This is the final part of this series. Part 1. Part 2
Another option in Dubai was International City. At one point it was very tempting to live in International City as the rents are fairly affordable and the location is central. But the only drawback is that the place is way out of main Dubai. It is like in the suburbs of Dubai with no population nearby (I know it will be in the center few years down the road but I had to make my decision based on the facts as of today). You have to own a car to live there. Without a car you would be deserted and rely completely on taxis, which can get quite expensive. Considering my situation, it could take me as long as six months to get a driver’s license and only after that I could purchase a car.
Living in International City without a car was out of question. Maybe next year (if Dubai Marina is still out of range).
One day just out of chance I discovered a place called Nahda 2 when I visited a friend who lived there. We liked his apartment a lot. As a matter of fact, of all the apartments that we saw throughout our search, that was the best apartment. The place Nahda 2 was in Dubai, although it was on the border of Shajrah but still in Dubai. It was possible to avoid Sharjah traffic by not taking any Dubai-Sharjah highways. From my calculations it would take 40 to 50 minutes to reach Internet City from Nahda 2 on a good day. That’s not bad at all from Dubai standards. The rent was also not that high. I would still consider it high based on its location, but that was the best we were getting at that price. Plus the apartment building was brand new and we were going to be the first residents in an apartment of that building.
So the decision was made. My new home in Dubai was in Nahda 2.
It was time to arrange payment, sign the lease, get utilities activated, move in, and make it a home sweet home.
congrats man, you have conquered one beast(decent accomodation). Now, best of luck for the 2nd one (driving license.)
Mabrook…international city flooded like anything these last rains…there was apparently no water outlet…nahda is a good place to live….
Bro I enjoy reading your blog as a first hand source of information on relocating to Dubai. I am moving to Dubai in October after Eid. Just curious, how did you arrange your apartment rental? Did you pay 1 year rental upfront with 1 – 4 cheques or you pay monthly? Did you pay refundable security deposit?
I find this practice in Dubai of paying rental 1 year in advance as really absurd. Is this term negotiable with the landlord?
Appreciate some tips on this.
Syamsulfaiz » the usual practice is four checks. So you have to pay in advance for three months. Security deposit and agent commission is always there. The amount varies from location to location.