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
Avi Gambhir, a former software company manager, has spent seven of the 12 years he’s lived in the UAE, based in Al Furjan.
When he first moved into his Dh2.2 million ($600,000) three-bedroom townhouse in 2018, it was a quiet, closed-off community with little access to the rest of the city. It has since grown exponentially and is now one of the most accessible parts of Dubai, with limited traffic congestion and plenty to do.
As its popularity has risen, so have house prices and the value of Mr Gambhir's property has since soared after a brief dip during the Covid pandemic.
But Mr Gambhir has no plans to sell just yet. In fact, he loves the place so much that he now works permanently from home, running a travel agency with his wife, Sucheta Malik Gambhir, called Miles & Menus.
The National has a look around.
Please tell us about your home
It’s a three-bedroom townhouse with a small garden at the back, a nice living room, dining area, big kitchen, maid’s room and powder rooms.
When did you buy this property?
February 2018. We moved in July that year, because there was work that had to be done. It was a blessing in disguise for us, as Covid hit about one year later and everybody was working from home. My daughter did about two years of schooling in this house.
How much did you buy it for?
I bought it for Dh2.2 million. Now I’m getting offers around Dh3.7 million. During Covid, the property rates went down by about 40 per cent, so people were anxious about it. But in Dubai, if you are in the right area …
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
First of all, the accessibility. It's strategically located – only five minutes to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, 10 minutes to Sheikh Zayed Road or Garn Al Sabkha, and Al Asayel Street is only two minutes’ drive. It's a nice community and it’s the only villa community connected to the Metro.
It was a small community, it's still very calm in this area, even though it has started opening up. People are nice. My daughter's school is a 10-minute drive away. My office used to be 10 to 15 minutes from here. My daughter does ballet and her ballet school is 10 minutes’ drive.
It was more about convenience for us. There are no traffic issues, no bottlenecks, lots of exit points and access to the Metro. We're in a great place.
How has the neighbourhood changed since?
I have seen Al Furjan grow in the past seven years. Nakheel is putting in much effort to improve the infrastructure. Very soon Al Furjan will also be a gated community. I am part of a group of volunteers and homeowners working with Nakheel on this project.
We have meetings with them every quarter, as we understand the security challenges facing communities. For instance, we were always in need of a dog park, because everybody loves pets, right? So we agreed with Nakheel that they'll give us some space for the dog park. All these things we negotiate on behalf of the community.
What renovations have you done?
We did some bits in the kitchen. We changed the furniture, we did our TV wall, added some wardrobes. We changed our bedrooms and put lights and a small fountain in the garden, as we love water.
They aren’t major renovations, some small changes here and there. Overall, I would say we’ve spent about Dh100,000 to Dh120,000 on renovations.
What facilities do you have?
We have a gym, tennis courts, padel courts, a swimming pool in the area, plus so many kids’ parks. Every zone has a kids’ park. There is one right behind me. There's the new dog park coming very soon.
We also have access to restaurants and grocery stores. There are now two schools here, which opened after we moved in – Arbor School and Arcadia, so both renowned names. There is a small traffic bottleneck in the mornings when people drop their kids at school, but we've no complaints.
How would you describe your interior design style?
We believe in a minimalist lifestyle. We don’t have too much furniture but what we do have, we believe in quality. It’s very classy and contemporary.
How long do you plan to stay?
Honestly, I’ve never thought about it. I bought it, so I call it our home and we don’t usually sell our homes. We love it here. It's a decent-sized three-bedroom.
Maybe we will consider, if my daughter goes to college next year, whether we want to move. Since my wife and I work from home and have our own company, it's much easier for us to work from wherever.
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
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Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Monday
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A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
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