LinRa

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 March 2017 - 14:15

All the areas have pluses and minuses. It's helpful to think about where the people in your family need to go every day (in your case, just work since you don't have children), and how much traffic you are willing to deal with on the way there and back. You'll also decide what's most important to you: location, size, quality, and amenities. And of course, budget. If it was me, and I was a couple moving here, I would go for an apartment rather than a villa, since the costs are much less and there are fewer complications to worry about (minimal maintenance, lower utilities, no gardening, less cleaning, etc.). Probably a 2-bedroom in the Marina with a dedicated parking space or two. Hope you enjoy your visit!

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 January 2017 - 10:20

Given the local cultural feeling, I'm not sure if these would be for sale, or the reaction ? Maybe I'm too cautious :thinking:

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 December 2016 - 10:22

Some great advice here, especially to start by hiring for the first few months. I would add that used cars can be a great deal especially if they still have a couple years of dealer warranty, that way if anything breaks after you get it, it will get fixed. Also the dealers have sales periods on when they will really discount the prices. If at all possible, go for a cheaper car that you can buy rather than taking out a big loan. It will really help if something unexpected comes along. No matter where you buy your car, you should haggle haggle haggle. It's totally expected. Even when you rent a car, you should push them for a discount. I managed to get 20% off the first price quoted to me for a rental. Good luck!

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 May 2015 - 00:44

We decided to go for DBS-JP for my kids. I'm expecting it will be a brand new school with all the good and bad that comes along with that, but the planned facilities seem excellent. A nice thing for me is that we'll have just moved to Dubai and it seems nice to start at a place where everyone else will be also new! Fingers crossed they don't have any trouble getting their permits to open...

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 23:40

Hi Frazzled (hopefully less frazzled after the weekend!) Thanks for the comments. I'm preferring to get a place without a pool, honestly I think it would be more nerve-wracking than anything with the kids. Maybe in a few years when I am less worried. The garden is a good point though! How much do people usually spend on a gardener? I'm hoping not to get anything too high maintenance. Is it possible to keep grass green through the year without spending a fortune on water ? We don't have any pets at the moment, my husband wants a dog but I don't! Hi rawla, thank you for your reply. I'll take another look at those things. We tend to entertain guests often if it helps to understand my situation! So many things to think about, my checklist is becoming a check book :D Thanks to all of you for your advice. You are all really most kind to spend time helping an unknown person on the internet!

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 21:14

Thank you so much for your comments! And thank you Lolacat for your kind compliment :) I have made a note to add in something for uniforms and after school activities, I had forgotten about those. Apparently medical and dental will be fully covered for us without any payment from our side, or at least that's what the company says. Hi Silvstet - I made it a bit high because of all the family back home that we will want to stay in touch with every week, and I heard that Skype is banned over there. So I'm assuming we'll have to pay for lots of overseas phone charges - or is there a better way? Thanks Ilovechoos for your comments! We're expecting to go home twice a year (summer and xmas). I didn't say it in the first message but we have also budgeted 35,000 a year for a vacation. But another 100K on housing would really eat into our savings plan - we'll have to make sure to look into AR2!

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 09 May 2015 - 20:15

Hello everyone! We're moving soon and I am preparing a household budget for when we arrive in Dubai. The hope is a 4-5 bedroom place in either The Lakes or Arabian Ranches (depending on which school the kids are finally confirmed at). We have 3 children ages 4, 6 and 8. Here's the numbers we've put together for the first year. Comments much appreciated if these seem reasonable and realistic? Please let me know if you see something I've forgotten! [u'>[b'>Yearly costs:[/b'>[/u'> Rent 260,000 + 5% agent commission + 5% security deposit + 5% tax School fees 75,000 per child Home insurance 1,000 Car insurance 5,000 per car (plan is to buy 2 cars when we arrive) Flights home to Europe: 3500 per person per visit [u'>[b'>Monthly costs:[/b'>[/u'> Groceries 5,000 Cleaning services (visiting, not live-in): 3,500 Petrol: 1,000 Water & electricity: 3,000 Random household purchases: 1,000 Telephone, TV, broadband: 2,000 Mobile phone: 500 (for me, my husband gets his provided) Clothing: 500 per person Gym membership: 400 x 2 Entertainment (going out / staying in, including alcohol): 5500 Misc. cash: 2000 Many thanks in advance for any comments...

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 27 April 2015 - 18:04

Thanks so much for all your thoughts. I guess maybe one day I will find the courage! It was good to know other people had similar feelings. We'll be moving here in a few months and I will work on my courage until then :)

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