In Dubai, there is a common misconception that allocates families to reside in a villa community with singletons usually opting for apartment life. This can be due to traditionally, expat families choosing to live in a spacious villa in the outskirts of the city when first relocating to the UAE, not having yet conformed to the idea of other options such as apartment living. On the other hand, bachelor professionals more often than not, choose to live in apartment towers located right in the hub of the city that offer a wide range of amenities in an approximate distance. But is this trend still apparent? And what are the factors considered by a newcomer when it comes to choosing between a villa and an apartment in Dubai?
propertyfinder.ae is home to a wide range of property listings, from sea front villas to sophisticated urban apartments. Residents have to decide between mansions with private pools and beautiful landscaping and high-end apartment living in the midst of the city centre, and all in between. With most options offering absolutely a good quality of life, the decision usually comes down to the lifestyle that each resident is momentarily inspired by. The most common factors that help them figure out this dilemma usually have to do with the practicalities such as its proximity to work or school, the amenities of the tower or community and personal preferences such as the view, each property has to offer.
Cost-wise, it is commonly believed that maintaining a villa is often on the pricier side in comparison to sustaining an apartment. The maintenance requirement for an apartment is usually a lot lower than a villas’ due to its size, making bill amounts easier to digest. Even though decorating your new villa might sound like a fun activity, it requires not only a lot of time but a lot of money as well, additional expenditures that can be easily avoided in the case of a flat that sometimes comes fully furnished.
When it comes to amenities, such as swimming pools, gyms and restaurants although it might seem easier to find those in a communal tower, in reality it all depends on the area. For example, the villas located in the Springs are a lot better served at the moment than the apartments at Jumeirah Lake Towers. However, no public transportation links directly serve the Springs area which makes residents more car dependent.
A classic advantage of apartment-living is often the benefit of a view. Unfortunately though with the constant construction in Dubai, there is always a good chance that a tenant may have a view of a half-finished abandoned building by the end of their contact, while many villas are located in completed areas, with just a low level neighbour as their view blockade.
On the same note, villa-living offers a certain privacy hardly found when residing in a tower, where parking space is usually limited to two places per apartment, people are blocking the entrances and a time to wait for the lift in the morning has to be scheduled.
While it seems like common sense that a family with children would feel more comfortable in a villa, towers located in more central neighbourhoods offer communal areas where families are able to benefit from outside space onsite too.
With developers aiming to satisfy every taste and need by continuing to build more spacious homes within communities, it seems that the final decision is even harder to make.
