Residents looking to live in new, trendy communities can find plenty of options in Dubai. From beach-themed locations to homes closer to the anticipated Expo 2020 site, Dubai’s housing landscape is loaded with great choices for any house-hunter. Here are some of the newer neighbourhoods to watch out for.
1. Jumeirah Park
Nakheel’s Jumeirah Park is a non-gated neighbourhood located behind Jumeirah Lakes Towers, bordering The Meadows. Home to around 21,000 residents, the villa-only community offers a family-friendly atmosphere with parks, cycling and jogging trails. There are four types of villas — Legacy, Heritage, Regional and Nova – and they offer three- to five-bedroom options. Some villas also have private swimming pools. Residents can find supermarkets, clinics and schools nearby and a new sports and leisure complex with an Olympic-size pool is under construction. According to property portal Bayut, rents for villas start from Dh145,000 and sale prices from Dh2.7 million.
“Jumeirah Park is the best community in Dubai in my opinion. It is a family-oriented community with easy access to all major roads, lots of activities around, big roads and lots of greenery,” says Gaber Nehma Kenger, CEO of GN Homes Real Estate Development, which is behind developments such as Royal Park in Jumeirah Park.
2. Dubai South
Dubai South’s residential district benefits from its close distance to Al Maktoum International Airport and the Expo 2020 Dubai site, which will have a Metro station by mid-2020. Located in Jebel Ali, the area comprises several projects. The Pulse, a community comprising 1,200 homes, will have town houses and apartments, with sale prices starting from Dh280,000. The Villages and Park Lane will also contain apartments and town houses, with prices starting from Dh300,000 and Dh1.3 million, respectively. According to the developer, Dubai South Properties, the area is expected to have around 50,000 residents by the time the Expo begins in October next year.
“Dubai South and Villa Nova [in Dubailand] have both been reported as experiencing two of the highest levels of villa transactions year to date,” says Nick Grassick, managing director of PH Real Estate. He said that the outer-lying communities generally provide the most potential growth opportunity, noting that values have softened to a greater extent than some of the more central Dubai locations.
3. Dubai Creek Harbour
The 6-sq-km Dubai Creek Harbour is a mixed-use waterfront development that will contain 48,500 residential units housing around 200,000 residents when completed. It will have a marina, yacht club, two Metro links and 24 hotels, and will be home to the iconic Dubai Creek Tower that’s set to be taller than the Burj Khalifa. With the planned shopping destination of Dubai Square, and offering dazzling views of the Creek Marina, Dubai skyline and Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, the development has generated the third-highest sales volume of almost Dh894.5 million in the third quarter, according to Luxhabitat. Prices currently start from Dh870,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, based on figures from Bayut.com.
4. Dubai Hills Estate
Dubai Hills Estate is a mega development by Emaar in collaboration with Meraas. Situated around an 18-hole championship golf course, the gated community is a part of MBR City and features parks, lakes and open green areas. It offers low-rise apartments, town houses and villas, as well as co-living spaces at the Collective and the chance to run a home-based business at the Executive Residences. In addition, the neighbourhood is getting its own shopping and leisure destination, Dubai Hills Malls. According to Property Finder, prices start from Dh885,888 for apartments at the sub-community of Park Ridge –scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter next year– and Dh2.1 million for town houses at Maple, most of which have been handed over. In fact, Dubai Hills Estate has seen the highest number of handovers in the last six months.
5. Bluewaters
The new island destination of Bluewaters by Meraas offers luxurious seaside residences near the world-famous Caesars Palace and Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel. Just a short walk along a bridge from The Beach on JBR, the scenic community has fitness centres, swimming pools, basketball courts and retail and dining outlets. Three modes of transport connect the island to the mainland: a direct link to Sheikh Zayed Road, pedestrian access from The Beach opposite JBR, and water transport. Residences on Bluewaters comprise 10 mid-rise towers containing 698 apartments and 17 town houses, with prices starting from Dh1.9 million. The island welcomed its first residents early this year.
