The increasingly competitive rental rates in Dubai’s Tecom area are eroding the appeal of The Greens community, at least the low-rise apartment blocks that Emaar first developed. While The Views, encompassing the low-rises of Arno, Travo and Turia plus the high-rises of Golf Towers, Links, The Fairways, Mosela and Tanaro, still command a rental premium owing to their superior facilities and golf course views, the older buildings, including Al Sidir, Al Nakheel and Al Ghozlan are in the same rental bracket as their Tecom counterparts.
“The high-rises of Golf Towers, The Fairways and Links are the most sought-after, while least in demand are the low-rise buildings as they are getting old and the finishing quality is of a lower standard compared with the later developments of Emaar,” says Nooshin Mafakher, a Halcon Real Estate consultant. “We find the price range of Tecom is closest to these low-rise towers, so effectively they are an alternative. As for travel time, living in The Greens or Tecom amounts to the same.”
Facilities in Tecom not up to the mark
However, Tecom lags behind The Greens where communal facilities are concerned. While The Greens has gardens, barbecue and play areas and a swimming pool shared between four buildings, none of the buildings in Tecom offer such an array of facilities. Meanwhile, facilities in The Views trump those available in The Greens’ low-rises. The Views also have better access to the lake, around which many residents jog.
“From the lobbies to the facilities area, the buildings in
The Views are noticeably higher quality,” says Nooshin. “You just have to take a short walk by The Fairways’ swimming pool and compare that with the older Greens buildings to see the obvious difference. The Fairways has a very large infinity pool, overlooking the Emirates Golf [Club] Course, for instance.”
Retail options are mainly concentrated in The Greens Village, which includes a Choithram store and Wagamama restaurant.
Sharath Premkumar, a homeowner in Mosela Tower, says, “The Greens does offer a wide choice of options for all necessities. It could do with more restaurants as people would love more dining options — right now, we have a few outlets in the Greens Village, Nando’s and Caribou Coffee on the corner, but beyond that, not a lot of choice for where to eat. The only fast food outlet is a KFC and the Sea Shell Caféteria — no Indian restaurants or anything more to choose from. Or, you need to head to Tecom.”
While Tecom residents flock to The Greens to make use of the children’s play areas, jogging trails and lush walkways around the lake, occupants from this Emaar enclave head to the neighbourhood to avail of the medical clinics, salons and diverse fine dining options inside hotels such as the Grand Millennium, Media Rotana and Byblos Hotel.
“If people from Tecom come into our communal areas, we too head that side, say for dinner at the Grand Millennium,” adds Sharath.
“The Park ‘n’ Shop in Tecom offers a better choice of groceries while outlets like Blue Mart offer a home delivery service to The Greens and you still have the option of Géant or Carrefour there as well. The opening of clinics like the Aster Medical Centre in Tecom or the choice of salons have also widened the options for residents in The Greens, without having to be tied to the Greens Village outlets.”
Adverse impact
With the two neighbourhoods complementing each other, most residents in The Greens don’t seem overly worried about their Tecom neighbours overusing community facilities.
However, Arnab Ghosh, a resident in Al Dhafrah 1, says, “I believe that as more and more families take up living in Tecom, and if it does not come up with communal areas soon, then it will have an adverse impact on The Greens. The maintenance and upkeep of The Greens’ communal facilities will be affected as these are made to accommodate only certain numbers.”
Chetan Rao, a resident in The Fairways, explains, “If anything, it’s good to have the clubbing options that Tecom brings. However, it can be a pain sometimes with the parking situation at Choithram in The Greens Village; but, overall this is to a minimum. I use the jogging trail by the lake and have never found it to be overcrowded.”
Real estate agents say the most popular units in The Greens are those within close walking distance of the community centre while apartments with views of the road do not fetch a rental premium.
“I don’t think The Greens will ever really suffer from losing tenants since it’s a very established area. It will always be popular, plus Tecom has helped The Greens become more attractive,” says Nooshin.
Tecom units come with a better finish
In the Tecom area, a few towers offer better finishing for a lower price than The Greens and the newly handed over towers also provide
a month’s free rent.
Moreover, with most Tecom towers being owned by a single landlord, prospective tenants can make a trip to the reception of each tower to find out the price and availability of apartments.
The Greens’ residents recall having to contend with noise and dust pollution while construction was ongoing at Tecom, but they admit it is
a good neighbourhood now.
“The Greens maintains its charm as a beautiful neighbourhood to live in, raise your family or enjoy a walk with a friendly buzz all around — and of course, it is one of the safest localities to stay in. Yes, Tecom has brought the rush of commercial traffic around it, but it still stays well within the boundaries, without having its inconvenience seeping into The Greens,” says Sharath.
Residents’ pet peeves include chock-a-block traffic during peak hours, perennial roadworks and a lack of adequate visitor parking. “The Greens is a family and kid-friendly community with a lot of pedestrians taking to the streets daily. Most motorists respect the speed limits and are cordial to people crossing roads,” says Arnab.
“However, I have seen most taxi drivers disregard the speed limits, which makes crossing roads quite unsafe for elders and children.”
The Greens rents
- Studio: Dh35-40k
- 1-bedroom: Dh45-55k
- 2-bedroom: Dh70-90k
Tecom rents
- Studio: Dh30-40k
- 1-bedroom: Dh42-52k
- 2-bedroom: Dh55-65k
Source: Hamptons Mena
