Buying a Brand New and Unfurnished Home in Dubai

In a city where ready villas are available for sale in plenty, what motivates an investor to pay a premium for a property when he can buy an off-plan unit at a cheaper price? It could just be timing. An individual looking for a ready property is most likely to use it to rent it out for a regular income or may have family that requires a home in a specific neighborhood for reasons such as school, amenities, community activities and so on. A ready house is most likely to have its interiors done up by existing owners and does not always match up to the taste of a buyer. However, there are many brand new homes in the offering that are decorated in neutral colors, unfurnished and allow customization by new buyers.

What are some of the likely changes that a new owner will make on buying a property? Usually it is the wall colors, kitchen appliances, tiles in kitchen and washroom, lighting fixtures, basement and porch areas that are first in line to undergo transformation. Changing home interiors is an additional expense to a home buyer. However it should be considered as an investment that adds value to existing market price and bring additional income in a long run. Home staging is a key marketing activity in real estate that is ignored by many first time homeowners. This is especially important to those who buy property to rent out.

Lighting: An important aspect of living spaces is appropriate lighting. Using warm lighting will make the space more welcoming. Also focus on functionality of lighting. Bedrooms with soft light, night stands and ornate fixtures will make the room inviting to sleep. Support accent lighting with ambient lighting (while watching TV or having a casual talk with guests) and focused lighting (spot lights over artworks, reading lights, LED tape over countertops) to make people comfortable with their lighting options. Living rooms with decorative fixtures or small chandeliers with handmade colorful glasses are likely to bring character to your home and display fine tastes of the home owner.

Space illusions: A home is a combination of irregularly sized spaces. You may have a large living area on the ground floor with smaller rooms and have very large bedrooms in the upper floors with very little common area. This disproportionate space allocation should not be frowned upon. Instead, use it as an opportunity to decorate and utilize the spaces for unlikely reasons. You may use the smaller bedrooms as home- office, children’s play area or utility room. Decorate it with bright colors so the space does not look dull and drab but looks warm and inviting instead. For larger bedrooms that do not have enough furniture to cover the floor area, position the furniture away from the wall and use area rugs or indoor plants to cover the floor area. Hang paintings and wall décor items with wooden frames that gives the heavy and classy look for a lively room. You can also create a recreation room with indoor game equipment and gears using a simple table for board games and colorful yoga mats for floor seating.

Paint: Although neutral tones – white, cream and gray have been popular for years, 2018 has opened up the walls to brighter shades of pastels, pinks and charcoal gray. This year, one can go even bolder with shades of yellow, green and earthy tones. Mauve is also a color that one can choose to paint the bathroom or kitchen area which crosses over the neutral with bold, ever so slightly. Painting walls of adjacent rooms in the same color will make the space appear larger. Hence if you are planning to paint an earthy green for one of the walls in the living room make sure the adjacent wall of a different room also runs in the same color.

Asymmetry: Placing all your home decoration items in predictable places at an even level does not make a huge impression on the eyeballs. Tastefully positioning artworks at different levels on the wall, along the stairway, near the hand-wash area or the hallway is most likely to attract a gasp from guests. Your kitchen overheads can serve as an excellent platform to showcase light weight décor, silverware, wooden vases and flowers. Your front entrance is a great place to showcase heavy outdoor décor. Your washroom and bedroom mirrors can be positioned to reflect artworks in hidden areas that are unlikely to be spotted directly by the visitors. Create interest by placing only one half of a set or a couple in one area and the other half in a different area. Example: If you have wooden dolls of a tribal family, place the man and woman doll in your bedroom, the baby and the dogs in the children’s room. This way there is continuity of the same theme around the house, without stuffing all in one place just to create order, symmetry or a set.

With these 4 handy tips, expand your horizon in making your house a more lucrative investment for your future. Because no matter what the statisticians tell you about the market, there is always opportunity to make hay while the sun shines. If you are looking for the right home to suit your budget, feel free to visit www.myvilla.com and find great properties in Dubai that you can choose to compare and book a viewing.