My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Less than a year after internal audit head for Noon.com Payal and Nimit Sethi, founder of pet store and grooming business Pet Patio, got married in 2019, they bought their dream property in Springs 4 in Dubai for Dh1.3 million.
It was already a few months into the global pandemic and prices had steeply dropped, so they took the plunge and spent a further Dh250,000 on renovating the place.
Today, they live in the three-bedroom house with their three-year-old poodle Burfee and they are getting offers for more than Dh3 million all the time. But they are reluctant to sell because they are just so comfortable where they are.
The National takes a tour.
Please tell us about your home
Nimit Sethi: We have three bedrooms and three bathrooms. We are very blessed to have a spot where we’re not backing into any other house, as it backs on to a road. So we don’t have anyone peeping in our garden.
We are also blessed to have good neighbours who don’t interfere or complain over little things.
The best part is they’re owners on both sides, so our neighbours won't change until they end up selling the house.
Why did you decide to buy?
Payal Sethi: We were renting a one-bedroom place in Downtown before, but when we got married we were looking for a bigger space.
We were in two minds about whether to rent another property or buy, and then Covid happened. We started seeing that the property prices were going down and we knew we are going to live in Dubai for the long term. The only risk was, would the prices go down any further?
But we’d always had our eyes on the Springs. Earlier in 2020, the prices were steep here, but then, come July or August, we started seeing the dip.
At the time, no one was letting us in the houses for viewings. Thankfully, Nimit knew someone who managed to give us a glimpse of this house. The tenants who were living here were very sceptical of people coming in, but they agreed to one viewing. I still remember the masks were on and we had to make our way around in one line and just go up, down, then out again.
We just managed to get a feel for it, but that was enough.
Nimit: Also, in the back of our heads we knew we were going to renovate this house completely. So whatever state it was in before, it didn’t really make a difference to us.
What renovations have you done?
Nimit: We did some extensions in the living room. We converted a maid’s room on the ground floor to a bathroom. There was also a powder room as well as a laundry area, which we converted into a guest bedroom.
We revamped all the bathrooms upstairs and completely changed the floorings. We also opened up the kitchen and put in an entire Ikea model.
Payal: We also did a lot to the garden. Before it was just concrete and artificial grass, so we ripped it apart and added natural grass.
My grandmother contributed a lot. She planted some trees that are now fully grown. We have some drumsticks, we have a pomegranate tree and there’s also a lemon tree.
We grow a lot of vegetables as well, such as tomatoes, aubergines and green chillis.
It’s an L-shaped garden and it’s a very nice area for us. Winters are amazing, when we sit out in the garden. We also do these barbecues and parties where we can easily accommodate about 50 people.
Why did you choose the Springs?
Payal: Access to the Springs is amazing. You are close to Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail, as well as the Marina and Barsha Heights. All the vibrant places, yet the Springs has its own quiet and calm environment.
Here we’re right next to one of the biggest lakes, so the evening walks are amazing. There’s a lot of walking space around here. There are also a lot of nice community malls and some dog parks.
It’s one of those communities that cannot be replicated in terms of the location, and that was really key for us. And, just generally, all the facilities are nice and clean, and we have a lot of friends here, so it’s the perfect choice for us.
We love this house so much. We always want to preserve it. We keep getting these offers of people really wanting to buy, but we just don’t have the heart to sell it.
Are you planning to move anywhere else in future?
Nimit: We actually just bought another four-and-a-half-bedroom house in Al Furjan that will be handed over by the end of the year. It’s like the most upcoming and in-demand area right now. It’s just about five miles away from here and connected to Sheikh Zayed.
Payal: We’re still contemplating whether to live there or rent it out. We are so used to the Springs now and this house really is sufficient for us at this point.
Also, with the rental prices in that area, we could make a good amount. So we’re thinking we’ll rent it out to start with and then we’ll see, hopefully if the family grows and we need more space, then we move there.
Have you seen a financial difference between renting and owning?
Payal: Before we got married, we were both renting our own places. I’ve been in Dubai since 2012 and Nimit has been here since 2008. All these years we invested in renting and if we would have even picked up one studio, we might have owned it by now.
When we got married, our main focus was to stop investing in rented houses and get our own home. If we look at the savings now, we would have rented this house for Dh200,000-plus per year, whereas we’re paying about Dh90,000 for our mortgage. So, we’re living in the Springs for half the price we would have paid if we were renting.
Pathaan
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MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
The five pillars of Islam
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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More coverage from the Future Forum
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
Company%20profile
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
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more from Janine di Giovanni
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
