Daniel Becker bought his spacious one-bedroom apartment for Dh690,000 last year, close to where he had been renting in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
The 27-year-old South African moved to the city six years ago and lives a short distance from his job as a warehouse manager at The Camel Soap Factory.
Mr Becker showed The National around the apartment he shares with his girlfriend, May Delgado, 34, their cat Leo and lots of fish.
Please tell us about your home
We bought and moved into our current home at the end of September-beginning of October 2025.
It’s a 967 sq ft, one-bedroom apartment. We have two bathrooms, a separate kitchen, a spacious hall and built-in cupboards.
Since we are on the corner of the building, we have two balconies: one connected to the kitchen and the other connected to the bedroom.
We have a really nice view of the city and can see Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, DIFC and the Global Village fireworks.
Why did you decide to buy?
Our previous apartment was a studio, which we rented. It was the first property that I could call my own and I loved it.
After my girlfriend moved in with me and we adopted our cat, we started thinking about moving to a larger space.
My mother, Pam, and brother, Matthew, helped us out with the down payment. We would never have been able to buy a property so soon without their generosity.
Rent was not getting cheaper and a property is a really great investment. It feels a lot better making mortgage payments on a property you own instead of rent payments on a property you will never own.
Was your apartment a good price?
We feel we got great value for money.
Our apartment is a bit older, but it is a lot more spacious and solid than the new apartments we looked at. The majority were newly built, a minimum of Dh100,000-Dh150,000 more expensive, and were a minimum of 200 sq ft smaller than our current apartment.
What drew you to this property?
We looked at many in a nearby neighbourhood before we started looking in this neighbourhood.
Other apartments made us feel excited, but when we first walked into our current apartment, it made us feel completely relaxed. It was the first time we could envision where we would place our furniture and what improvements we wanted to make. We decided to move in shortly after we viewed.
The size and location are the two main factors that attracted us. The apartment is a corner unit, which has great views and increases the spacious feeling.
What made you choose this neighbourhood?
My girlfriend and I both work close to home, which is a big part of why we chose this neighbourhood. It makes travelling easy.
We also have access to multiple restaurants, shops, parks, gyms, malls and other facilities. A metro extension is also being built which will greatly increase accessibility.
Our previous home was in a busy area. Our current home is towards the end of the street, overlooking some villas with a small shop across the street, much quieter.
It has been really nice getting a full night’s sleep, not being woken up by loud people in the street.
What improvements have you made?
We have done a lot of personalisation. We budgeted a bit extra for new furniture, got chairs, recliners, a coffee table and carpet to make watching TV a comfortable experience.
We have also decorated walls with artwork from my late grandmother who loved to paint, sketch and draw. We recently got another fish tank which has been fun to set up and design.
We haven’t done any major renovations yet, but we have a plan to completely renovate the master bedroom's bathroom and change the tiles. We have repaired some holes and pipes and repainted the walls.
What facilities do you have in your community?
We have a mall which has multiple shops, a large food court, restaurants, coffee shops and clothing shops. We also have tailors, gyms, sporting facilities, public parks, walking and cycling tracks, multiple clinics and a large hospital.
We have easy access to the E311 and E611 motorways, and the Dubai-Al Ain Road.
What financial advantages are there to owning?
We had to take a mortgage for this apartment, but we feel much happier not having to pay a landlord, and having the freedom to customise our home in any way that we want.
Monthly repayments for our one-bedroom apartment are equivalent to the monthly rent we paid for our studio, which further proves the great deal we got.
Do you plan to sell or rent this home if you move?
We consider this a long-term investment, but also a permanent home for us.
We aren’t sure what the future holds, but whatever comes our way we know that we will always have a roof over our heads. If we had to leave the UAE, we would rent out this property.
Do you plan to buy more property?
As they say, once you buy your first property, you want to buy more.
We would love to be able to purchase more property, but our budget is tight at the moment. We will definitely keep our eyes open for opportunities, though.
