The Zaal family with Zaal Mohammad Zaal, chairman of Al Barari, is releasing 13 exclusive apartments as part of the Signature Collection in Seventh Heaven, part of phase two in the community. With price tags ranging between Dh5 million and Dh10 million, the one- to three-bedroom units in the Signature Collection will test the market appetite for luxury properties.

While 144 apartments in Seventh Heaven were launched in March 2014 and 90 per cent of which has been already sold out, the developer decided to retain a few units and sell them closer to completion to give end users a look and feel of what lies in store. The Signature apartments come with upgraded finishes, flooring, kitchen appliances, bigger terraces, etc. They comprise four one-bedroom apartments, eight two-beds and one three-bed unit.

The Signature Collection apartments are priced from Dh2,500 per square foot, with areas ranging from 1,700 sq ft to 3,300 sq ft. Meanwhile, Seventh Heaven apartments sold earlier commanded under Dh2,000 per sq ft.

While Al Barari earlier included mostly residential offerings in the form of The Residences, The Reserve, The Farm restaurant, a health club and spa, the developer is widening the product mix to include more apartments and other community offerings such as a hotel, school and other facilities.

"We will add a hotel, dining areas, a central forest on an island and a floating retail market. The themed gardens in Al Barari were earlier accessible only by residents. We want to give the public an option to roam around facilities in Al Barari as well. The overall masterplan will take five to 10 years for completion. It will include retail offerings, medical facilities, a school and assisted living facilities. We have allocated specific areas for different developments and preliminary designs are ready," Nicolas Trabucco, head of marketing, Al Barari, told Khaleej Times.

Two floors in Seventh Heaven will house F & B and retail offerings. After studies with a global consultancy, it has been decided to include a bank, grocery, nursery, small coffee shop and other retail outlets, including a tailor. "We are in touch with a few local and international retail brands, but nothing has been finalised as yet," added Trabucco.

While construction at Seventh Heaven has hit the 65 per cent mark, the apartments are scheduled to be handed over in Q2 2017.

"We have a complete variety of buyers: Indians, Pakistanis, Westerns, Dutch, French, Brits, etc., in Seventh Heaven. Earlier, only families were buying into Al Barari, including Emiratis, Indians and Pakistanis. The apartments cater to a wider audience, including young couples, businessmen, etc. We mostly sell to end-users who are seeking the luxury finishes, privacy, greenery and tranquility associated with Al Barari," informed Trabucco.

The developer said it has been seeing more interest from Chinese buyers for apartments in Seventh Heaven. "We have tied up with brokerages who have connections with local Chinese buyers and those based in China. The Dubai real estate market was very quiet owing to Ramadan and the summer. Cityscape Global gave people a clear overview of the market. The market will start moving between now and mid-December," he added.

-

Deepthi Nair I cover all things related to real estate in the UAE. Working as a print journalist in Dubai since 2008, I have reported on all the flashy new projects in town. Dubai's passion for setting new records continues to amaze me. I love to do stories that strike a chord with the average expatriate in the UAE. If you have any news related to your community or rents, you know who to get in touch with at Khaleej Times. When I am not working, I travel, catch up with friends, mall trawl, catch up on movies, explore new places in town or just unwind in a spa. Originally from India, I have been a journalist for more than 11 years. Language has been my forte right from school. That's me in a nutshell