My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they pay in rent, see who they live with and ask what they like and don't like
Professional footballer Soheil Var moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Sports City to be close to training facilities - and says he loves the area's 'Downtown vibe'.
The 24-year-old Iranian, who plays for Gulf United in the UAE Second Division — managed by former Newcastle United star Steven Taylor, pays rent of Dh78,000 across 12 cheques for the home he shares with a friend.
Life in Sports City offers him the chance to live in a vibrant and friendly community without the hassle of traffic found in other areas.
Soheil also has a strong social media community of more than 900,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
He invited The National into his home to take a look around and see what makes it so special to him.
What is the best thing about living where you do?
It’s a sports-themed area, which is perfect for me as a footballer. There’s a huge sports complex right beside where I live so I can go out and train whenever I want.
There’s a lot of space in the apartment and I like doing workouts at home, so that is another big plus.
I also have a gym and pool in the building, which is perfect for someone like me who wants to keep active.
The surrounding area is pretty awesome too. There’s a villa community here beside me and there are beautiful parks to go for a walk in. I can do my morning and evening runs there as well.
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I am right beside Motor City too, which has a Waitrose not far from my apartment.
Then you’ve got First Avenue Mall there also. There’s a cool Downtown vibe without all the chaos from the traffic that comes with that.
There is a real family atmosphere around here and it’s only really a 20-minute drive to places like Dubai Marina.
Did you look at many properties before deciding this was your home?
We looked at apartment after apartment and wanted to find somewhere that was in a thriving spot.
We did a lot of homework too, on websites like Dubizzle and Property Finder.
Other areas we looked at were places in Jumeirah Village Circle and Motor City but once we saw this place we decided to lock it in.
We wanted somewhere with lots of natural light and open space.
What touches have you made to the apartment to make it feel like your own?
We’ve got a massive whiteboard, which is helpful for staying productive and putting to-do lists on.
I also create a lot of content for my social media channels, so the whiteboard is good for reminding me if I have filming on a certain day.
Is there anything you would change about where you live if you could?
There are a couple of buildings around us that are under construction and it doesn’t look the nicest but that’s a small gripe.
I wouldn’t mind a bigger balcony either but, having said that, the view is amazing at the same time.
We can see down into the golf course and there’s also a view of Dubai Marina in the distance.
There’s not a whole lot I would change if I am completely honest.
