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
Finance professional Richa Bhatt and her husband Kushal, owner of ethnic menswear line Erkan Dubai, both grew up in the UAE, but they only recently bought their first home since getting married.
After living at Kushal’s family home near City Walk, the couple decided to buy their own two-bedroom apartment in Al Furjan, a neighbourhood they described as “up and coming”.
They opted for a fully furnished, 1,100-square-foot, Dh1.15 million unit in Pearlz by Danube, which has more than 40 amenities, from a padel court to an outdoor cinema and even an on-call doctor and in-house babysitting services.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell me about your home.
Kushal Bhatt: We own an apartment in Pearlz by Danube and it's a two-bedroom apartment on the 10th floor.
It has an open layout, with an open kitchen, a dining area, the living area and then the two bedrooms. We also have a huge balcony with an amazing view, actually. It's quite bright.
When did you buy the property?
Richa Bhatt: It was in 2022, around June or July, when it was launched.
As per their initial contract, it was supposed to be handed over in December 2024, but they gave it to us six months prior to the commitment date.
We got the handover by June or July this year, and we moved in August.
How much is it worth now?
Richa: We bought it for Dh1.15 million and I believe it’s Dh1.5 million or Dh1.6 million now, but I haven't really checked.
I know that it has appreciated, for sure. We get a lot of calls to find out if we are interested to sell or to rent it out but, as of now, we are already living in it and we’re really enjoying the whole experience.
Why did you decide to buy?
Kushal: Actually, it was very spontaneous. We bought it with the idea of it being an investment, but when we saw the amenities and the layout, we decided to live in it.
It’s not my first investment with Danube. I have a couple of other apartments in their other projects as well, but this was the first one we got with two bedrooms and for me and my wife.
Richa: One of the main highlights is it’s really close to the Dubai Metro station, just a two-to-five-minute walk.
Why did you choose to live in Al Furjan?
Richa: Al Furjan is what I’d call very up and coming. There is a lot of development, a lot of projects nearby and lots of restaurants.
Before, we were staying in Jumeirah and it felt a bit away from the city. But in Al Furjan, while we are away from the city, because the area has really developed, it doesn’t really feel like it.
We can now connect directly to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and the connections are very good from this area.
Plus, now it has been announced that the airport will be moving operations from Dubai International to DWC, I think this is going to be the new downtown area.
What facilities do you have access to?
Kushal: We pretty much have access to everything. We have a padel court, we have a pool, a gym, a sauna, a steam room. There is an outdoor theatre facility and a games arena where you can play pool or air hockey. There’s a children’s play area as well.
Richa: Two new things they've added here is, in the building itself, they have a clinic, and also for parents, they have an in-house nanny facility.
Kushal: We also have an app we use to book things. We use it to approve deliveries and give people access to the building and our apartment. Pretty much wherever you are, you are always connected with the building.
Richa: If there are any notices they want to share with us, for example, if there's any pest control happening in the building, or there's some maintenance work, water works, or anything related to the building, it's shared with us through the app.
Kushal: It’s like your own community that you're getting along with the apartment, since you're always connected with whatever is happening.
How would you describe the interior design style?
Kushal: I think it's more of a contemporary, minimalistic approach they have given. It is a fully furnished apartment, so we didn't have to go furniture shopping at all.
Richa: We have a fridge, washing machine, the microwave, everything. The only thing that I purchased was the TV.
We are Hindus, so I also have a home temple.
Kushal: There’s also a one-year warranty, so if there's anything which is not working or which has been not set up properly, you just have a fill in a form with all the defects and hand it over to the reception area, and they send people over to get everything sorted out. It’s a pretty good deal.
Richa: All we did is just pack our bags and we moved in.
How long do you plan to live in this property for?
Kushal: We’re not sure as this is just the beginning.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
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Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
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7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
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Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
