Property Malaysia

While the price of houses and apartments in Malaysia (especially in the city) continue to climb up, and condo size start to shrink, things are a lot better compared to Hong Kong.

I recently read this article in CNN that really brought the point about the cramped living conditions on the island.

Chung lives in a 625 square foot (58.06 square meter) flat here with 18 strangers.

The place is sectioned into tiny cubicles made of wooden planks and wire mesh. Everything he has acquired over the years — clothes, dishes, figurines, a tired TV set — is squeezed into this tiny cube, a modernized version of what is known here as a cage home.

Chung is one of the hundreds of people waiting for government help to find home, and at the moment they have to make do with this.

Chung’s cage is a newer yet less-desirable model, we are told. The wire mesh one, which resembles an over-sized rabbit hutch, is apparently more comfortable.

Occupants have less privacy, but the temperatures don’t get as high as in the wooden-mesh variety. A thermometer in Chung’s home reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). Sometimes it gets so hot, Chung said, that he wants to die.

Check out the article here with the accompanying video.

Here’s a summary of the last few reviews carried out in the past two months, as usual we’ve updated the reviews page.

227.Metropolitan Square Service Apartments (Block D), Damansara Perdana
228.Kota Harmoni, Seksyen 27 Shah Alam
229.Metropolitan Square Condominium (Block C), Damansara Perdana
230.Panorama Residences, Sentul
231.Taman Putra Prima: Phase 8A

Also, if any readers have recommendations for newly launched projects, we are keen to review too. Thanks!

Looks like another hillside storm is brewing.

According to todays online edition of Malay Mail,

A STORM of controversy is brewing over two development projects in upscale Bangsar. One is a project that has been put on hold by the Federal Territories Ministry following safety concerns by residents.
The other, meanwhile, is causing consternation to residents over its ambitious development plan on a relatively small plot of land.

The decision on whether both projects receive the go-ahead from the authorities now hinge on the outcome of technical reports by the Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) and independent consultants.

The report does not give any details of this Bangsar project, though, like its exact location or developer. The other project mentioned is refering to the Damansara 21 project in Medan Damansara, which was in the public news because of a landslip on Aug 26 last year. Following the Dec 6 Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy, which killed six people and saw 14 houses destroyed, the FT Ministry issued a stop-work order on the Damansara 21 project.

Hopefully there will be more info in the coming days on this new Bangsar project.

For the unfamiliar, Taman Putra Prima is a 451-acre project at the edge of Sepang bordering Puchong. To get here, you need to turn off the LDP at the Puchong Utama interchange, and a further right turn will lead you into a long straight road that is home to many new housing development that have been launched in the past few years. Driving in, on the left side are mostly freehold properties under Sepang jurisdiction like Taman Putra Impiana, Taman Mas Sepang and Taman Meranti Jaya. On the other side of the road is under Puchong, and mostly are leasehold properties like Taman Tasik Prima and Taman Tekali Puchong.

The first few phases of linkhomes have been completed and occupied since the early part of the decade. Recently the development activity has started up again, first with the addition of additional shoplots at the front of the development, and now with more landed units beside the shoplots. In all they have planned for 30 phases, stretching all the way to 2012. We have had the opportunity to review some of the earlier phases here, you can check them out by clicking on the links below:

Taman Putra Prima: Phase 3C (Amethyst)
Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4A (Beryl & Ivory)
Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4B (Azurite)

Its well connected to the LDP, you can actually either exit through Taman Puchong Perdana or Taman Puchong Utama as alternatives. Another recent news that will be well received is that work on the interchange (just beyond Bandar Nusaputra) to the Maju Expressway (Putrajaya KL highway) is nearing completion. With this, you can easily nip down to KL in less than 20 minutes via the new dedicated highway.

In general if you drive around Taman Putra Prima, the development exudes a more laidback feel, with lots of green spaces (and a few strange roundabouts) and low density. There are no closely built blocks or high rise apartments as yet, and the landscaping gives a very sparse feel that we like. This new phase dubbed 8A (which, unlike the earlier phases, does not have a name) consists of 197 units of linkhomes. The standard unit here is built on a small footprint of 22′ x 65′, and units are arranged in three main roads. The units generally face north or south. Within this phase there are no landscaped park, the only facilities are 2 TNB substations. Other than the homes there is only a small open green area bordering the main road.

With the small footprint and with only 2 storeys, the build up is also small. There are 3 types to choose from, the intermediate units is 1,986sq.ft. and 1,974sq.ft. Corner lots are bigger in space and land area, the build up is from 2,193 to 2,227sq.ft. With the small build up, everything is pretty tight, but they do provide a guest room on the ground floor and 3 rooms upstairs. All three rooms upstairs have private bathrooms. The living and dining is quite cramped, the kitchen is even so. I think most purchasers will forgo the utility (supposedly to be for the maid) and extend the kitchen all the way back. Interestingly enoguh there is no 10′ yard at the back of the unit, the building line goes all the way to the backlane.

The strong selling point is the freehold land status and the design of the facade, which stands out from the competition. The contemporary design is definitely eye catching. But at the end of the day, we really wished they had gone for a bigger build up. Its not like they don’t have enough land.

Price is from RM319,300 to RM575,900. For a small build up this is on the high side.

Plenitude have also developed projects in Penang, Johor Bahru, Kedah and the Klang Valley. Best known for their Changkat Kiara and Changkat View condomimiums.

An owner has kindly shared his photos of Saujana Residency with us, you can read the original review here, together with a very active discussion in the comments area.

We understand that the project is currently being handed over to the purchaser, and the hot topic of discussion at the moment is the LRT extension that will be built very near here.

This is a unit type J.

Below: view of the living room.

Below: The view of the external landscaping.

For some of the older site progress photos during construction, you can view it here:
July 2008
August 2008

Further to the top ten list of corporations named in the Edge Top 30 Developers Award, here is the full list in the overall awards.

1. Sime Darby Property Bhd
2. S P Setia Bhd
3. Sunway City Bhd
4. IGB Corp Bhd
5. Island & Peninsular Sdn Bhd
6. IOI Properties Bhd
7. Bandar Raya Developments Bhd
8. Eastern & Oriental Bhd
9. Sunrise Bhd
10. Bandar Utama City Corp Sdn Bhd
11. Gamuda Bhd - Property Division
12. IJM Land Bhd
13. YTL Land & Development Bhd
14. Paramount Corp Bhd
15. Selangor Dredging Bhd
16. Mah Sing Group Bhd
17. Naza TTDI Bhd
18. Selangor Properties Bhd
19. Dijaya Corporation Bhd
20. UEM Land Holdings Bhd
21. PJ Development Holdings Bhd
22. WCT Land Sdn Bhd
23. Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd
24. Plenitude Bhd
25. Naim Holdings Bhd
26. Malton Bhd
27. United Malayan Land Bhd
28. Hunza Properties Bhd
29. Sagajuta (S) Sdn Bhd
30. Bolton Bhd

Full details and individual qualitative and quantitative category results are also shown in yesterdays The Edge Malaysia newspaper.

The annual The Edge Top Property Developers Awards 2009 has announced the top ten developers list over the weekend and Sime Darby Property (SDP) has unseated SP Setia, who previously held the top spot for the last 4 years. The top ten, is pretty much unchanged, is as follows (previous year’s position shown in parenthesis):

1. Sime Darby Property Bhd (-)
2. S P Setia Bhd (1)
3. Sunway City Bhd (3)
4. IGB Corp Bhd (2)
5. Island & Peninsular Sdn Bhd (4)
6. IOI Properties Bhd (5)
7. Bandar Raya Developments Bhd (6)
8. Eastern & Oriental Bhd (9)
9. Sunrise Bhd (8)
10. Bandar Utama City Corp Sdn Bhd (7)

Full list of Top 30 corporations is shown here. Details and individual category results will be issued in today’s The Edge Malaysia newspaper.

Well, we’re not too sure you should call it Sentul or Batu Caves, because its sort of in between both areas, easily accessible by both ways. Panorama Residences is located in Sentul, but its on the road leading direct to and from Batu Caves.

If you are coming from the city centre, Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sentul will bring you here. Whereas if you are coming from other parts of the city, it is very convenient to use the MRR2. There is a new traffic light interchange in Batu Caves that goes under the elevated flyover of the expressway. Previously you would have to turn off at an earlier interchange, which would mean you were forced to go through a light industrial area and narrow roads. Now with the new traffic light junction, just go on straight and you will see the bustling commercial centre suddenly give way to a quieter Malay kampung background.

Panorama Residences sits on a last parcel of land that was earlier developed as a double storey landed homes project. This development, Taman Bullion Mewah (what was that again?) has been recently completed and is now quite well populated. They sold this last parcel to the current developer and they are currently launching it as Panorama Residences. The parcel of land is at the corner of the development, and odd shaped piece of land that is right beside the main road you it not missable if you are driving along here. As a landmark, the Islamic College is somewhere across the road.

Originally the condo was planned to be launched at the end of 2008, but due to some reasons it has been pushed back until end of this year.

Surrounding here, there are almost all landed homes, either very established kampung areas or newer linkhomes. In fact, the nearest condo of note by our estimation would either be Dolomite Park Avenue or YTL’s Saffron in Sentul East, but that’s quite far off.

The developer, from the looks of it, is adopting a straightforward, no-frills condo. The look, facade, and facilities reflect this, and to a lesser degree, so does the price. But more on that later.

There are about 435 units, set on two blocks, one 13 storeys while another is slightly higher at 16 storeys. Actually, the site layout is quite simple. Just the two blocks, and a small parking structure in between. The common facilities are located on the podium of the parking structure. Most of the parking is in the structure, but the site is also surrounded by outdoor parking. This may not look appealing in the long run but useful for people looking for extra bays, and sure beats having the tenants park outside on the public road (seeing that its right next to a dual carriageway main road).

There are two main types of layout to choose from, either a smaller 935 or the slightly larger 1,041sq. ft. Both are pretty formulaic design, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, both with balconies. The 1041sq.ft. unit has its back to an airwell, you may need to consider when choosing. The two blocks have different alignments, but in general you either have a city (meaning KLCC) view, or away from the city (not sure if you can see Batu Caves and Genting though). But at the moment the condo is very much unobstructed, considering the surrounding areas as mentioned earlier.

As noted earlier facilities are basic, but they do have a tennis court but a rather small swimming pool.

Pricing is set at about RM250psf. so that would make the units at an average price of about RM240-RM250k. At the moment during the soft launch, a lot of the details of the project including the final selling price is not confirmed yet. Since it might be subject to change, please check with the sales personnel for the latest info. But based on the rough pricing of RM250psf, it is still quite affordable. Of course it isn’t competitive as compared to far out suburbs, this is in KL and within close proximity to the city centre.

The developer is primarily a building contractor, now moving into the development business. They have another landed home development in Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan.

Do we like it? Well, they have kept it minimalist, to keep it more competitive. This works both ways, it will not appeal to those looking for more upmarket facilities and branding. But as an entry level home in this vicinity, this has its own appeal. The medium density of about 400 units is just about right. Hopefully there will be no drastic changes when it comes to the official launch, like the density and pricing.

Some of you may have a whiff of it already, but a new property portal is going to be launch to take advantage demand for property news, listings and articles. Its by the Edge, Malaysia’s leading business newspaper and the buzz for the website is that it will be innovative and very useful for Malaysian homebuyers and investors. For a preview of it, check out the website (although there isn’t to see until it is launch).

Keep your eyes peeled for the launch!

Some lighter stuff while most of us are still in the holiday mood (actually not us, we’re back to work today).

This was taken from the Star some weeks back, nice to see justice for the little guys like us.

Developer told to refund booking fees

JOHOR BARU: The consumer claims tribunal has directed a financially-troubled housing developer to return the booking deposits of house buyers in instalments.

Tribunal president Rahazlan Affandi Abdul Rahim made the ruling after a representative from Kong Sun Enterprise Sdn Bhd said the company was not doing well financially.

“We can only afford to pay the reimbursement of RM4,750 in instalments as we are overloaded with repayments,” said the company representative, who declined to be named.

At least eight cases have been filed against the developer at the tribunal here in recent weeks.

Most of the victims, who paid the deposits last year, wanted the booking fee refunded after their loans were not approved.

The latest case was yesterday when a sales consultant brought the developer to the tribunal to get her refund

Lee Kuek Chen, 27, alleged that she paid a RM5,000 booking fee for a low cost house in Mount Austin in October last year.

“Since then, I have tried calling them many times to find out the status of my purchase but they kept telling me to wait. Then in May, I received a letter from the developer stating that my loan was not approved.”

“They promised to refund the money but I waited for another four months before taking them to the tribunal,” she said.

Rahazlan said the tribunal had taken into consideration the company’s financial state and its willingness to repay the money.