Compound villa hunting - my experience
June 2010
I am finishing up a quick trip to Doha in preparation for moving our family out here in September (2 young kids, myself and my wife). In case it helps anyone else, below is a summary of my experience visiting various compound villas over 3 days. I also spent a considerable amount of time looking at preschools and am happy to answer questions relating to that individually. Many folks have company-sponsored villas, though in my situation I receive an allowance and am free to decide where to spend it. This has the advantage of choice but at the expense of spending time searching.
First, your living location may be determined by where you can get your kids into school (surprisingly difficult), in addition to where you work and your budget. Many expats seem to prefer the Al Waab area, which reminds me of some suburbs of LA or Phoenix (think wide streets arranged in a grid, neighborhoods where every house is identical, close to the mall and any shopping you'd need). There are many schools here and the commute to work, no matter where it is, isn't too bad. There are many other great places to live, but I focused my search on Al Waab.
A decent furnished villa in Al Waab will run at least 16k riyals, with most in the 18k+ range. Usually you can subtract 1-2k for semi-furnished (i.e. all appliances, no furniture). Furnishing a 3-4BR villa with low-medium quality furniture will run ~40k riyals or more. The furnished villas tend to use the same low-medium quality furniture.
Regarding timing, everyone on QL says to come here and stay in temp housing for a month during which time you'll find a villa. I think that's absolutely true. However, I'm looking for 3 months out which is unusual and many agents refused to take me around because there is no predictability re what will be available then. However, I convinced a few to show me properties and with the big management companies they do have some ability to know 2-3 months down the road what's coming. I ultimately chose a villa that the management company knows will be opening in September.
Compounds I visited or learned about in Al Waab and my impressions are below. I cannot stress enough the need to see as many villas as you can. Do not be shy about stopping by any compound that looks attractive and asking the guard to see the manager. This is how I ultimately found the place we'll be living.
Beverly Hills Gardens 1, 4, 5: the big game in town. Many compounds, great clubhouses with good amenities, price is mid-range. BH1 has large semi-furnished villas at ~18k (my impression is some families but many older couples). BH4 has slightly smaller villas (but just the right size for our family of four), great clubhouse, for ~16k riyals. BH5 had the best build and quality, price was good ~18k riyals fully furnished, and they have personal swimming pools. It's a small compound without a clubhouse, but BH4 is just across a side street and you can use their clubhouse and pool. There are some rumors about the BH compounds having poor maintenance but I found them all to be in great shape. In summary: I don't think you can go wrong if you get into one of these. Contact: Al Asmakh real estate 974-448-5111 (they're very nice, best brokers I came across).
Les Roses 2 - fantastic villas that are only 3.5 years old, very nice and quiet family friendly compound, good security. It's a smaller compound so clubhouse and pool are small, but you have access via a connector walkway to Les Roses 1 (company compound so they don't rent individually) where there are great facilities. You can't go wrong here. Representing agency is Fine and Country Qatar (had trouble getting them to call me back).
Palm City 2 - high end, brand new construction, modern villas, beautiful common areas, currently compound seems empty. Bit pricey at $20k semi furnished. Call Ram 6547516 for details.
Green Village - very nice and big villas, slightly older but the facilities in the compound are great. These are hard to come by. ~18k semi furnished. Would stop by at gate to find out mgmt company (going through an agent will lead to a hefty commission).
Al Faisylya - mid-range compound, appears to have lots of families, ~14k semi furnished, very good common facilities. Talk to Al Asmakh (see Beverly Hills above) for viewing.
Jwan Gardens - run down, would avoid.
Villa D'Este - mid-range, well managed. Lots of families, price is ~16k fully furnished.
I hope this helps any of you who are starting the process of house hunting. Please feel free to send me any questions, or correct any unintended inaccuracies above. Good luck!
RENT: 13,000 QAR
FULLY FURNISHED LUXURY COMPOUND VILLAS
GHARRAFA NEAR LANDMARK / LULU HYPER & EASY ACCESS TO QATAR FOUNDATION
(EDUCATION CITY)
CONTRACT DIRECT WITH OWNER (Please contact 33432037)
double storey with area of 143.32 Square meters (1,542.68 sq. feet)
4 bedrooms, 1 sitting rooms, 5 bathrooms, + External area for each villa
Swimming pool / Club house with large lobby / gym / sauna
Covered private parking
Maintenance & pest control service provided
24 hour security service
Please contact 33432037
RENT: 13,000 QAR
FULLY FURNISHED LUXURY COMPOUND VILLAS
GHARRAFA NEAR LANDMARK / LULU HYPER & EASY ACCESS TO QATAR FOUNDATION
(EDUCATION CITY)
CONTRACT DIRECT WITH OWNER (Please contact 33432037)
double storey with area of 143.32 Square meters (1,542.68 sq. feet)
4 bedrooms, 1 sitting rooms, 5 bathrooms, + External area for each villa
Swimming pool / Club house with large lobby / gym / sauna
Covered private parking
Maintenance & pest control service provided
24 hour security service
Please contact 33432037
Many thanks for detailed information!
Sorry for a bit out of context question, but I am desperately looking for annual fee information charged by Doha's international schools for Grades 1 and 8. Unlike Dubai schools, Doha schools do not publish annual fee information. In addition, everyone seems to be out of town and nobody replies to my phone calls.
Please help with annual fee information for American or British schools.
Many thanks!
How much is Les Roses 2 and is it furnished or unfurnished or both?
My head says Alwaab but my heart says no. I find the endless villas under a broad horizon soul crushing. Give me Westbay towers and architecture any day....
Have seen my colleagues moving into compound villas in gharaffa for 8.5k, semi - furnished. White goods provided. Again, the selection of area should be based on your convenience. Remember that the rental rates have come down. If you have to pay for the rental from your pocket, you would definitely look to cut down on the rentals!
If anybody needed one Single storey stand alone villa consisiting two bedrooms,big hall 2 bathrooms and kitchen with private swimming pool and one maidroom + bathroom
( outside )at abuhamour semi furnished (split a/c's and curtains )
and the land lord need @ 11000 per month
contact me on.....
[email protected]
Must be nice to have 16,000 to spend on a villa. I found a 6 bdrm in Simaisma for 7000. Why the hell spend more?
victor01 -
I'm not convinced that Al Waab is generally considered to be "better" than other areas, but there is a high density of compounds/homes in the Al Waab area.
Doha is different from many other cities in the world in that the expats are truly scattered throughout the city - there are few "prime" areas and few "bad" areas.
Generally speaking, I would say that Al Waab is closer to much of the shopping and a number of the schools. However, the congestion is quite often shocking. I live in West Bay and find that I won't venture over to Al Waab unless I have several errands to run; I suspect that the people who live in Al Waab don't jaunt over to West Bay unless they have more than one reason, too :)
At the end of the day, where you live in Doha comes down to where you work and/or where your kids attend school. . .and, of course, you try to fit your budget and preferences within those constraints.
Oh - and no, not all villas are on compounds. Many are free-standing, which is preferred by some and avoided by others. The compounds can vary in size as well; you'll find "compounds" with six villas and compounds with 300 villas/apts.
Good luck!
2 of the best expat schools (Doha College & American School) are in Al Waab, it's right next to Salwa Road, the Wholesale Markets, Ramada Hotel and is basically easily accesible from most places. It's normally preferred by families with children in one of those schools or the nurseries that are in the area as well.
I personally live down in Wakrah which is about 30 minutes from Al Waab because rents are lower, it's 2 minutes to the beach and it's a fairly relaxed and quiet area to live in.
Not all villas are on compounds - I'm in a stand-alone as it offers tons more outside space for my dogs and kids. Stand-alones tend to be slightly cheaper as well but don't offer the clubhouse/communial pool/guard aspect. If you want to spend more then you can get a villa with a private pool.
In all honesty, the traffic is not great around Al Waab area during peak traffic hours due to all the school kids being dropped off/picked up but it's got better with all the new traffic lights and adding 5 minutes onto your travelling time to work in the morning isn't a huge price to pay for being in a good location.
No where is "far" in Qatar. On a really bad day it'll take me 40 minutes from Wakrah to Villaggio - on a good day it's 25 minutes. Compared to distances that are travelled in the UK to go to certain shopping centres, it's a piece of cake living in Qatar!
Hoping for the rents coming down further. Thanks for sharing your experiences...it would be helpful to many indeed. :-)
Thanks for the replies and good information.
Why is the Al Waab area generally considered as being better than or more expensive than 'Al Gharaffa and near the airport'? Distance to town? Traffic? Facilities? Size of compound? Quality of Housing?
Are all villas on compounds?
For us, pool, clubhouse and gym are also paramount!
I found near al sadd stadium
Double storied fully furnished , 5 bedrooms,4 bathrooms,kitchen compound villa @13000,
Agree with those above: I didn't find anything at 12k riyals furnished in or near Al Waab. There were villas close to that in Al Gharaffa and near the airport, though these were all smaller compounds. Clubhouse, pool and gym were important for us to help with forming social connections.
I have no idea why there are guards everywhere as I hear from everyone that Doha is incredibly safe. Good question!
You can get 4 bed compound villas for QR12k but they'll be up towards the Airport or out Rayyaan/Gharaffa way. If you're prepared to go up as far a Simaisma then a 4 bed villa is less then QR10k.
victor01: We were looking at compounds a few months ago. To answer your 2nd question, yes you can get a compound villa for QR 12000 - unfurnished, not be in the heart of Al Waab and not 4-bedrooms. The 4 bedrooms we'd seen were going for at least QR14000 - in Al Rayyan and Gharaffa. HTH.
Thanks vniray for this information. I am in the same position as you and am looking to bring family to Doha around September.
I have two questions and would appreciate any feedback:
1) I haved lived in the UAE before and there were no compounds with guards - why is this the case in Qatar?
2) From your information, a decent furnished villa will cost from 16,000 riyals per month. I had previously been advised that 12,000 riyals per month was adequate. Would 12,000 riyals/month be enough for say a good four bed villa in a reasonable location with good facilities or is the cost likely to be nearer 16,000?
Many thanks!
You can find your Compound villa by searching for Most of the classified ads, One such among them is Qatarliving.com and http://www.totalqatar.com/Classifieds/CFM_Home.aspx
I also looked in a non-systematic way at some compounds in Gharaffa and areas surrounding Al Waab (Al Soudan, Abu Hamour). All of these areas had a more "authentic" Doha feel just outside the compound walls and prices were ~25% cheaper compared to a similar property in Al Waab. The biggest compounds tended to have the best clubhouse, pool and gym facilities, and the Al Waab area has the highest concentration of these larger compounds. My recommendation is to see as many as you possibly can with multiple agents to get the best feel for what's available. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing, very generous from you !
Did you see any compounds other than Al Waab area? Thanks for sharing as I will also be doing the same thing as you did one month down the line...
Might help those who are looking fo villas!
What all about then? LOLZ!