Moving to Dubai 2020

[MamaAbbott]

Hi everyone,
New to mumsnet but looking for some advice etc. My husband has been offered a real estate job in Dubai and we are just in the process of finishing our house in order to sell & move to Dubai. Just after some advice on best places to live and things to do out there. We have a 2yo and 4 month old currently, I’ll be at home with the kids so trying to prepare myself for the move.
Thank you 😀

Please don’t sell up and go out until your husband has passed his probation period. It’s a tough gig in Dubai at the moment. Estate agents are 10-a-penny, and it’s very expensive to set up, so you’ll need a lot of money to start off.

Please tell me he’s not commission only. Supply far far outstrips demand.

We're selling our house due to the size soot seems the right time to move. It's an ongoing conversation as to when I will go out with the children so wanted to get an idea of areas and things to do. From what I've heard real estate in Dubai is booming?

It’s really not booming. The boom days are over.

Agree with Agentprovocateur send hubby over first for 3 months. My DH has just returned to Dubai for his 3rd contract and is presently looking for accommodation and he can’t believe the amount of available apartments and how cheap they are compared with 2008/2014 when he was last there. We are serial expats and I always send DH first for a couple of months . It is easier for him so he can just concentrate on his job and make sure it is the right move (and it has gone wrong previously he lasted 2 weeks in one country and quickly realised he had made a mistake, luckily me being back in the UK made it easy for him to walk away) as it is a big thing uprooting especially to Dubai where living there is dependent on a work visa and is very expensive. As for where to live this really depends on where your DH’s work is based , budget and what you want for example apartment ,villa, community based, near the beach, . Look at dubizzle or propertyfinder.ae to get a feel for prices and what is out there. Dubai is quite an easy place to live as lots of expats and with young children there is a lot to do

The property market boom days ended a long time ago!
Property prices fell by around 40% last year and rental prices are falling every month.

Agree with the others (more than ever!) The real estate market here is not what it was and I think it’s hard to make a decent living from it. We’ve been here ten years or so and have moved house a couple of times - every agent we’ve encountered has been young and single and clearly here for the experience rather than the money.

Agree with the others that it’s best to send him out here first for a few months to get a feel of things.

The OP is asking for specific advice on locations, she's already decided to go so you're opinions on if it's a bad idea are not helpful if it's decided. People love doing this OP. There is a Facebook group with more helpful people on it. I think it's called British Mums Dubai, maybe ask on there. Good luck

I'm just trying to give some honest advice? Not trying to piss over anyone's parade. But I would prefer that sometime gave me accurate information, or at least their valid opinion, before I made such a monumental decision.

But anyway, it's a very broad question? It's like saying where should I live in the UK? Depends massively on budget, whether you want city centre living or suburbia, where his office might be etc.

Anyway, unless she's already here, she definitely won't be moving to Dubai any time soon. Borders are closed (and the property market is through the floor)

Anyway, OP, whatever you decide, Dubai is a wonderful place to live and a great place to bring up kids, so best of luck.

A world of caution - I would be very cautious about accepting a real estate job in Dubai at the moment unless he doesn't have a job at the moment.

Just realised that point has already been made and the original post is from Jan.

Talla - I've been in the region a long time. Even in 2008 people weren't losing jobs at the rate they're losing them at the moment.