We’ve spent the last 3 weeks hunting for a flat/apartment/villa in Bin Omran, Bin Mahmoud, Clipp, Khulaib, Markhiya, Nasser, Abu Hamour and Salwa Road. It’s been very tiring to say the least as we would, on weekends, usually leave the flat in the morning and end up going home in the evening. We’ve looked at flats, apartments, and villas; fully furnished (FF), semi- furnished (SF) and unfurnished (UF).  Here are some tips and lessons we’ve learned that we can share when you’re hunting for a flat or villa in Doha.

BUDGET AND EXPECTATIONS:
Settle your budget and expectations. Do you want a 2 room flat or a 3 bedroom flat? Do you want it furnished or unfurnished? How much is your budget and what can you compromise with? Essentially, the big bulk of this falls on your budget. In our case, even though we can allot QR15,000/month for our housing, we found it unpractical for us especially that we’re only 3 in the family. If you have a big family and can afford a 12,500QR 3 bedroom villa, then there are a lot of options for you. You can find small but gated compounds for that amount. Otherwise, 2 bedroom flats in new buildings would usually cost you 6500QR (UF with ACs) to 8000QR (FF). 3 bedroom flats start at 7500QR (UF),  8000QR (FF) to 10,000QR for a “high-end” apartment with pool and gym. Once you’ve settled with what you want or need, select your location.

LOOKING FOR ADS:
Once you know what you want, start looking at the ads. You can call real estate agents like:

Al Emadi – http://www.alemadi.com.qa/pages/apartments.html
Al Fanar -http://www.alfanarrealestate.com/
Homes2Rent – http://www.homes2rent.biz/
Century21 – http://www.century21qatar.com/
Zukrof – http://www.zukhrof.com/

 You can look for ads Online through QatarLiving, or through the online classifieds section of Gulf Times. You can also grab some publications that specialize on Real Estate in Doha (RENT) or your local newspapers. You can also go to your Grocery shops which usually have a board intended for announcements. You can ask your colleagues for numbers that they might have called if they have moved recently or if they are in the same boat as you. Make a list and write down contact numbers and type of flats/ villas being offered which fit your wants (location and budget).

Also, if you have car, drive around the area that you’re interested in and I’m sure you’ll find tarpaulins and signage on new buildings ready for occupancy. We’ve probably seen more flats doing this that calling or looking at ads online/print.

SOMETHING FISHY:
So you’re looking at the Ads and suddenly you see an ad that asks you for only 5500QR for a 2 bedroom flat or an 8000QR villa? You can dream on, skip the ad or if you like, give it a try and see the location. However, from what we’ve experienced, 5500QR for a flat gives you irregular and small room sizes and renovated buildings. An 8000QR villa nets you an OLD villa which you’ll dare not live in. Although we found a 9000QR compound villa in Abu Hamour which is new but the rooms are far too small. So don’t expect too much from those kinds of ads unless the real estate prices really goes down that far.

more to follow on next post…