Confused on areas in Doha for housing - HELP!
Right, so.. I was asked last night by my boss to start putting together a plan for moving to Qatar to head up the company office there in September.
Off to the internet I go, looking at housing prices, moving costs, etc. The forum = awesome source! One problem though, looking at the adds here, advice here, and adds on gulf-times (Btw, they PDF their classifieds... am I the only one who finds that funny?) the prices vary from 7k-25k for what reads like very similar properties.
The big difference being the area, so... How do I know? If I can specify the area in Dubai where I'm looking for roughly equivalent, can someone point me in the right direction?
Currently living on Palm Jumeirah in shoreline apartments, I understand that there isn't anything comparable (I guess pearl may be?) but meh, what about... villas like the springs? Or flats like Dubai Marina/JBR? Maybe even something like the Greens?
I've read that the "West Bay" is good but what should I be looking for? Those places seem more expensive than the palm, is it that nice?
I know, I know... I'm just going to have to turn up and figure it out I suspect, but if someone could give me a few points in the right direction, would much appreciate it. Ideally I'd like to spend <10k a month but I have a feeling prices in Doha are higher than Dubai for equivalent places... any truth to that? Thanks in advance ;).
-Dirk
You will find housing in Doha much more expensive than current prices in Dubai and the quality is not even close. Large compounds like the Lakes, Springs, Arabian Ranches, etc just don't exist here. The closest place to the Dubai Marina might be the Pearl in about 5 years, but it has a ways to go in regards to construction and is very isolated from the rest of Doha. Coming from Dubai is a tough transition as far as housing prices and quality of life if you are used to the fast pace and all the amenities of Dubai. The good news it's only a 45 minute flight away.
1. you are in the right track of going over the newspapers classifieds
2.call the contact nos provided in the ad and ask for the specifc location & description.
3.get a Doha map and mark down the areas.
4.consider your probable new office location in Doha
5.it is best to visit Doha and have an actual look see of these possible accomodation options before taking your judgment.
My family just moved into new accomodations and in the process of looking around I noticed that the rental prices have gone down. A year ago, we would not have been able to afford our accomodation now which is in a compound with nice family facilities. Also, initially, one whould think that our area now is a little far but the actual drive/travel time turns out not bad at all!
So i suggest you keep an open mind. Be wise and dont think that that you only have to stick to expensive budgets to have nice accomodations in Doha.
I dont think West Bay is comparable to Palm. You can always try out the Pearl. Maybe indeed these maybe in your same standard. But keep an open mind, if you have the time to search and research.
with less the 10K...u will probably get a fully furnished 2 bed room appt in a decent location. And if ur in palm Jumeirah with less then 10K...stay right there and dont move an inch ;-)
The properties deteriorate fairly quickly here. I live in a 5 year old flat, and it is considered "older". There are new and old buildings all mixed together, so it's hard to tell you if one is better than the other. West Bay does tend to be more high end... You want to spend less than 10K? They say prices are going down, but since the housing market is artificially high here anyway there's nothing to push them down. So, for less than 10K you'll get a 2-3 bedroom flat, and not a really nice one on the water or probably no gym or pool. Perhaps a small stand-alone villa.
Yeah, think you need to come here and look or get someone to check places out here for you.
for less than 10 K a month you will only get a flat not in a high end area.
You need 18000 at least for Beverly Hills tower or something similar.
Posh compound like Al Fardan or Beverly Hills compound will set you about 22.000 and above.