Canadian Couple need info on Doha

Some really good information.

Are there links to the listings you have that fit my requirements?

Thanks

like you said, it depends on where you live... and no not all the 3 bedroom apartments/ villas are crappy... my friends have moved in some really good 3 bedroom villas by the airport and in al waab for QAR 10,000/month :-)

I have friends staying in the zig zag towers as well, paying QAR 14,000 for a 2 bedroom apartment, but all I hear from them are complains about the rental :-(

Just a couple of things to add:

Dogs are no problem but, as has been said, be respectful of other people when you're walking it. Locals in general don't mind dogs, and often ask to have their photo taken with them, but those from further to the east have a cultural fear of dogs. Al Wakra beach on a Friday morning is a good place to meet other dog owners, as it's quiet then. Get a muzzle (recommend Doha Veterinary Center), though, because the beaches are a bit of a disgrace in that they're covered in rubbish which any dog will start chomping on if given half a chance. Large dogs are a prize target of dog thieves, as they are used for fighting - it's why many large breeds are banned from Qatar. Drop me a line if you want tips on importing the dog.

If you want British TV, I'd recommend you install Witopia (from witopia.net) on your PC / laptop before you come out (or even buy one of their routers). It allows you to access British (or any other) TV through the internet. We wireless stream iPlayer, ITV Player and 4OD to the laptop which sits next to the TV, and it's brilliant (watching the first of the new series of Top Gear tonight!).

Colt,

i cannot agree on

"a 3 bedroom apartment fully furnished will cost you anything between QAR 6500 - 9000. A 3 bedroom villa will cost you anything between QAR 9000 - 12000... per month"..

well.. it depends on where you live. In West Bay 2BR apartment's rent is between 10 and 15K per month. Nice villa in good area might cost as high as 25K-30K. Depends on what you want.

"3 bedroom apartment fully furnished for QAR 6500" is rather crapy cheap place in dirty low area.. wouldn't recommend anyone to live there..

dogs are not haram for muslims - Muslims are only to becareful that saliva from a dogs mouth doesn't get onto them, cause then they have to wash well before praying.

Dogs are allowed to be kept in Islam if they are for working purposes.

Saying that, I know many muslim families that own dogs and treat them as part of the family.

There is no problem with the dog so long as you are extra considerate of the feelings most GCC residents have about them. Dogs are not forbidden in Islam but are considered unclean. That said, you will have kids (and adults) barking at your dog (which I can never figure out - she already knows how to do that!) Just keep going and show no reaction.

As someone else said, purebred dogs can go "missing" easily here if left unattended, even in your own garden. Never leave your dog alone.

As for where to live, I highly recommend it be somewhere relatively close to where you are employed. Traffic here is absolutely horrendous (and some drivers are even worse) at "rush hour" and only slightly bearable most of the rest of the time.

As for what you can afford - most expats get packages which pay for their housing, tickets home for themselves and dependents, medical insurance. If you get a housing allowance be aware that while rents are lower now than they have been - they can skyrocket overnight as has happened in the past.

I don't know about utility costs as mine are included in my rent. As for cars etc. - they are more expensive here than UAE relatively, petrol is cheap, and if you buy Toyota/Nissan, upkeep and repair is very economical and the resale value is higher than most other brands.

lol..

What kind of accommodations are normal for Qatar? Houses, apartments, Villa's, Condos? Are they large places (like you find in North America where most housing has large interiors) or are they fairly small places (like apartments/flats in London or Paris - the tiny ones you pay a mint for?)

lol.. I love it!

So my answer is "rather the second option"..:):)

i have a canadian friend...

he has two little dog...

i dont think there will be any problem in bringing dogs her...

and by the way...

dog is haram for muslims.

Hi,

My name is Craig and i'm the MD of Mirage, a Real Estate company here in Doha. We've been established for 7 years and have a good working knowledge of the local sales and leasing market.

Qatar itself is generally a very safe place to live, with no really unsafe areas. However, Western Expats tend to prefer to live in certain areas most of which are on the outskirts of Doha Central.

Doha is not that large a city but due to heavy congestion, driving anywhere can take an age especially in the morning commute. Hence people tend to choose a place to live based on work location and school location, if applicable.

The recent opening of the Doha Expressway has eased some of the congestion, especially if travelling across town, and is causing some to rethink where they live.

Accommodation here comes in 3 basic types: Apartments, stand Alone Villas (Houses) or Compound Villas.

You will find bedroom sizes are usually on a par with US standards rather than UK/European, but apartments generally are smaller than the US, larger than European standards.

2-3 bed apartments are available from QR4,000 (US$1,100), however, based on your details above I doubt very much thsi standard of accommodation would appeal to you. The average price for a good quality apt in a good area is from QR7,500 (US$2,000) upwards, but you could pay as much as QR20,000 for a well located apt on The Pearl.

Pricing for apartments is very much dictated by location and facilities i.e. pool, gym, parking. You also have the option of serviced apartments where everything is included i.e. electric/water, internet, satellite, cleaning, linen etc. These are fully furnished apartments starting around QR10,500 (US$2,900) for a good quality residence.

Stand alone villas (houses) are readily available in most parts of Doha and are a great option if you want large living spaces and a good sized outdoor area/garden, some even come with pools. Stand alones are generally older properties, 5-10 years, hence the larger spaces, as land was much cheaper back then and are usaully 3-7 bed. However they lack facilities and are usually located in the older more built up parts of central Doha. Great if you have pets though.

Pricing for stand alones is usally cheaper than compounds and starts from Approx QR9,500 upto QR30,000 depending on number of beds and location.

Compound villas are houses built in gated communities (compounds). These are the most popular type of accommodation with expats as they offer security and a host of facilities. Compounds vary in size from 10 villas to 250 villas, with the average compound being 40 to 100 villas. Minimum facilities you would expect to find in a compound are a communal pool and clubhouse with Gym/TV room. The better designed and larger compounds also offer kids pools/play areas, mini market, tennis/squash courts, snooker room and some offer shops, restaurants, cafes and ATM's.

All good quality compounds should offer 24 hr security and more importantly on site maintenance, as with the odd exception, build quality here is quite poor.

Villas vary in size from 3-6 beds and pricing starts at QR9,500 upto QR25,000 for the most sought after locations.

Regards to area, there are a few notable areas to mention:

Al Waab: is probably the most popular area to live as it is located close to Villaggio Mall and the Aspire Zone with it's large open park areas. Many of the larger well established compounds are located in Al Waab.

Al Rayyan: is located between Al Waab and Education City and is a fairly newly developed area with a good selection of compounds at reasonable prices.

Gharrafa: is located the other side of Education City, close to Landmark Mall. This area experienced some over development in the last 2-3 years, hence prices are lower, but beware, as the quality of some ompounds is frankly shocking! as always though there are some exceptions.

West Bay: the residential area close to the Business district (Corniche) and The Pearl. Has many older compounds which are very sought after, as they are well built and spacious and located very close to the tower district. Prices here are at a premium

West Bay Lagoon: a purpose built gated community built around a man made lagoon. This is the most sought after location in Doha and priced at the top end of the above range.

The Pearl: a man made island offering 60 residentail towers and townhouses located around 2 separate circular marinas. This is the most sought after location for those wanting the waterfront cafe culture lifestyle, all apartments and townhouses. Prices are mid to top end but you can find some bargains as there is an over supply issue at present.

The best way to choose a home is to be here so I would advise doing some research on some of the property websites, starting with ours of course mirageproperty.com. I assume your employer will put you up in temporary accommodation first to allow you some tiem to get to know the place and find something suitable.

Best advice is not to rush into a contract as they are binding here for the duration of the lease, take yoru time and find the right one.

If you need help we'll be only too pleased to assist.

In answer to your other questions:

BB is readily available here, new handsets, say a Bold 9700 are around QR2,000 without contract. I've heardyou can get a locked handset unblocked.

Internet is available upto 8mb here via Qtel, vodafone also offer wireless internet.

Satellite is available through Qtel with their Mozaic system, which is a bit limited on channels and no HD. Or OSN which s the most populat provider, good choice of channels, movies, sport, news. UK/US channels available.

I hope that helps you out but please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

Kind regards

Craig at Mirage.

we do have places here you can buy furniture at you know... :-P... also Doha is the capital of Qatar, there is no other airport/ city besides Doha.

Some may argue that, because I have heard some say Dukkhan (which is about an hours drive from Doha) is another city, but in my argument, it does not have it's own airport so whatever ;-)

if you're up for a drink let me know, i'll bring my canadian & brit friends along as well.

CC maybe this will help..

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/841129

There are loads of people with pets and you can certainly walk them in the compounds. However, I would not recommend walking them off-leash in the compound. Also, don't leave your dog in the yard (front or back) when you're not there. Desirable breeds can be snatched before you know it. I'm not sure what makes a breed "desirable", but we definitely wouldn't let our dog hang out in the yard. :(

Can anyone tell me if many people have pets (specifically dogs)? and if they can walk them in the neighborhoods or have to keep them inside all the time?

We have a cocker spaniel (small dog, 20 lbs) and we will bring her with us.

Thanks for the replies so far. Some good things to think about.

Is there anyone else that can offer some thoughts?

Do most places come furnished since I dont think I can bring all my furniture from the US?

What other areas of the city are good to live in. Remember I am not familiar with the area and I dont know the names. Even when you say the names, I dont know if that is North, South, East or West of the city center...

Sounds like a Villa in a compound or near one, or even an apartment would be good.. but again how large are they in space? Are the rooms small or large?

Thanks everyone.

Petrol which is equivalent of Gas to the North Americans.

What are the good/nice areas to live in Doha (for expatriates)? - Expatriates are all over the place, but the white folks tend to generally live in compounded villas here.

- What kind of accommodations are normal for Qatar? Houses, apartments, Villa's, Condos? Are they large places - What you pay for is what you get. You can have poky apartments as well as lavish villas here.

- What would it cost for a 2-3 bedroom living space, or a 3-4 bedroom living space per month? - a 3 bedroom apartment fully furnished will cost you anything between QAR 6500 - 9000. A 3 bedroom villa will cost you anything between QAR 9000 - 12000... per month

- I can work out the cost of phones (via Qtel or Vodaphone). BB works here too, you can crack it here, we have genius Indians/ Pakistani's who are pro's at that :-P

- How good is internet access in Qatar? We surf the web a lot as is important to us. - Again what you pay for is what you get. There are various packages to suit your budget.

- What is the local TV like there? Can you get Sat from other vendors for like British sat or something? - The local TV is Mozaic, which according to me sucks because it's not HD :-( You can get different packages depending on your preference and amount you're willing to pay.

ABOVE ALL - Petrol is cheaper than water :-D

i've been here 4 months. Doha is quite expensive for food ,clothing etc. Housing not cheap 4 a decent place. we pay 12000qr 4 a 3 bed villa on a compound of 9 villas, mostly Brits living on it. You can go for a stand alone villa or one on a compound. There are plenty of apartments around. Most compounds are relatively new with facilities such as gym, pool,shop etc on bigger ones.

I live in Abu Hamour which isn't too bad, close to most things. West Bay is a posher area but rents can be very high, depends on what u want to pay really.

Internet ok we have broadband but it can play up occasionally. TV not too bad , we have OSN which has alot of US / UK channels and films.

Mobile phones r quite expensive compared to uk , u have to buy the handset then pay as u go or contract but rates r reasonable.

Hope of some help, good luck in doha, takes some getting used to !!