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A Q for those who moved from Apartments to Villas

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256

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 March 2011 - 19:39

We moved from a 2 bed apt in the Marina to a 3 bed end villa in the Springs. We do love the villa but it did cost when we first moved in. We bought a brand new fridge freezer (large one & the freezer compartment does my husband and I perfectly well without need for an extra freezer). We bought our gas cooker, washing machine and dishwasher on Dubizzle! However, you need to be quick to get these type of things on there as they go as soon as they're advertised. We have a nice size garden but were quite green when it came to employing a gardener. Make sure you get a gardener who has all his own tools (and yes, they are out there). However, I would recommend you tell him you will water the garden. Don't leave it to him! We didn't realise that he was coming in every day and leaving the sprinklers on for over 4-5 hours....you can imagine what our bills were like! And this was in the height of the summer! Agh!! We went out and bought a hose, two sprinklers that cover the entire garden and turn them on before we go to bed for 30 mins! The water pressure is better at night so it covers the entire garden! Other costs - the usual...furnishing a much larger space (but that's the fun part). Everything people put below. However, we get our TV, internet and phone all through Du. If you move to the Springs, you just need to transfer your account (if you are currently on Du) and they come and sort it for you. No need for a dish...unless you want one. Another thing to take into account is taxi's. If you are a little more remote in the Springs (as we are) then ordering a cab on a Thurs or Fri evening can take forever. Getting a place close to the entrance of your Springs is worth it, as you can walk out to the main road to get a cab! A small point, but one I wish I'd known!! Villa living is lovely but can be lonely! I wish you luck xxx

FloridaGirl20188

129

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 March 2011 - 18:50

Thanks Florida girl some of the things you wrote about are points of concern to me. Its nice to know things wont go through the roof, not necessarily. If you dont mind my asking which area did you decide to move to. It would beat having to chase the LL for random things esp for example, the aircon going bust in the summer. I am looking at some nice listings for a 2 or 3 bed in 'cheap and cheerful' Springs, its bizzarre that I'm paying approximately the same on my apartment rent which made me think of moving to a villa in the first place! So if I've got it right, there's the annual muncipality fee, maintanence fee and is it really true there is a garbage and sewer tax or did I get my info wrong?! We moved to Falcon City and we LOVE it. We're actually paying less in rent for 2x the space. (Moved from Marnia with full sea view.) I believe the landlord pays the maintenance/garbage/sewer etc as we've never been asked to pay this. I'm sure you could find villas that include appliances. Ours didn't, but we're very frugal and found appliances on Dubizzle, and at Lulu and Auchan in Dragonmart for very good prices and nice quality. We found our gas bottles on Dubizzle. We're doing our landscaping ourselves and got our plants from the plant souk. If you're smart and do a bit of research, you can definitely make the move to a villa without huge unexpected costs.

914

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 14:13

Gas bottles deposit plus cost. Curtains/blinds for all those extra windows. bbq. In a villa good to get a chest freezer so supermarket runs dont need to be every day. Free standing cooker/ fridge if your apartment already had them. Pest control and AC maintenence 2/4 times yearly.

FloridaGirl20188

129

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 13:39

I really think it depends on where you go. My community has maintenance and they are usually quick to come out and fix things. So far they've fixed our water pressure, a kitchen pipe leak, and a drain that was clogged in the garage. Any bulbs we just change ourselves but we did that in our apartment anyway. Our internet/cable is cheaper we now just do a package through DU whereas before we had to have a dish from Orbit for our tv and Etisalat internet was separate. Our DEWA is still fairly cheap but we keep blackout curtains closed on rooms we don't use, turn lights off when not in use, and only turn the AC on when needed. We were worried about the high costs of DEWA with a villa but I think being really aware of how we're using electricity has helped keep it low. We don't have irrigation so I think that helps.. we just go out and water plants with the hose once a day. You will need to factor in the cost of landscaping, whether you hire someone or do it yourself. You also need to know you'll be spending money on furniture if you are getting a villa with more rooms/space than you currently have. Anyway, the biggest for us was the garden and furniture.

CanadianInDXB420

409

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 12:42

Yes, that is a downfall about moving to a villa, depending on what your landlord is like; every situation is different. I found when we moved to a villa that it was more difficult to get small jobs done that a watchman or worker would normally do. We've had situations where the LL is responsible for the upkeep but he had to arrange it and it took ages - also been in situations where we had to pay and claim it back from the LL - also who pays for what is always a question. Sometimes the LL will pay but you have to arrange for it, which is a pain in the neck when your A/C is out in August. The start up costs and upkeep of a garden - all of the 'tools' for gardening, hose, thing to hang the hose on, hoe, rake, etc. Outdoor patio furniture, if you want/need it Window washing Satellite if you have a central dish in your current building. Having said all of that - we've lived in villas and condos in the UAE and I would choose a villa over a condo any day (DH would rather have the opposite:)) Villa wins!

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