My Own Home: Couple snap up Dh1 million 'forever home' in Dubai's JLT

Orla Farmer and partner Charles Whitebread moved into their new home three weeks ago after almost three years in the UAE

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  Orla Farmer bought a two-bedroom apartment in JLT which she is in the process of upgrading. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

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  The main benefit they have seen so far of owning their own property is that they can decorate and make it their own

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  The dining area

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  The kitchen

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  Ms Farmer is a part-time foodie nano-influencer

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  The couple like the sense of community in JLT and its prime location minutes from the Marina and close to the metro

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  One of the bedrooms

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  The second bedroom

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

Orla Farmer and her partner Charles Whitebread decided to get themselves on the UAE property ladder this year and landed a great deal on a two-bedroom apartment in popular Dubai’s ever-popular Jumeirah Lakes Towers community.

The 25-year-old Briton, who is a senior account manager with public relations company Four Agency and a part-time foodie nano-influencer, moved to the country almost three years ago. Mr Whitebread, 27, works in finance.

The couple’s property search led them to a competitively-priced unit overlooking the emerging Uptown Dubai district.

They moved in three weeks ago, having paid just over Dh1 million. In JLT, two-bedroom apartments can typically sell for Dh1.5 million to Dh1.8 million.

Ms Farmer took The National on a tour of her dream property.

Please tell us about your home

My beautiful home has two bedrooms with an office and three bathrooms. It is located in JLT’s Cluster N, opposite the new SO/Uptown hotel.

We are in the process of renovating and we're proud to have bought our apartment for such an incredible price of Dh1.05 million.

What made you buy your own place?

Having been with my partner for more than eight years, buying seemed like a natural next step for us.

We are also extremely ambitious and hope to buy more properties in the coming years, so this seemed like a perfect time to get a foot on the ladder.

Skyrocketing rent prices made us take the plunge sooner than we had imagined.

Why choose this area?

The light and bright dining area at the two-bedroom JLT apartment. Antonie Robertson / The National

We fell in love with JLT. We had previously rented just a five-minute walk from where we've bought, and the sense of community and its prime location just minutes from the Marina and close to the metro made it a natural choice.

We mainly looked at properties within JLT, but as soon as we walked into our place, it felt like home. With its large windows, high ceilings and spacious rooms, we immediately knew it was for us.

I feel as though we got an incredible deal, to the point where friends who work in real estate urged us to sell almost immediately. However, this already feels like home.

How was the purchasing process?

My buying experience was not the easiest: every step took the maximum amount of time possible.

There were numerous unexpected costs and delays, complications and everything in between. But, sitting here now, it all seems worth it.

I don’t think purchasing a property is ever seamless in any location around the world.

Where were you living before?

We were just a few minutes away at the Movenpick in JLT. It was a beautiful one-bedroom, spacious duplex, with loads of light and stunning furnishings.

We were there for two years and it was almost a blessing in disguise that our landlord decided to sell as we probably would’ve stayed there for another year or two.

What are the benefits to owning over renting?

The main benefit I have experienced so far is that we can decorate and make it our own.

It is also comforting to know that this asset is ours and we have a foot on the [property] ladder.

With my mortgage repayments being a lot cheaper than rent, it will make a massive difference.

Saving was hard, particularly in Dubai, as there is always somewhere new to try – particularly as a food blogger – but the feeling of accomplishment and achievement now that we are in is unmatched.

What renovations have you carried out?

So far we have just started by wrapping our kitchen, painting, re-grouting the floors and carefully selecting our furniture. That in itself has been a lot [of money] after paying deposits and all the unforeseen costs.

Further down the line, we want to upgrade the bathrooms, buy more artwork and make continual additions to the space.

I have to keep reminding myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

What advantages are there to living in this location?

I love the area. With a short walk to the metro and loads of quirky, independent restaurants and cafes, as well as the gym and pool in our building, we don’t have to travel far for day-to-day things.

The bills are probably the same as for our previous apartment. In terms of deliveries and drivers, JLT is both easy and hard to navigate … but we don’t experience too much trouble.

I work in Media City, so two stops on the metro or a 15-minute taxi ride, and Charles works in Tecom [Barsha Heights], so it’s a really easy journey for both of us. That's another reason we are big fans of JLT.

Do you think you will stay in this property?

It is our forever home right now, if that makes sense.

I definitely see a long future here, and feel incredibly comfortable.

But further down the line, if we are going to have children, pets and everything in between, it would make more sense to look at buying a villa, and keep this to rent out, particularly with rent prices which seem to just keep growing.