Ronnie Biggs

Yes yes yes, look! It's another where to live in Dubai thread -- excellent!!

Much as I'll be sad to vacate Bahrain it seems that the time has come to leave the teargas behind and head to Dubai. 200k housing budget is on the table and a job in Media City awaits. Where should we live with 2 small kids in tow? Is Arabian Ranches too far away? Thanks for any up to date advice...

For the Meldrews and Whitehouses among us - yes, I did many forum searches and no, I didn't really find the up to date info I was after.

Millhouse

Find a school first then decide...

Swinger central to Media City via (newly opened-ish) Hessa Street is only around 15mins even during the week.

You won't get into JESS but there are schools in Silicon Oasis or the Springs both around 20mins away.

200k will get you something nice although probably smaller than your McMansion in Bahrain.

Ronnie Biggs

Would you like teargas with your McMansion m'aamsirrr

JESS were actually positive about our chances for next year. Not sure if this extends to the school in AR though....

Meow

For AED 200k you can get a nice individual villa in Umm Sequim.

All the best people live there...

Millhouse

ah, if the kids are tiny then it JESS in Jumeriah, not AR. Move that way and get a huge villa with a knackered bathroom and olive coloured sink.

The pain with JESS is that when kidos get to 5 or 6 they get moved to AR... most move house then too.

Ronnie Biggs

What about living in Arabian Ranches with the kids at school in Silicon Oasis? Is that an easy journey? I'd like us to live close to the school and keep the car off SZR as much as possible.....

Also, is the Green Community too far away from anything to consider, unless you're working in Jebel Ali or Abu Dhabi? And what about the Greens/Emirates Hills/The Springs/Al Barsha???

Also, generally speaking do you think rents in Dubai are on the up? Looking at some old threads they seem to have gone up by as much as 20% since the same time last year....

Millhouse

I like the green community - has a cracking park running through the middle of it and an OK set of shops on the campsite. I took the bikes there last weekend. Would I live there? Probably not.

Springs is a shithole. Lakes is the only decent one in that area in my view.

I like Al Barsha but I don't need a house that big so wouldn't bother - also prefer shared pools etc.

As for Ranches and SZR. I can honestly say I hardly use the SZR - my life just doesn't require me going on it. BUT, I use the Emirates Road daily and it's probably more dangerous due to the heavy lorries (although they are not allowed on it until 8am or rush hour at night) . My neighbour's kids go to school at SO and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

In my opinion rents in the ranches have gone up. I looked at Saheels in summer '10 for 160k. They are now pushing 190k - no idea what they actually rent for though.

Ronnie Biggs

Thanks, that's all very handy info....

TheShed

For what its worth - Our huge 5 bed standalone villa in Barsha is 180k wiht good maintenance and the landlord has just agreed to another two years at the same price.

We are literally 5 minutes drive from MoE (could walk it almost as fast)and I work in Internet City which is a maximum drive of 10-12 minutes.

Hope it helps.

Ronnie Biggs

It does - thank you. What are your DEWA bills like for a place that size?

Has Al Barsha come on a bit in the last year or so?

TheShed

Its a personal view, but I think Barsha is a nice place to live for a family like us. All three of our "grown up" kids are working in Dubai but still live at home as the house is configured so that they virtually all have studio appartments "at home". Its close to most things we need and I love the space of a big villa and garden (we entertain at home quite often).

The DEWA bills are fairly large as we have to use a combination of well and dewa water for the garden so the average across the year is probably around 3k PM. The most we ever paid was around 6k last summer when everyone was at home and the ACs were going crazy for 3-4 weeks.

If you value privacy and dont need the whole community thing, Barsha is great. Oh - The Mosques are pretty loud around us!!

scrubbedexpat141

Do you HAVE to spend 200k or can you keep the surplus cash?

How old are your nippers?

I suppose it might be worth looking at something cheaper in case rents do rise, then you can keep that buffer......

Friends have looked at 5bed with pool in Silicon, 135k, but a distance to travel daily for work.

What about the places behind the Gloria on SZR?

Ethos83

I'm amused at people who move to Dubai and look only at the outlying suburbs without even considering Jumeira and Umm Suqeim. These areas have more character and greenery and are better located than anywhere else in Dubai. I'm sure you'll find something under 200K.

Barsha did have massive villas.

I drove Sheikh Zayad and Al Khail/Business Bay regularly and the traffic was always better on SZH. Due to the volume of cars it's much harder for anyone to drive erratically, unlike on the wide open spaces and scary roundabouts on Al Khail or the great open prairie that is Emirates Road, where you find many more Arabs zooming at 160 or timid Indian fools slowly shifting lanes (without blinkers) at only 60.

Ronnie Biggs

It seems that the company take on the lease so there is no incentive to save some cash that way. My kids are aged 3 and 5 - schools seem to be a pain in the arse but the school in Silicon potentially has space. What's it like over there?

Ronnie Biggs

It's not that we're not considering those areas but it comes down to the availability of schools and space and amenities for the kids. What looks like a Truman Show/Stepford Wife nightmare in your 20s takes on a different look when your priorities change. Wow I must be getting old, talking like that. Up next is wearing a pair of Chinos with a phone strapped to them.....