Victoria Brouillet and her husband Marcel decided to buy their one-bedroom apartment in Green Community West in Dubai Investment Park, having rented various homes mostly in the same suburb.
The Canadians, who are in their late 40s, have called Dubai home since 2008, after coming in and out since 2006.
Ms Brouillet, an event director with the federal government, and Mr Brouillet, who works in sports tech and IT, decided to put down roots and buy a ground-floor base because it provided security and made more financial sense.
She showed The National around their home.
Please tell us about your home
We live in a one-bedroom, ground-floor unit with one and a half bathrooms and a small garden.
We have no garage, but we do have a covered parking spot.
It is a quiet residential area. Out of the 17 years we have lived here, we only left Dubai Investment Park for one year to try Town Square when it first opened in 2018.
We moved right back to DIP in 2019 and bought our current unit in 2022.
Why did you decide to buy this place?
This is the second round for my husband, who lived here and in Saudi Arabia as a child in the 1980s.
After 16 years living in Dubai, we were tired of paying off other people’s mortgages and decided to invest in ourselves.
We were also tired of worrying about annual rent increases or landlords selling, leaving us with an uncertain future with our home.
We have previously lived in a Green Community West (DIP) family villa, a two-bedroom plus maid’s room apartment in DIP, a townhouse in Town Square, and now our one-bedroom apartment back in DIP.
How much did it cost?
We bought at the right time. These units have fluctuated between Dh500,000 and Dh1.5 million. We paid Dh750,000.
As we bought directly from our landlord, the deal was relatively simple. Both my husband and I were licensed realtors previously and we have a family-owned real estate company, Advice Real Estate.
We processed the buy through our agency, so we were well versed in the procedure and additional costs. The deposit was based on a loan. We paid the minimum.
What drew you to this property?
We had previously been tenants in an adjacent building and often remarked on the location and attractiveness of this unit.
It was fate when we returned to DIP in 2019 and it was available to rent … serendipity.
We loved that it has a bay window which adds a substantial amount of natural light, plus the fact it is an end unit.
The kitchen also has a window, adding more natural light.
We are by the compound entrance with direct line of sight to security, which we also liked.
What made you choose this neighbourhood?
It is a quiet, close-knit group of tenants, many of whom also own.
We have two dogs and it is ideal for walking through gardens with minimal traffic.
These units weathered the great rainstorm a couple of years ago without a single leak. They are well made.
With the airport being moved to Dubai World Central in the coming decade, and the development of Palm Jebel Ali, we anticipate property values continuing to rise as this end of town becomes the only area left to develop before Dubai touches the Abu Dhabi border.
Proximity-wise, we are 20 minutes from Mall of the Emirates, 10-15 minutes from Festival Plaza, Ibn Battuta Mall and the Marina/JBR.
DIP, as a whole, is quite self-sufficient with a variety of grocery stores, hospitals, schools, gyms and spa services available.
As dog parents, we love that the biggest pet store in the Middle East is here.
What improvements or renovations have you made?
We have replaced our en suite hot water tank with a larger one, painted the entire apartment and wallpapered in the bedroom.
We replaced our front door handle with a digital door handle, added automatic curtains and window blinds, and wrapped all woodwork with a white vinyl finish.
We also added two ceiling fans and changed ceiling light fixtures, added a window seat with storage to the bay window, removed the en suite bidet and stacked our washer/dryer there.
How else have you personalised the property?
All the cosmetic changes listed, as well as having a custom couch made.
We will be renovating the entire kitchen and redoing the floors this year. And we are looking to redo our TV wall.
What facilities do you have in your community?
We are right off the E311, in between the E611 - an excellent location between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
There are EV charging stations at the Carrefour supermarket two minutes down the street.
We have a large community pool dedicated to our apartment complex. However, there are 17 community pools we are entitled to use, each with a gym. All amenities are part of our community benefits.
Do you feel a financial advantage to owning?
Yes, we feel as though we have invested in our future by buying this unit. Even with a mortgage, we are putting something in place for ourselves.
Do you know what your property is worth now?
If we had had the money, we would have bought during Covid; we would have paid Dh200,000 less. But that was not meant to be.
The property value has gone up to at least Dh1 million-Dh1.1 million for a similar unit, without the renovations or improvements we have already made.
Will you sell or rent it out when you move or leave the UAE?
This will be a forever investment home. We expect to rent it out when we move back to Canada.
And we plan to buy at least two more one-bedroom and studio units as future income properties.
