Where Is UAE Real Estate Heading Next?

Tim Elliott (0:00)

This is the Morning Drive, it is Mira Business FM, it's Wednesday morning, and that means Mario Volpi is here, nice to see you.

Mario Volpi (0:08)

Good morning, Tim.

Tim Elliott (0:09)

Do you know, I was thinking, I was writing last night, I was writing an introduction about you, and I got this far. I don't know if you'll like it or not, but I'll give it to you anyway. Mario Volpi, senior manager at EVA Real Estate, joins us this morning to talk property. What he's forgotten about real estate isn't worth knowing.

Mario Volpi (0:26)

It's not bad. Are you saying, because of my age, I forget about these things?

Tim Elliott (0:34)

I knew you'd go there. No, it was meant to be a compliment.

Mario Volpi (0:36)

That was very nice.

Tim Elliott (0:37)

Thank you. Quite back-handed.

Mario Volpi (0:38)

No, amazing.

Tim Elliott (0:40)

It's nice to see you.

Mario Volpi (0:41)

Thank you. You too.

Tim Elliott (0:41)

You're off to…

Mario Volpi (0:44)

Uzbekistan.

Tim Elliott (0:45)

Uzbekistan. You're down in Abu Dhabi tonight. You're like a globe trotter.

Mario Volpi (0:50)

Well, they all come at once, don't they?

Tim Elliott (0:52)

They're like policemen.

Mario Volpi (0:53)

I mean, last week, I was in Dubai. I was in Dubai Marina, so I didn't go anywhere.

Tim Elliott (0:57)

It's not like buses, a policeman, is it?

Mario Volpi (0:59)

No, it's buses. I knew that. They will come along at once.

Tim Elliott (1:02)

So you're down in Abu Dhabi tonight. This is the launch of a branded residence.

Mario Volpi (1:07)

Yeah, this is Manchester City Residences. I'm going sort of reluctantly as a Chelsea fan, incognito.

Tim Elliott (1:13)

Are you going to wear Chelsea blue?

Mario Volpi (1:15)

No, I'm going to wear what I'm wearing now because I'm going straight from the office. That's close.

No, I made a bit of a joke yesterday because my boss had been before to sort of like a pre-launch. And I said, oh, are there going to be any goodie bags? I thought, I hope not, from the point of view of Man City. He goes, well, yeah, I mean, before they were giving away some sort of signed shirts. And I turned around to him. He used to play rugby for South Africa. I said, rather have a signed shirt from you than one from Manchester City, which stoked his ego a little bit. But anyway, yeah, that was a bit harsh. So then I started to think, oh, what if I do get there and there is a goody bag of a Man City scarf or something? And then I start to think, who do I know?

And then it dawned on me that the marketing guy from the grand millennium, where we have the Chelsea Supporters Club, it's our venue, he's a massive Man City fan. He's a big South African gentleman, big as in he's tall and well-built, if I can put it like that. And anyway, I don't know why I had to describe him.

Tim Elliott (2:25)

He's a big South African to me.

Mario Volpi (2:27)

Well, yeah, you don't mess with him basically. Anyway, I thought, well, if I happen to have a goody bag with a Man City scarf, I'll donate it to him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

Tim Elliott (2:36)

Well, you're a memorabilia guy, aren't you? You collect comics.

Mario Volpi (2:39)

Yes, American comics.

Tim Elliott (2:42)

American comics. Vintage.

You like your vintage stuff. Football programs, I know you've got a whole stuff.

Mario Volpi (2:47)

I've got a few of those, but you know, football programs, they're not as valuable as you think they are. They really are just more about nostalgia. I mean, I brought you in some from West Ham, if you remember, and which I know you sort of showed to your dad or gave to your dad.

Tim Elliott (3:02)

He made up with those by the way. Exactly. He loved it.

Mario Volpi (3:04)

It's that kind of a person who it means something to. And it's good to look back on, but honestly, they're worth a pound here and a pound there. Right. It's nothing. So yes, I've got some of those, much to my wife's annoyance, when you're going to get rid of them type of thing. But no sort of signed shirts, football cards, signed cards, footballs themselves, football boots.

So yeah, we've got Bobby Tamblyn's signed football boot. He was the most prolific goal scorer before Frank Lampard, as it were. He did 202 goals. So I've got his boots. So yeah, several, and motor racing, I love Formula One. So all of that I have, yeah.