Winning a brand new six-seater jet plane or its equivalent Dh5 million in cash could have made anyone rest on his laurels. But the young winner of Damac Properties’ Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) draw has managed to keep his feet on the ground and his future in mind.

Twenty-one-year-old Ahmad Reza Farsiar, a UK national of Iranian descent, said the post-April Fool’s Day phone call he received has been a life-changing experience for him. ‘When I received the call on April 2 that informed me that I had won a jet plane, I remember asking the caller thrice if he was serious. Then the following day, I went directly to the Damac office in London to verify the information,’ said Farsiar, who is in Dubai to attend the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2007.

Farsiar said he managed to enter the draw by purchasing a studio apartment at Damac’s Tuscan Place project in Jumeirah in February. After winning the DSF raffle, he was given an option to either take the jet or convert it to its monetary equivalent of Dh5 million. He chose the latter.

‘I decided to encash it, which was worth about US$2 million, and invest it in other properties,’ he said. By opting for the monetary equivalent, Farsiar was able to pay off the full amount for his Tuscan Place studio apartment, costing Dh507,000 and even have an extra Dh4.5 million, which he used to purchase three office units at the Business Bay. To date, his investments have earned him a return of approximately Dh700,000 since the value of the properties has already increased.