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
Former solicitor Shelina Jokhiya has lived in Dubai since 2005 and rented homes in various parts of the city before becoming a property owner.
She decided to buy her own apartment 13 years ago, the same year she launched Decluttr Me, an organising service that helps people make better use of the space in their home or office.
Ms Jokhiya, 47, applies that discipline to her spacious one-bedroom flat in Jumeirah Village Circle, which she shares with her cats, Oreo and Keanu.
She showed The National around.
What can you tell us about your home?
It is a big one-bedroom apartment with one main bathroom and a guest bathroom. It is more than 1,000 square feet, with a small balcony and a pool view.
There’s an underground car park, but no charging ports, and no central cooling, which is why I chose this building.
It was built in 2012 and I bought in 2013. I decided to do it all in the same year – new flat, business, car and cat.
Where did you live previously?
In Motor City, in a lovely one-bedroom corner unit. Before that I lived in a studio villa in Jumeirah for five years. My first flat was a two-bedroom in Bur Dubai, which was also lovely and huge.
Why did you decide to buy?
To stop wasting money on rent. My parents thought it best to buy and helped me to purchase my property.
I wanted to buy the apartment I was renting in Motor City, but they kept increasing the price, making it unsustainable. So I looked at JVC, which was getting better at the time. It was all low rise and it was easy to get to places there.
How much did your place cost?
Roughly Dh600,000 ($163,376). That was standard at the time and good value, as it is bigger than the average one bedroom. I bought it outright from Damac with the help of my parents.
What drew you to this property?
I saw four apartments in JVC, all from Damac. Finally, I found this one and said "yes". It was mostly due to the size of the apartment and its location. The building looked in good condition, as well. It was just one-year-old at the time. The person who had bought it defaulted, so it was available.
I love my apartment, but there are downsides with JVC now. And next door to my apartment is the rubbish chute, which we didn’t think about – people put rubbish down at any time of the day and I hear it.
What made you choose this neighbourhood?
Its location near the main roads, such as Al Khail Road and the E311. When I bought it, I had already decided to quit my old job and started Decluttr Me in my head. But I didn’t know I was going to travel that much, so it was amazing for me.
Also JVC had parks and was growing. It was second best after being in Motor City, which I still love, but it was meant to be.
Have you made any upgrades?
The built-in wardrobe was really small, so I built my own wardrobes and storage units for the bathrooms before I moved in. I’ve wrapped the kitchen twice since.
I renovated the bathroom for about Dh10,000 about three years ago. The contractor was referred by a friend and was amazing.
I chose the materials and did the design – I learnt from years of going to many houses through my job and seeing people renovating. So I saved money on designer fees and product purchases.
I’m planning to renovate the guest bathroom using spare tiles from the main bathroom. Currently, it’s the cats’ bathroom and a storage unit for all my stuff.
How else have you personalised the property?
We’re largely looking at decoration, an upgraded kitchen and bathroom, and retiling. I’ve added plants to the balcony, had murals painted and filled walls with pictures and shelves.
I also changed the light switches and plugs. It’s a small change that wasn’t that costly as I bought directly from the supplier, but it made my home feel more classy.
I have also put up a wall unit in my living room, which has helped me reduce furniture and open up the space. It wasn’t the cheapest thing to build, but it’s made me the happiest person.
In line with my business, I decluttered my furniture and the amount of stuff I had. I had Crate and Barrel sofas so reupholstered them.
What facilities do you have in your community?
We have a gym, a pool, a sauna and a corner shop and restaurant downstairs. There’s a vet, which makes it easy for vaccinations for my cats every year.
Down the road is my salon and a pharmacy and there are also some restaurants within walking distance. There’s a park nearby and a dog park.
Anything you don’t like about living there?
The outdoor pool is underneath my balcony and it can get noisy when the kids are playing in there or people are talking on the phone, because it’s an atrium and it echoes.
There used to be a roof garden, but they closed it. Behind me was going to be a park, but then something else was built there. That’s now more than 60 storeys, after a lot of construction noise. Our low rise is only four floors, so I’ve lost natural light and have to have my lights on now all the time in the day.
What financial advantages are there to owning versus renting?
I have saved on paying rent for all these years. That was great, especially when setting up a new business and not earning as much as I am now.
It would have been hard to keep up rental payments or mortgage payments and run Decluttr Me in the early years.
Do you plan to buy more property?
Yes. I want to buy in the UK first and then the UAE and rent this out. It is worth about the same as when it was purchased. I can’t see this one making a profit, so I might as well let it.
I want a bigger property for myself because when my mum and dad come I have to sleep on the sofa bed. My dream would be a three or four bedroom in the Springs or Meadows that I could renovate.
