Michael Widgery is the co-founder of Property Check, a Dubai-based company that runs detailed home inspections for buyers and tenants looking to invest in UAE real estate.
Using a combination of advanced technology and state-of-the-art equipment, the company issues “property report cards” to identify pre-existing home problems, whether these are small snags or critical technical problems.
The former advertising agency executive set up Property Check with a friend after one of them moved into a new apartment and subsequently had major issues.
Mr Widgery, 40, an Australian, is married and lives on Umm Suqeim Street in Dubai.
How did your upbringing shape your attitude towards money?
I grew up in Newcastle, Australia, when it was still on the back end of being an industrial coal and steel mining town.
Money was always something that had to be worked for. There were no free handouts and, as they say, no such thing as a free lunch.
What age did you start working?
I was only five years old. It wasn’t an official job, I simply turned up and started doing it.
I used to collect and return trolleys in the carpark of the local supermarket. I received 20 cents for each trolley I returned.
It paid for an arcade addiction to [the game] Street Fighter!
What was the earliest lesson you learnt about money?
Only risk what you are prepared to lose.
My father always taught me that. He was not a big borrower and did not take out credit cards, only ever dealing with the money in his pocket.
How did you go about launching Property Check?
Property Check was born out of a common frustration between myself and co-founder Liam.
I run another business called Grout King. Every day, we see people running into maintenance trouble with properties after they have committed to a long-term lease or purchase.
We wanted to save people money and their sanity by making them aware of these problems before making that commitment.
How much capital did you need to start Property Check?
We used our own capital to launch the business.
We invested heavily into a custom-made app tailored to the region’s needs, as well as significant investment in the latest technology and quality staff.
What early results have you seen so far?
We are booked out and expanding.
Was managing finances a struggle during the launch phase?
The launch of my first company, Grout King, cut finances fine. The start-up capital was purely from personal savings.
In the early days, I was so concerned about what was in the bank account [that] I would avoid the Salik gates down Sheikh Zayed Road.
It was really more about being careful with our outgoings rather than about the amount we saved.
Where do you own homes?
I have investment homes in Dubai and in my home country, Australia.
Who or what has been your biggest financial inspiration?
There is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. A verse of it is written on one of the walls in our shop.
I think it rings true for anyone who has tossed their hat in the ring, be it entrepreneurially, investment wise or even in Vegas!
If you can make one heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss;
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And — which is more — you’ll be a man, my son!
What has been your biggest investment? How did it perform?
I have taken equity in a local financial app for schoolchildren. It is early days but the interest in the company has been very strong.
What was your greatest financial challenge?
Cash flow in the early days of a start-up is always a problem.
No matter the size of the company or the investment required, keeping cash ticking over is always a common problem among entrepreneurs.
It is only through hard work, personal sacrifice and dedication that you will come out successfully on the other side.
I rarely spend on myself. The last T-shirt I bought was probably four years ago
Michael Widgery,
co-founder of Property Check
What asset classes do you invest in?
Technology, property, stocks in the mining industry and cryptocurrency. I like tech and cryptocurrency because of the high risk and reward.
I like property and shares because of their long-term security.
Do you use any investment or trading apps?
Yes, only the common ones.
What are your financial worries about a recession going forward?
People stopping spending. War. The price of oil. Wage spirals. The cost of living. A crash in the real estate market.
They are all real concerns that everyone is talking about. But Dubai has proven to be resilient and always seems to overcome these problems.
How have you consolidated your financial position since the pandemic?
Fortunately, the businesses I am involved in never really dropped off during the pandemic.
If anything, they grew as more people stayed at home, spending less on holidays and more on their own properties.
In that time, we have had organic growth but always tried to keep that growth controlled.
Are you financially independent yet?
Financial independence is still some time away.
Are you a spender or a saver?
I spend money to try and make money through business.
I rarely spend on myself. The last T-shirt I bought was probably four years ago!
Where and how do you save?
I try to save each month from the businesses I run, but am always reinvesting into them to make them stronger.
What is your most cherished purchase?
My wedding ring. All the money in the world doesn’t count for a thing if there is no one with you.
What has been your proudest financial moment?
Building a team of 25 without any outside financial investment.
What is your biggest financial goal?
I don’t have a figure value or a particular number of assets I would like to own.
I would like to keep things simple and end up running a little beach bar somewhere without the need of having to make a profit.
If you could live your life again, what financial decision would you change?
It is actually one that I wouldn’t change, but a decision that I believe most people don’t take.
I have always believed in investing in yourself, not only in your own education but also experiences.
I completed university and other educational courses, but also travelled a lot and got up to a lot of fun when I was younger.
I believe that everything you experience in life will somehow manage to come through in a richer you.
How much do you have in your wallet right now?
Embarrassingly, I don’t carry a wallet. My pocket is a bunch of scrunched up receipts and random notes.
What car do you drive?
A 2014 Ford Fiesta. The boss always gets the worst car!
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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More on Coronavirus in France
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Norway
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
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Pathaan
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
