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
Tania Patel, an enterprise customer manager for a software company, stumbled across pictures of Sharjah’s Masaar mega project by Arada online and decided to view it the next day.
Within a month, she and her husband Ahmet and one-year-old daughter Zaya, as well as their two cats and two dogs, had moved into a four-bedroom villa.
They bought it for Dh2.7 million last November, and it is now worth Dh3.4 million without factoring in any renovations. Ms Patel says there is nothing like her community anywhere else in the UAE and she hopes to stay for another 20 years, possibly more.
The National takes a look around.
Tell us about your home
It's a semi-detached villa with four bedrooms, but also has a majlis that can be used as another [bedroom] because it has a bathroom right next to it. We use it as my husband’s office.
We have the kitchen, a maid’s room with its own bathroom and upstairs are the four bedrooms and three bathrooms. There's also a very reasonably sized backyard.
Why did you decide to buy?
I first heard about this Masaar project, and there's another one called Aljada, in 2021, but I never thought about moving to Sharjah. Now I really regret not buying back then, because the prices were way less.
But it was Covid time and we were thinking about whether we would stay or not. That's when I decided to just park this idea to buy a house. We were working from home and living in Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai with the sea view and nice apartment.
Then last year I had a baby in August and it happened to us twice where we had to leave the house earlier than expected because the landlord decided to sell. We were living in Green Community in Dubai Investments Park. It was very green and we loved it, but the prices had started increasing dramatically.
We made the calculations and if we kept paying this amount, it would be the price of a house, so why not just buy one? When you have a kid, you want stability.
Why did you choose this community?
One night when I was breastfeeding my baby at 3am I was just scrolling on Instagram and saw the project and how green it is. I woke up my husband and said we’re going to buy a house here. He checked and said we’d look tomorrow, and we did.
The only problem was they didn’t have anything to move into right away, there was nothing left in the first phase. Our contract was coming to an end in December and this was October, so I went to the resale market.
A friend of mine is a realtor and I told him I want something in this community. He suggested Sustainable City or something in Dubai that’s closer to my work, but I sai: “No, this is the one.”
My focus was on this community. I didn’t care how far it was, because there’s nothing like this in Dubai. I’m sure that if a lot of people from Dubai come, they’d fall in love with it. I’ve already brought a couple of friends of mine over.
What do you love most about this area?
It’s the greenery. It gives this forest vibe. When the sales guy told me “you feel like you live in the forest or like in a resort in the Seychelles”, I was like: this is over selling. But, it's true. I really feel so relaxed and peaceful.
I wanted a place where my daughter can really respect nature. There are so many play areas for children and it’s really family-oriented. The people here have good family values and respect for others and yourself. And I really appreciate that.
What renovations have you done?
I’ve just finished the landscaping in the garden and I want to make some changes in the kitchen. But I don't think the house really needs much as it’s brand new – maybe in the future.
What facilities do you have?
The pool just opened three days ago and we have a volleyball field, but the best is what we will have.
We will have a school, that is under construction. We'll have a shopping mall, supermarket and fitness centre. We will have basketball courts, football pitches, and I’ve heard about tennis and padel courts. There’s a nursery coming and a mosque.
We also have a cycle track that’s open to the public and brings a lot of cyclists here on weekends.
How would you describe your interior style?
I would say minimalist/industrial. We really wanted minimalist as we have so many dogs and cats, it would be a headache to clean this house if it was different. We cannot have carpets because it will be a mess.
But I also want a very minimalist style with only really what we need, because this is also how we want to raise my baby. My husband is an interior designer and he likes the industrial style, so our living room is very industrial with wood and iron, while our bedroom, for example, is more minimalist.
I really think that less is more and your space should give you peace of mind, so you can relax. I hate clutter.
How long will you stay in this house?
I would like to say forever. I definitely know I will not sell this house any time soon. I don't plan to move away from the UAE until I retire. Once I retire, maybe I'll go back to Portugal, but I really feel at home here.
Even if I live here 20 years, I think I’ll still keep this house as an investment because I really believe that this community will develop massively. I think it was a very good investment that we made.
Or maybe I will move to Saro, the last phase here, and upgrade for a five-bedroom villa with a pool and keep this one as an investment to rent out. Who knows?
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
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Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
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Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
