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
Ali Hamad is a university registrar at the American University in the Emirates and one of the earliest homeowners in emerging Sharjah Sustainable City.
A Jordanian born in Sharjah and raised in Al Ain, the father of two is grateful he took his first plunge into property ownership after securing a great off-plan deal.
The three-bedroom house is conveniently located for Mr Hamad and his wife, Rana Harb, who works at the same university, to commute to Dubai Academic City.
It also offers plenty of space for their daughters, aged four and 18 months, to play.
Sharjah Sustainable City is the net-zero-inspired sister project of Dubai Sustainable City located in Al Rahmaniya.
It spans 668,902 square metres and will eventually house about 1,250 villas.
Mr Hamad, 39, took The National on a tour of the family home.
What are the details of your villa?
It's a three-bedroom, four bathroom middle-unit house spanned over 2,100 square feet.
We have a closed kitchen which is an advantage if you have guests and want to cook, as well as a maid's bedroom.
There's also shaded parking for two cars and a decent-sized garden.
What prompted you to buy?
Based on family and friends’ experience, at some point it’s a very good idea to put the money that you pay for rent into a property that you own.
My father said with the money he paid for rent over the past 40 or 50 years, he could have easily bought maybe two to three units. I didn’t really want to repeat the same mistake.
How did you choose this villa?
We started looking for a property in 2019 right before Covid. We wrote down our expectations and the factors that would help us choose the correct one because the UAE market is huge and has wide variety.
During the construction period, the developer's website has a live update feature. There is a camera located on site so you can see the property's progress.
The camera was located right next to my unit so I could watch the construction week by week and take screenshots.
Where did you live previously?
We've been living in Sharjah, close to my wife's family, since we got married seven years ago.
We were in Al Majaz, renting a two-bedroom apartment in the heart of the busy city centre next to the lake.
When we lived there it used to take around 90 minutes to get home from work.
What made you select this area?
We heard about the community because my wife’s friend was filming the area for social media.
One of the key factors was the distance from work and the location of the community. We wanted to stay close to my wife’s parents’ house and avoid crazy traffic jams.
We are close to both Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, about 40km from the university where we work. In normal traffic, it would take 35 minutes to get home.
How was the buying process?
We went to the sales office. There was a complete set of show villas ready with appliances, so it made it easier for us to choose.
They had a very flexible payment plan before the handover.
Initially, I didn't know about Dubai's Sustainable City but then I read a lot of positive reviews.
When they started handing over the first phase of Sharjah Sustainable City, we moved there. I was among the very first group of owners who received their unit in September 2022.
What other advantages are there to the community?
Privacy and for us that's important. If you are in your bedroom, no one is able to see you directly.
The villas are constructed in a way that respects the privacy of residents in the community.
There is a visitor parking as well, within walking distance from my villa.
Now that phase one is finished, some facilities are open including gyms – one for males and another for females – a swimming pool, a common area and a small supermarket.
Once all four phases are completed, there is a plan to have a shopping centre and a community centre. A green spine will connect the phases together. There will also be farming in the community.
I have a mall 10 minutes from my house, another that’s 15 minutes away. Both have a hypermarket, a clinic, a cinema, a play area and a food court.
I’m also very close to Sharjah Airport where there are direct flights to Amman, Jordan.
Is it a sociable address?
The community is quiet and the neighbours are really nice, very friendly.
The management organise a lot of activities that keep us and the kids busy.
They are promoting a sustainable lifestyle, so they have workshops about farming. There is one on how to turn your food waste into fertiliser, and we had a workshop about how to make pasta, where they brought in an Italian chef.
They’re always keeping us updated via an application. There was an outdoor cinema for kids.
I feel like it really is home here.
How have you personalised the property?
This villa came with all the appliances and the finishing was really good.
I love gardening so one of the first things I did when I got my unit was landscape, buy plants and trees and prepare a small barbecue area. I covered some walls with bricks.
I bought a tent and I’ve done camping for my daughters in the garden.
One of the rooms is now a play room, so they can enjoy indoors as well.
I love wood since it gives a touch of warmth, so I replaced the entire ground floor with parquet flooring. I also bought stone from the Jordanian mountains and put it in the living room in two columns surrounding the TV.
We’re going to do things step by step as we consider this our life home.
What is your property worth now?
I bought it for Dh1.3m in 2020. I think they’re selling phase three or four [of the community], the same unit type, for Dh1.6m or Dh1.75m, if I’m not mistaken.
The difference between our rent and the mortgage payments is around Dh2,000 a month more with the mortgage.
However, I'm investing in my house as it's an asset. It's a lifelong investment.
Is it a forever home?
We're not planning to sell – I bought this house to live in with my family.
It was maybe one of the wisest decisions of my life.
In the future we might buy another property in Dubai for investment purposes and then rent that out.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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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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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
More on Quran memorisation:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
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Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
