ajphilpott

Thanks - I used them when I moved to Australia in 2000, and they were OK - but not great. How long, door to door, would you say as I'd imagine the timescale between Bahrain and Dubai would be very similar?

Zannie

It took about 4 weeks door to door, not bad when they originally said it could be 6 to 8 weeks!

Personally I can recommend them, but I do know of people that don't rate them as highly as I do. I received a very good service from them. However there are plenty of other companies to choose from. MJC had a whole shed load of stuff recently delivered here from the UK (not sure who by). They seemed very good. Why not PM him.

Zannie

ajphilpott

Blimey.... these things always take time.

Had another meeting yesterday and it looks like it is all go. The lawyer is supposed to be sending me through the contract in the next day or two, then it some negotiation and off we go. Should be there sometime in January all being well, given current notice requirements.

I've been told the house allowance is 850BD per month, although apparently a few people have increased this up to 1,000 - therefore, for those of you with knowledge, what do you think I can get for this? Location is not that important for me, the missus and 1 year old daughter will have something to say, but as I'll be working at Bahrain International Circuit, I'll have a drive anyway (but I get a car as well) so it doesn;t bother me.

Therefore, any suggestions on the type and quality of villa and best locations given the money on offer? Thanks
Andy

NorthernLad

850 should get you a nice place in Bahrain, 5 bedroom with nice pool etc... As Bahrain is so small I wouldn't worry about the drive to work, especially to BIC as it is away from Manama. Having a wife and daughter I would personally recommend Saar/Budaiya area, a big expat community there with a lot of good compounds, Spinneys/Jawad supermarkets nearby, and only about 15 minutes drive to Seef Mall, Geant, Ritz etc...
Best place to look is GDN ( http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/ ) classifieds - and try calling some of the agents. These are normally pretty good and should have a wide variety of properties to look at. Be aware that when looking at places, some may look a little shabby, but they will completely redecorate befored you move in.
Good luck!

ajphilpott

Northern Lad

Thanks fella. Quality stuff. I know they have the services of an agent who does all the searching for us and we just het taking along, but it's good to know what direction we want to go in. It does seem prices vary from the searching I have been doing, and the limited pictures do not show what the sizes are like etc... so help is great.

Andy

karenb2

Sorry Northern Lad - where in Bahrain can you find a 5 bedroomed place with a nice pool for BD850. If you know where then let me know too because I will move house. We live in a 4 bedroomed villa on a compound with communal pool and pay BD900 per month.

Since the mass exodus from Saudi after the spate of bombings, the real estate business is booming. The problem at present is that for budgets between BD 650 - 850 there is not much available at present. If you had a budget of BD 1400 upwards then there is plenty for you to move into. The cost of rental here has rocketed over the past 12 months. Maybe still not as bad a Dubai but nevertheless the prices have increased.

ajphilpott - my friend is an agent for a real estate company and I would be happy to give you her contact details. She will advise what is available at present. Forget the website - bahrainrent.com. Its a complete waste of time. It is not kept updated. Our villa, which we moved out of 2 years ago is still advertised on there. I have sent them an email telling them so but never got a reply and they still have it advertised.

As for Bahrain, its a great place to live. We moved here in 1996 and last summer we moved out to Dubai. As someone said once on this forum - the grass seemed greener on the other side - it wasnt - it was just a different shade of green. The traffic was horrendous and we never really settled. Our villa increased by 35% and my husband's office rental increased by 50%. Hence the company told us we had to relocate to a cheaper place and so we opted to come back to Bahrain. Needless to say we were absolutely delighted. The place is much more friendly and there is a definate expat community which we found to be lacking in Dubai. Bahrain is excellent for families and I am sure you and your family will settle here in no time at all.

With regards to membership of the Ritz-Carlton - forget about that too at present. Their membership is full and there is a waiting list. I am on it!! There is a 'silver membership' available but that does not allow you access to their facilities at the weekend and holidays - waste of time because its usually at the weekends when you would use it the most. I am told that the cost of memberships is increasing in January 2006 and maybe if some people cancel their memberships, then some will come available.

Driving to the Bahrain International Circuit is no problem from anywhere on the island. If you lived where most of the expats are, ie, Saar / Budaiya you can get straight on the highway and be there easily in 15 - 20 mins. Some of our friends work at the circuit and have never complained about the drive to and from there.

Good luck with your move to Bahrain. I am absolutely sure once you get here you will be glad that you came.

NorthernLad

I stand corrected (said the man in the orthapedic shoe ).

Was out with a friend from Bahrain last night and it seems that rents have indeed rocketed! When we got our villa back in April 2004 we paid 500 BD a month, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, shared swimming pool and tennis court. Apparantly the same villa is now 750 BD a month!

karenb2

Hi Northern Lad,

No probs.

Now I am sad that I can't move into that 5 bedroomed villa with nice pool for BD850.

ajphilpott

Well, I look forward to letting you all know what I end up with and what price it costs - once we've looked at a few of course. We only need 4 bedroom's though, and a pool I'm concerned about given there is no fencing around it, and with a little one who has just learned to walk, the fascinations may be too great - a communal (chilled) pool would be nice.
Thanks again - but beware - there may (and I'm sure will) be more.

Andy