Q: We’re looking to buy a villa in Dubai in the coming year. How do you rate Jumeirah Village as an area to buy property in? What are the pros and cons?

A: Phase two of Jumeirah Village has just been handed over and this has created a buzz in the market, especially in the rental market for affordable two-bedroom villas. According to Nakheel, they are very confident and looking forward to completing all of the 2,200 villas by the end of this year, which is exciting news for the owners of house there. The pros are the affordable prices, a well-planned villa community, a good mix of planned retail and community facilities and the well designed villas and townhouses.

Although Jumeirah Village is strategically located, access is perceived to be inconvenient and it is in close proximity to high voltage power lines. The section that Nakheel is developing is progressing as planned. However, the Jumeirah Village Circle part, which is developed by private developers, is really behind schedule and is creating a lot of negative word of mouth in the marketplace and hence affecting the overall reputation of the Jumeirah Village development.
I would recommend buying a villa there because of the attractive prices and because the supply of villas is much lower than apartments and hence it offers a safer investment. If you are buying a villa to live in, Jumeirah Village offers an excellent community lifestyle.

Q: My wife and I have been looking at possibly buying a two-bedroom apartment at Burj Views in Downtown Burj Dubai as a buy-to-let property. Do you think this would be a reasonable option?

A: The Burj Dubai area is becoming popular with end-users because of the enjoyable living experience it offers. Having said that, and given the popularity of this area, the selling prices of units there have been inflated by the secondary market and resale activities. This has put a lot of pressure on rental yields. The rental return increase could not keep pace with sale prices as potential tenants would compare prices with other competitive areas in Dubai. High quality property consistently generates higher average yields over the long term. Affordable housing is expected to generate higher yields over the short-term before the lower quality of the establishment begins to be reflected in potential tenant valuations.

Q: There have been reports about rental increases in some areas of Dubai. In which areas do you think renters can still get good value for money?

A: Tenants can still expect to get bargain rental deals across the majority of the freehold zones in Dubai. I would recommend Jumeirah Lakes Towers as it remains very much underrated overall.
This development enjoys a very strategic location and has a fantastic master plan yet its true potential is still to be recognised. JLT has a good balance between office space and residential offerings.
The prices are at least 15% cheaper than Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers has the potential to achieve the same status as Dubai Marina, and in a very short time.
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