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Living in a compound

volleygurl77369

33

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 01:28

Pros and cons? we are moving in one month and husband may go over next week to look at our options. We will be in Umm Seqeim near our school. What are the pros and cons? Is compound living very tight, or will we have space between houses? Can we get a pool in our neighborhood without a compound?

We are a family of three, one daughter and we are from the US. We have spent 10 years in Europe, 9 in a very small but nice house in the Netherlands with very noisy neighbors 5 feet from us, and one year in Germany in a big house and little neighbor noise, which we liked!

Thanks!
<em>edited by volleygurl on 02/12/2013</em>

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volleygurl77369

33

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 December 2013 - 01:46

Thank you so much for the helpful replies. Sounds like there are more pros than cons! I do like the idea of a communal pool and friends for my daughter. We may get a pet when we move, none yet. As far as budget, the employer is paying everything and we have a nice bit to work with. We do want a stand-alone with some space in between. Anyone here in Umm Suqeim or the CAS school? Also advice on having a cleaning lady as most places come with an extra room. Not sure I like the idea of having someone "around" all the time, and what is the cost?

562

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EW GURU

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 10:10

Re compound swimming pools, they are not all heated/chilled, so do make sure you check when viewing. Ours isn't (the kit is there to do so but landlord too stingy to turn it on!) and I didn't find any that were when viewing, even larger compounds with 20-30 villas. The communities (RAnches, Meadows) are great for that. Would be a definite bonus to have that in a compound. Agree with everything sadubai says about compounds and the benefits of on-site maintenance guys (a huge bonus) and landlords that seem less likely to hike the rent, unlike the individual ones. The only disadvantage to compound living that we've encountered is the lack of privacy, not in general, but in terms of kids, who treat every area, including gated private gardens as communal. They just walk in to the villas, even sliding open closed back doors. Its so irritating when you dont want to be disturbed. We are trying to train the kids not to, but it seems to be the done thing here! Perhaps its different in other compounds, but something to check on if it would bother you.

282

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 08:37

We consciously chose a compound over a standalone villa - standalones can even be cheaper. But we wanted a compound pool rather than individual due to small kids and cost of maintaining a pool. With hindsight we made a good choice - many of our friends with villa pools use them less than we do because they are neither chilled in the summer nor heated in the winter as ours is. Neighbourhood pools are not the norm so most folks use their compound or villa pools. Other factors motivating our choice were maintenance and landlord. Our compound has lovely maintenance staff on-site and they are willing to come by for even small things. Finally, standalone villas and even apts typically have individual landlords and these are the guys who often try to test their luck with rental hikes which are not even allowed. Our landlord does not do that with the result that some of our neighbours have been in their villas for years. Some compounds are designed like townhouses but others are not so look around if that is a biggie for you - though I agree with everyone else that noise is rarely an issue unless one plans to throw noisy outdoor parties in which case neighbours may complain! <em>edited by sadubai on 03/12/2013</em>

dolleymadison85571

514

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 19:59

You ARE lucky. And so long as all the animals get along and there are no dust-ups -- feathers/fur flying lol -- it's a great way to live, if you can manage it. I always think it's good for children to have animals around too, and not just the 'usual' kind. One day, one day ... I'll have chickens again. :) I just love my chooks - they are very relaxing to sit outside and watch. Am I finally loosing my mind?? Yes, for certain.

Anonymous (not verified)

0

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 18:00

You ARE lucky. And so long as all the animals get along and there are no dust-ups -- feathers/fur flying lol -- it's a great way to live, if you can manage it. I always think it's good for children to have animals around too, and not just the 'usual' kind. One day, one day ... I'll have chickens again. :) I just love my chooks - they are very relaxing to sit outside and watch. Am I finally loosing my mind??

804

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 14:45

You ARE lucky. And so long as all the animals get along and there are no dust-ups -- feathers/fur flying lol -- it's a great way to live, if you can manage it. I always think it's good for children to have animals around too, and not just the 'usual' kind. One day, one day ... I'll have chickens again. :)

Anonymous (not verified)

0

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 08:58

You didn't mention if you had pets? That can be an issue in a compound if you are bringing cats/dogs with you. If you are pet-free, then obviously, nothing to worry about. :) I guess it depends whether each villa is its own walls. Our villas are all walled individually within the compound. I keep chickens as well as a dog without problems. You would have to look around for a suitable compound. True. Though may I add ... you must have well-behaved chooks and dog! We are in a self-contained villa and my dogs still - despite years here and pretty good training - bark at everything. ;) Hahaha!!!! My dog is pretty good but it is the chooks that can be noisy ... My rooster is a little "confused" about when sunrise is - he crows at anytime of the day. Our neighbours also work and are up early so they say he doesn't bother them. BY THE WAY, the rooster was a mistake. I bought three young hens and one grew into a rooster!!!! So far no complaints. On our compound, there are cats, dogs, chooks etc I think We are lucky to be living a "good" family oriented compound.

804

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 08:50

You didn't mention if you had pets? That can be an issue in a compound if you are bringing cats/dogs with you. If you are pet-free, then obviously, nothing to worry about. :) I guess it depends whether each villa is its own walls. Our villas are all walled individually within the compound. I keep chickens as well as a dog without problems. You would have to look around for a suitable compound. True. Though may I add ... you must have well-behaved chooks and dog! We are in a self-contained villa and my dogs still - despite years here and pretty good training - bark at everything. ;)

Anonymous (not verified)

0

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 08:40

You didn't mention if you had pets? That can be an issue in a compound if you are bringing cats/dogs with you. If you are pet-free, then obviously, nothing to worry about. :) I guess it depends whether each villa is its own walls. Our villas are all walled individually within the compound. I keep chickens as well as a dog without problems. You would have to look around for a suitable compound.

804

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 08:26

You didn't mention if you had pets? That can be an issue in a compound if you are bringing cats/dogs with you. If you are pet-free, then obviously, nothing to worry about. :)

Anonymous (not verified)

0

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 08:22

We now live in compound. The villas are small and close together but we do not hear any noise from adults or kids. We have a great. well maintained pool area and a large grassy play area. The compound has 24x7 security plus on site maintenance for general things. With small kids, it provides a safe play environment with (usually) built in playmates. It is a good "first time" accommodation. Our youngest DD is 9 and she has some lovely playmates in our compound. They have a large safe play area for riding bikes, playing cricket, soccer etc. Beware, however, that rental prices are ridiculous here with fewer and fewer contracts including housing.

189

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 07:51

ExpatLora said it very well - but I would highly suggest a compound for your first year here with kids. Its just an easy way to meet nice people and your kids will have built-in friends upon arrival. Also, the pool facilities are normally MUCH nicer than in a stand-alone villa. I am from the US as well and the big difference here is that the villas are made from concrete. So, you don't really hear much through the walls. In fact, we had terrible neighbors in our compound for the first year and I never heard anything in the house, only when they threw parties in the yard once a month. But a lot will depend on your budget...

41

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 06:43

Hi Volleygurl, We've lived in The Netherlands too -- did NOT love it -- but that is a whole different story!! We've also lived in compounds. Pros - you may get to meet some really nice folk and some compounds come with pools, giving you a nice community feel. Compounds may also have security. Cons - Not a lot of privacy depending on the size of the compound. You could probably get a stand alone house with a pool, but it would depend on what you want to spend. Prices are just nuts here!!! It is good that you plan to live near your child's school as traffic is crazy here and commutes can be very long! Driving rules do not apply here!!! Good luck!

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