you to come over, spend some time and visit the places. IF you want to really buy a place, buy something that is well built and will bring joy to your family (convenience) ...forget the "investment" that's not going to be important in the long-run.

Good luck!


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

Canuck_Sens said:


> Wanna put down my 3 cents (2 + inflation) .
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks for your input! Yeah, i do need to live in UAE unless i want to be charged with tax evasion. 

I guess I've also used the 'investment' word a bit falsely. I would move to UAE with the aspect of staying at least 2-5 years and the family would live there at least 6 months a year. My idea was to first buy an apartment and live a while to see how it goes and then possibly buy something larger if we decide to actually stay for a long time. This is where the investment part comes in. If this happens, i might sell the original apartment.


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## beeniesmiles (Aug 8, 2011)

MrInk said:


> Thanks for the replies. I've read a few negative things abour JBR, mainly noise and traffic, so that's why I'd stick to the Marina side. Another reason is that the "subway" would be a walking distance from the Marina, if wife wants to go to a mall or something without taking the car. Always a plus.
> 
> How do you find life at the Marina? From what I read from property investors, it's hard to hear anything positive, but how is it from your perspective? Positives and negatives?


Hi MrInk!

Welcome to dubai!

I've been in the Marina for the last year, and i ABSOLUTELY love it. i live on a higher level floor in a highrise right on sheikh zayed road about a block from the beach-- and so traffic and sound doesnt quite make its way up to me.

I work all over dubai and Abu dhabi but while in dubai i am mostly centered in the downtown area- downtown dubai, trade center, bur dubai- but the commute is worth it (can take me half an hour or more sometimes in traffic from the marina to downtown). what i love about the marina is that it has a real urban suburban feel-- even tho congestion can be tough during rough hour and the weekends- to me coming home is like getting away from the hustle and bustle. i love the marina because the walk is brimming with life and activity all the time, the beach is right there, and you are almost in a smaller self contained world. 

i see children all the time and young families living in my building who are very happy with their move. 

alot of people may not like the marina because of how far it is from downtown dubai and because of the flashy car parade that takes places EVERY weekend without fail down the walk, but i absolutely love it, and love getting away from everything. being surrounded by water is definitely a huge plus!

side note: i'm currently renting in the marina in a luxury building but there are still things that are constantly breaking or not working or leaking or falling apart. be vigilant when inspecting the proprty before buying as many times quality is sacrificed for speed of completion of these projects, even in the higher end condos!

best of luck!


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

You're calculating maintenance fees of 25,000 AED for a three bedroom flat? A lot of 1-bedroom apartments in the prime areas have maintenace fees of ~20,000, so my guess you're under-estimating the actual yearly maintenance fees. Then there's the annual 5% housing tax, however it's calculated and applied.

Second - maintenance fees will go up. They will not go down. As others have pointed out they have escalated sharply in the past few years. Part of the problem is that so many owners did a runner or walked away from their properties that the remaining owners are stiffed with even higher maintenance fees.

Quality - even the high end buildings aren't particularly well built. Emaar properties have the reputation as having the best quality in Dubai but even my Emaar tower which is all of three years old is showing its age - cracks in the walls, disintegrating kitchen cabinets, malfunctioning appliances. You may buy an apartment in a great building but a year later you've discovered that the neighbours from hell have moved in next door, the wear and tear problems are constant, but you can't move out as you will not sell your apartment overnight.

There is a cost to renting, but as expats with a temporary stay in Dubai it's well worth the cost NOT to be tied to any physical assets in Dubai. Coming to Dubai for a week's vacation is not enough to give you a good idea of what it's actually like to live in this city. 

By the by, real estate in Dubai can be summarised by four words: lies, lies and more lies. Your comment about the square footage is a prime example: I have never seen a floor plan that had the actual honest footage listed on it. Floor plans that show furniture are laughable because the furniture are shrunken by a third or so of actual size to pretend that the space is much bigger than it really is. Real estate agents are liars thick and through, sellers are liars because they want to offload their property as quickly as possible.

One more advice: if you want a visa it's best to go through a free zone. RAK free zone isn't too expensive and you'll get 4 visas attached to your free zone license. You have a child who's three and will be starting school in a year or two - he can't enrol in any school in the UAE without a residency visa, which he can only get if you have one.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

beeniesmiles said:


> Hi MrInk!
> 
> Welcome to dubai!
> 
> ...


Good to hear that you like the marina! For us, being far from downtown should not be a problem as my wife won't work and I work at home or traveling. Luckily I'm a car nut as well, so the cars driving by are a plus, as long as I'm living on a high floor/not close to the road.


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

TallyHo said:


> You're calculating maintenance fees of 25,000 AED for a three bedroom flat? A lot of 1-bedroom apartments in the prime areas have maintenace fees of ~20,000, so my guess you're under-estimating the actual yearly maintenance fees. Then there's the annual 5% housing tax, however it's calculated and applied.
> 
> Second - maintenance fees will go up. They will not go down. As others have pointed out they have escalated sharply in the past few years. Part of the problem is that so many owners did a runner or walked away from their properties that the remaining owners are stiffed with even higher maintenance fees.
> 
> ...


I was reading the property investor forums and saw several quoting a 10-15 AED/sqft maintenance fee. You're probably right that they will rise and the question is of course how much. However, the maintenance fee is a fixed cost regardless if you rent or buy. 

The quality, as you mention, is one of my higher concerns. Kitchen cabinets are easy to fix, and tbh, most installed ones are ugly, but if something fails with the building, that would be bad. For instance, what if the actual A/C of the building fails or has been built wrongly, or there are some piping installations done badly etc. Those are my major concerns as I don't know if the inspectors have done their job. 

I don't worry too much about "living" in Dubai, as I wouldn't be forced to stay there. I can travel/stay in Scandinavia as long as I make sure my residence for tax purposes is Dubai. 

I've come to the same conclusion that the best would be to establish a company in one of the free zones. This would be better from a tax perspective as well as to gain VISAs. 

I'm also not in a hurry so I will lurk the forums and follow the property market in Dubai. The purchase/move to Dubai would most probably take place after next summer. I don't want to rush into things and I want to follow the market a while to learn and see what happens. 

Thanks for the helpful input!


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

FYI,

There's no "downtown" in Dubai. Yes, there's "downtown," as in the Dubai Mall and surrounding towers. I've never heard the DIFC and its vicinity described as a downtown as it's just one of many employment zones (and incidentally houses the main financial institutions). Dubai doesn't have anything approaching a proper city centre. The creekside areas/Deira are the oldest parts of Dubai, but most residents of New Dubai have nothing to do with those areas, and vice versa. Most of the social "action" is in hotels and the highest concentration of them are in the Marina, along the beaches or Sheikh Zayed Road. Shopping is mostly done in the various malls scattered across the city. 

In other words, it really doesn't matter where you live in the city. It's all relative to where you want to live. The Marina probably gives you the closest taste to an "exciting urban lifestyle" of any place in Dubai. 




MrInk said:


> Good to hear that you like the marina! For us, being far from downtown should not be a problem as my wife won't work and I work at home or traveling. Luckily I'm a car nut as well, so the cars driving by are a plus, as long as I'm living on a high floor/not close to the road.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Maintenance fees will vary by building. The higher quality the building the higher the maintenance fees, so if you're looking at the prime Emaar or Dubai Property towers in the Marina or Greens or Downtown, they will have noticeably higher maintenance fees than a cheaper generic apartment. 

You really should rent for your first year. Take your time and ease into the market before commiting so much money to a very volatile property sector. Then again if you can afford to lose the money, by all means take the plunge. 




MrInk said:


> I was reading the property investor forums and saw several quoting a 10-15 AED/sqft maintenance fee. You're probably right that they will rise and the question is of course how much. However, the maintenance fee is a fixed cost regardless if you rent or buy.
> 
> The quality, as you mention, is one of my higher concerns. Kitchen cabinets are easy to fix, and tbh, most installed ones are ugly, but if something fails with the building, that would be bad. For instance, what if the actual A/C of the building fails or has been built wrongly, or there are some piping installations done badly etc. Those are my major concerns as I don't know if the inspectors have done their job.
> 
> ...


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

TallyHo said:


> Maintenance fees will vary by building. The higher quality the building the higher the maintenance fees, so if you're looking at the prime Emaar or Dubai Property towers in the Marina or Greens or Downtown, they will have noticeably higher maintenance fees than a cheaper generic apartment.
> 
> You really should rent for your first year. Take your time and ease into the market before commiting so much money to a very volatile property sector. Then again if you can afford to lose the money, by all means take the plunge.


I can maybe afford to lose the money, but I'm definitely not willing to lose any money! It just seems the rental prices are very high compared to the purchase price. This could of course be a result of high maintenance fees. I haven't seen any quotes, of any building yet, that would be above 15aed/sqft. Although, I haven't been able to find too many quotes either. 

You might be right, that the best thing is to rent for a year and get a feel to it. I'm also looking at that option just to get a comparison of risks/cost.


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## taeli (Aug 24, 2011)

Hallo Mr Ink !

I just registered new to this forum because of your thread.

I am in a similar situation.
I am now retired, living in austria, and want to move to the emirates for two reasons:
1./ Good climate in european winter
2./ Tax reasons

I want to stay in Dubai every year from October to April and want to returnback to my homecountry after apprx. 5 years .

I am looking for a home to stay in Dubai. Because I like the sea, I have viewed appartments in JBR with a good seaview, but I do not like appartments very much. 
Therefore I am looking to buy a villa on Palm Jumeirah.

Would this be a good choice or a big mistake ?

What are all the experts here saying to the Palm ?
Quality of the buildings ?
Price still high and going up / down ?

Best Regards

Taeli from Austria


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## MrInk (Aug 13, 2011)

taeli said:


> Hallo Mr Ink !
> 
> I just registered new to this forum because of your thread.
> 
> ...



Hello Taeli! 

As I'm in a similar situation as yourself, I don't have more information than what I've been able to find on the web. 

I'm mainly looking at the Marina as it's close to the beach, but I actually like a Marina view a lot more than a sea view. It's more "alive" with boats moving and such. It's also just a walk away from the beach.

Regarding villas on the palm, I just know that villas in general have dropped a bit less in price than apartments. They should also be a bit "safer" regarding meintances fees and such. You need to invest more money into the villa compared to an apartment. The risk, however is smaller what I've read. 

With a 5 year perspective, anything can happen. Europe might be in crumbles, who knows. In Dubai, you'll at least have the weather


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