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
Tuleke “Tilek” Djaichiev, a Dubai expat from Kyrgyzstan, has been in the UAE 15 years and laid down roots here not only by buying a property but also opening his own business.
Despite working in the real estate field, he only bought his first property here three years ago, an off-plan three-bedroom apartment in a new development called Luma22 by TownX.
Since moving in, he's not even thought about living anywhere else, as he quickly settled in.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home.
It’s a three-bedroom apartment and all the bedrooms have their own shower room and toilet. I have a guest toilet as well, so four bathrooms overall.
The layout and quality are very nice. The kitchen is well equipped. The apartment has one balcony.
I live here by myself, but my wife and children come during school holidays, like four or five times a year.
Size-wise it’s perfect for me.
What renovations have you done?
None, because the building is still new. I've done my furnishing only.
How would you describe your interior design style?
I would describe this as very modern. The interior design is very simple, but it’s good quality. The kitchen is equipped with Siemens equipment. I really like my kitchen.
I like all the building materials they’ve used from the developer. It’s very minimalistic and good quality, very bright with high ceilings. It’s about 3.3 metres to the ceiling, which is what I love about the layout.
How much did you buy your property for?
I got it for Dh1.6 million ($436,000) total. Right now I think it’s about Dh2.4 million to Dh2.5 million.
Why did you decide to buy three years ago?
I spent a long time renting properties and then I realised it’s better to own a house. My business was doing well and I was thinking to buy through a mortgage, but since I had cash in my hand, I decided to buy it off-plan and covered the cost.
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
I like JVC because of the location and this building because I like the developer. The location first, the developer second.
It’s very central, close to shopping malls like Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall, and you can go easily through to Al Khail Road. If you want to go to Palm Jumeirah or you want to go to Dubai Marina, you can easily get on to Hessa Street. It’s very convenient for me.
It’s very rare I go out to the parks or for walks – I’m usually coming by car. I’m about 10 to 15 minutes away from my workplace in Media City, even with traffic. With no traffic, it takes only nine minutes.
What facilities do you have?
In my building there are two swimming pools – one for ladies and a communal one. We also have two gyms, well equipped with TechnoGym equipment, which I like. Again, it’s separate for ladies and one for men − which both women and men can use. I had never heard about other developers doing separate facilities for men and women in Dubai.
How long do you plan to stay in this property?
I'm planning to stay as long as I can. I’m planning to stay in Dubai for as long as I have a job here.
I don't know if I will find some other property to move to. I'm very happy to stay here. I haven’t even thought about it.
For me, most important is the quality of the building and the layout of the property. I know there are so many areas in Dubai, maybe better than JVC, but I cannot find buildings in those areas with the same size properties and layouts for the same price.
