A welcome addition to Dubai's villa stock

From the Dubai Properties Group’s stable, handover of units in The Villa and Al Waha Villas has been delayed by a couple of months, but should take place in December.

To add to that, the residences that make up the 558 Community next door to Al Waha are leased out by Salwan Property Management.

Al Waha, a fully sold-out freehold development, features 260 villas, of which 50 are three-bedrooms and and 50 are four-bedrooms. There is another version, the rather attractive two-bedrooms arranged in a split-level format. It is a question of preference whether one enjoys the rooftop view or wants to live at the garden level.

Apartments for lease at 558 Community

Over at the 558 Community, the scenario is similar. As many as 134 units are of the four-bedroom type, 102 are three-beds and 180 come as two-bed split villas. There are also 48 two-bedroom and 96 three-bedroom apartments to raise the tally to 558 residences. All villas are spacious and have an upstairs sitting room to boot.

The 558 Community also houses a block of three-storey apartments in its centre and features a large pool. These residences are not for sale, but are being leased for Dubai Properties by Salwan Property Management. “We will offer our services to third parties in Al Waha and are managing phases 1 and 2 of The Villa project,” says Saeed Bushalat, CEO of Salwan Property Management. One- and two-year rental contracts are on offer, which come with the provision that there will be no value increases for the first two years.

Fetching finishes for units

Whatever version, villa or apartment, all come with some rather fetching finishes. Take the tiles for instance: while simple, they are far from plain. The balconies have wrought iron railings to add a nice touch. Most fascinating is the layout of the villas — they are not boxes, but the ample curves and lines create corners and asymmetric rooms, providing a sense of cosiness. Another plus is a staircase leading up to the roof, which could easily be converted into a rooftop garden.

The colours show a preference for sweeping Mediterranean themes. These hues are a distinct yellow, orange and beige.

It is hoped that Al Waha and 558 Community, which encompasses a significant tract at the corner of Al Qudra and Dubai Bypass Road (E-611), will heighten interest in Dubailand’s attractive desert-style ambience. Residents can enjoy being close to the Arabian Ranches Golf and Polo Club and the Dubai Autodrome in Motor City.

Affordable appartment community

The Ghoroob Mirdif apartment community by Dubai Properties Group will also be ready in December.

Set over 3 million square feet, it will offer a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Affordable prices will make the community ideal for mid-income families.

Mirdif versus 558 community

Dubai Properties’ Shorooq community which encompasses 668 villas in Phase One, has 353 units ready for tenants to move into. Salwan sais before summer that rents for a two-bedroom villa here would amount to Dh170,000 compared with the 558 Community’s rates of Dh130,000 a year.

However, after summer DPG stated that introductory promotional packages would be offered during the initial stage of leasing. This makes perfect sense as the market price for many areas in Dubai find themselves in a state of flux this year.

“Mirdif and 558 Community are two totally different projects,” explains Saeed Bushalat of Salwan PropertyManagement. “The unit sizes are bigger in Mirdif. Our rents correspond to the going market prices in the area. It is close to the centre of town and the shopping centres. The 558 Community has not got that yet.”

On the apartment side, 5,000 units in Phase 1 of Al Khail Gate, DPG’s affordable gated community, have already been occupied while Phase 2
will be added soon.

DPG also started handover of over 2,000 residential and commercial units at its Executive Towers in Business Bay in September. “Handover should be complete by the year-end. We have sold most units in the towers, but kept retail, hotel and some of the apartments to be leased  by Salwan,” commented Khalid Al Malik, DPG Group’s CEO.

Rental prices

558 Community Villas
Type C, two-bedroom (1,860 square feet) Dh130,000
Type B, three-bedroom (3,800 square feet) Dh180,000
Type A, four-bedroom (4,101 square feet) Dh200,000

Apartments
Two-bedroom (1,340 square feet) Dh115,000
Three-bedroom (1,755 square feet) Dh135,000

Mirdiff Villas
Two-bedroom Dh170,000
Three-bedroom Dh210,000
Four-bedroom Dh240,000

Al Khail Gate Community
Studio (420 square feet) Dh35,000
One-bedroom (690 square feet) Dh52,000
Two-bedroom (966 square feet) Dh70,000
Three-bedroom (1,150 square feet) Dh90,000