Property Malaysia

Hi, this is X-man, the new administrator for Property Malaysia.

For the next week or so, I will be running this website, all postings and review will be handled by me, the new guy. The original ‘Administrator’ will be going on an indefinite hiatus, he says its partly due to work, burnout from too many reviews, and partly to reassess his priorities in life (huh?!). The other team members of Property Malaysia remain the same (the other five ‘mystery’ members), its just that i will take permanent temporary control of the editing, posting, moderating, answering reader comments and replying of e-mails.

Also, on another note, some of you may have notice in the past there have been some posts that were removed. These posts (mostly reviews) were removed after some ‘discussions’ with the developers and third parties. Some of these were removed long ago, some were very recent. This blog (we may sometimes call it a website, but in essence it’s still a blog) was borne out of a few good friends who wanted to write about show units and new launches, we never wanted to offend anyone.

Having said that, its water under the bridge, and we are looking forward to more reviews. If your request for review hasn’t been reciprocated, please be assured were trying hard to find time to see the place, the biggest problem we face is the lack of time due to other commitments.

Anyway, this is X-man signing off. Peace out.

We are trying out some technical housekeeping here at Property Malaysia, so if you encounter any problems in the next few days, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Among the thing we are testing are:

• changing the permalink system to an easier convention;
• Testing out a few blogsome plug-ins (effects may vary);
• In relation to the above, testing spam-blocking (many readers have encountered this problem);
• Back-up;
• trying few options of own hosting (just testing), and migrating the archive.

So if you find some problems like link not working, page not loading up, page settings off, or ‘Page does Not Exist’ error, please be patient, we will try to rectify them.

Looking at the title, you may think it’s a collection of cool places in the US, but its not, it’s the name of phases in Dergahayu’s development in Subang. The development, incidentally is called USJ One Subang, not to be confused with the neighbouring USJ 1 Avenue condominiums, by MCT.

What’s Grandville, then? No idea, but I suppose it’s the name of the series of premium homes in this development, with a tagline ‘The Signature Series’ (hey, isn’t there a line of super luxury cars with that same tagline? Never mind). OK, we’ve got all that cleared up.

Dergahayu has strong presence in this area, they are also the people behind the Regalia Business Centre in nearby Subang Mewah. They are also launching the Westend Studios further up the road. Before this they had launched earlier phases of USJ One, namely Nusantara, Ebony and the courtyard semi-D Palm Spring. Some of these units are ready and you can actually drive in and see the nicely manicured landscaping and wide roads.

So let’s talk a bit about this location. Well, actually it shares the same perks and problems of the recently launched USJ1 Avenue, but we’ll recap it here. At the moment , there are two exits from this place, and they both lead to Persiaran Kewajipan. One is at the busy interchange at Giant, the other one is further up near the light industrial area. There is a one way exit to KESAS highway under construction at the moment, which will give residents here a better choice of connectivity. Some years back ,there was a proposal to build a overhead bridge across the highway to allow cars from the other side of KESAS to enter Subang Mewah (some of our associates were involved) but nothing much came out of it.

Another proposal that will help this project a lot is the much-talked about USJ-Puchong link, near the Puchong Tesco. Ah, the panacea for developers on both sides of the great suburban divide. There is a lot of talk of this link, some say its going ahead, but some say this. But that aside, Grandville should be assessed on the current available road network only, or else there will a lot of disappointed people around.

There are about 200 units in this whole development and the 3 phases that are available are the aforementioned Melrose, Montana and Palm Beach, which we will look at separately:

Palm Beach – this is the 50’ x 90’ semi-D series, at a very generous build-up of 3,999sq.ft. Another variation is the Palm Spring which comes with a courtyard (which we don’t really fancy) which is sold out. Palm Beach has 6 bedroom and 4 baths, and we really liked the large garden, something really rare even for this price range and area. The interesting design feature of this series is the study room on a higher split level, a very interesting touch. Master and bedroom 1 have balconies, and most of the spaces are well designed. Price range is from RM800k to RM1mil.

Melrose – at 50’ x 80’, it has a smaller plot size and build-up than Palm Beach. Because it’s a bungalow, the footprint is naturally smaller, but this is a 2 ½ storey unit and is priced steeper. It comes in only 5 rooms but 7 baths (whoa, my sympathies for your maid) but one thing we liked was the huge living and dining area. The master bedroom is attached to the study, or it can also pass as a baby room or a big walk in wardrobe. All the rooms are spacious, and we also liked this design (but we can’t decide if we like Palm Beach better). Price starts at RM1mil.

Montana – now this one pulls no punches in terms of size. 70’ x 91’ (yep, you read that right), 4,900sq.ft, 6 bedrooms and 7 baths, double volume living, huge porch (for the 6 Mercs and Beamers), huge balcony and planter box, and a third storey ‘viewing deck’. Decadent, yes, but we like it. Starts RM1.26mil. As audacious as it sounds, its quite worth the sum, if we may say so.

Finishing for all the units are understandably high quality, which is really proportionate to the price bracket and niche market they are targeting.

We feel this gives a different dimension of choice for those who wish to move upmarket yet want to stay in USJ. Most outsiders don’t prefer to move in to Subang / USJ due to the traffic problems, so it really attracts those who want to remain in the area. Overall the pricing comes expensive considering its leasehold land, and there are high density condos coming up along the road. Amenities (like shops and schools) are already established.

Their earlier phase of Nusantara (24’ x 80’) was marketed as the only 2 ½ Home Office in Subang.

We have always wanted to learn more about real property gains tax (RPGT) in Malaysia, and have been searching for online resources for awhile.

The term real property here is referring to landed property in Malaysia such as residential property (houses, condominiums, apartments), commercial properties (shop houses, commercial lots, factories and office buildings) and land. The property must be in Malaysian territory. Foreign property will not be subject to RPGT.

Capital gains are generally not subject to tax in Malaysia. Real property gains tax is charged on gains arising from the disposal of real property situated in Malaysia or of interest, options or other rights in or over such land as well as the disposal of shares in real property companies. The tax rates for Malaysian citizens and permanent residents are as follows:

Disposal within 2 years – 30%
Disposal in the 3rd year – 20%
Disposal in the 4th year – 15%
Disposal in the 5th year – 5%
Disposal in the 6th year and thereafter:
Company – 5%
Individual – nil

Citizens and permanent residents also enjoy an exemption of RM5,000 or 10% of the gains whichever is the greater, besides a one-time tax exemption on the gains arising from the disposal of one private residence.
For non-citizens and non-permanent resident individuals, gains from the disposal of real property within five years are taxed at a flat rate of 30%, after which the tax rate will be 5%.

The holding period is measured from the acquisition date of the real property up to the disposal date.

Anyway, the best Malaysia online resource we’ve found so far is this helpdesk by property giant Sunrise and this site where someone has even given some calculated examples.

For further reference, you can check out official MIDA site, and this one, too.

If any experts out there are willing to help out, you are most welcome.

Over the long Deepavali – Hari Raya holidays (or as some people call it ‘Deeparaya’) we received something in our mailbox.

It was an impressive flyer from notable developer Bukit Hitam Development Sdn. Bhd. (joint venture between PKNS and The Ayer Hitam Planting Syndicate Bhd.), promoting some of the existing phases in the Bandar Bukit Puchong 2. We have already mentioned about this promising developer in our review recently (you can read it here).

There have been numerous phases launched in this township, most of the them have a some units left over. Buyers can now pick them up and collect the keys in a matter of months. All property in this development are on freehold land, free of encumbrances.

The units available are:

Seri Gemilang
See Picture
Double storey semi-D
5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
40’ x 80’ to 93’
Build-up: 3,080sq.ft
From RM546,800
Handover end 2005

Seri Perkasa
See Picture
Double storey Terrace
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
22’ x 75’
Build-up: 2,080sq.ft
From RM263,800
Handover end 2005

Seri Jentayu
See Picture
Double storey Terrace
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
20’ x 75’
Build-up: 3,080sq.ft
From RM238,800
Handover mid 2006

Seri Nuri
See Picture
Double storey Terrace
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
18’ x 65’
Build-up: 1,517sq.ft
From RM188,800
Handover mid 2006

In addition to that, there is also the Nilam Puri Condominiums launched recently, you can get the details and low-down on our review here.

Also, they have opened registration for their new 2 ½ storey terraced house (20’ x 65’ to 87’) called Nilam Terrace. Watch this space for more information.

We suppose this was a long time coming. The government had stepped up the war against errant developers. Now you can check on the offences committed by these rogue companies and court charges brought against them under the Housing Development (Control And Licensing) Act 1966 (Amendment 2002) from January 2003 to September this year on the website. You can check the list here.

According to a report in the Star,

Of the 538 developers listed, 304 have been fined RM10,000 each for failure to submit half-yearly reports and statements to the ministry.
Those on the list also include prominent firms and government-linked companies.

This is further to our similar report recently, in which the government announced that they will be stepping efforts to punish these developers. You can read it here:

Crackdown on Errant Developers

Mah Sing has been in the news quite a bit. In a report in the Edge,

Mah Sing Group Bhd’s net profit doubled to RM14.07 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2005 from RM6.95 million a year earlier due to maiden profit contribution from its project in Klang Valley and higher property sales in Johor.
The company said on Nov 14 that the surge in net profit was due to maiden profit contribution from Aman Perdana project in Klang Valley. The higher earnings were also due to better property sales and margins from Damansara Legenda project in Petaling Jaya, Sri Pulai Perdana and Austin Perdana projects in Johor.

The financial results look impressive for this company that had only recently migrated to the First Board from the Second.

Revenue rose 22.6% to RM134.42 million from RM109.66 million. Earnings per share was 9.69 sen from 5.56 sen.
For the nine months, net profit increased 87% to RM34.13 million from RM18.26 million. Revenue rose 40% to RM352.02 million from RM251.50 million.

Mah Sing has been aggressively promoting two of their latest up-market products in the media recently, Aman Perdana in Bukit Raja Klang and Damansara Legenda in Petaling Jaya.

For the rest of the report, you can read it here.

We first encountered this project when we went to view the nearby Permai Park, Putra Permai and Taman Equine, developed by Equine Capital (you can read the review here).

Lebar Daun is developing a few phases of low density single and double storey linkhouses in the area. Phase 1 was sold to good reception, mainly due to the very limited number of units.

For location, you can read what we had commented on the Sovereign phase of Permai Park (here), but as a recap, this area is own of the growth areas of Southern Klang Valley, with the landmark Pasar Borong Selangor (Selangor Wholesale Market) across the road. There are a few choices of access roads, LDP & Puchong to the west, Seri Kembangan and Serdang (and further on to KL) to the east, and Putrajaya and Kajang to the south. The Seri Kembangan area is infamous for the jam, and to go south and west you need to make a ‘u’ turn along the Seri Kembangan highway.

Many developers have set up shop here, including the much-discussed Lestari Puchong by Talam nearby. In terms of facilities, there are a vibrant commercial areas developed by Equine Group (like the planned Permai Square), bus depot and recreational facilities.

But for this Taman Dato’ Demang, there are basically just single storey houses and double storey ones. The single storey units were sold off quickly, even at a very stiff price of from RM171,000 to RM203,300. Very stiff indeed.

But at the moment there are only limited units of double storey units available. In our opinion, these units are more reasonably-priced compared to the single storey units, but compared to other double-storey linkhomes in other developments. Prices are from RM288,900 to RM321,000, but do check with the developer for the availability of these units. They have opted to go with smaller units (despite the pricing) of 20’ x 65’ with a build-up of 1,716sq.ft. In the day of minimum 20’ x 70’ and 1,800sq.ft targeted by other developers, most people will find this house a little cramped.

The layout is quite neat, considering the tight area. There is one kitchen only, plus a very small yard. In all, there are 4 rooms, with a reasonably sized guest room on the ground floor. We would have preferred the family area on the upper floor to be smaller, to give a larger area to the other 2 rooms. The whole house is finished in ceramic tiles including the kitchen and bedrooms (except the yard, store and porch in cement render). Corner units have balcony.

There is going to be a third phase launching soon, details can be obtained from the developer soon.

In all, we found that the units are quite cramped to sustain a mid to large sized family, and the pricing is quite high for this unit size (and leasehold too). The developers are promoting a low down payment scheme, but in effect, they will face tight competition from newer neighbouring projects (but no, we don’t mean Lestari Puchong).

Lebar Daun currently has numerous projects across the Klang Valley, and was once in the news about their proposed development in Shah Alam.

Another new development nearby (by another developer) is the massive Taman Desaminium, or Desaminium Park (you can check out our review here).

Check out our review of Phase 3 here.

We’ve been wanting to post this review for some time now, but there was a queue of reviews to be posted, mostly the ones requested by readers.

But on Saturday, we noticed that Starbiz ran an article on this super-exclusive development, so we thought we should review it now.

Regular readers would remember that recently we reviewed Idamansara, which is also developed by the same people, E&O Property Development Bhd, which is also in the same area. You may want to check out our review of that development for our comments on the locality of Damansara Heights.

But in a nutshell, Damansara Heights is as good as it gets in terms of own a prestigious address. It’s the epitome of luxury living, the abode of CEOs, successful businesspeople and top Government officials. It’s very low density, mostly old bungalows and green lungs all over the place between houses. Recently, a few developments have started to encroach into the area, including some nearby office blocks and mid-density apartments.

For this development, it is sited on a 2.44acre piece of land nestled along Jalan Damansara, adjacent to Seri Perdana, the former residence of the Prime Minister. With the small plot of land, they have opted to build only 12 units, and two different designs, all of them 3-storey bungalows with all the trappings of luxury. All units come with 5 large rooms, Type 1 has two maid’s rooms and Type 2 has one. Some units have an excellent view of the lush greenery. Of the two types, Type 1 is obviously the more luxurious in comparison to Type 2, but with all units having such a large build-up, its all down to personal preference.

We like the layout of the units, but really, with so much space and large rooms, there is not much to fault the design. The developer is throwing in some packaged items like air-conditioning, kitchen fittings and electrical appliances. Please check with the sales people for details.

The whole development is of course gated and guarded, and comes with a separate foyer, private lap pool, garden, infinity edge pool and pergola.

With the small site, lots sizes have a limit (5,500sq.ft to 9,000sq.ft) as to how big they can go, even with only 12 units developed. With three storeys, they have managed to boost up the build-up. Quality of finishing is of course top-notch. You can check out the almost completed units to see it for yourself. The developer has opted to sell the units when construction is nearing completion, thereby buyers do not need to wait up to 2 years to move in. Of course, no progressive billing during construction, though.

The land is freehold with individual titles, and maintenance fee is at RM800 including 10% for sinking fund.

For those who are looking to move to a more luxurious bungalow in the area, and with are in the price bracket, this place is definitely worth a look.

This article is part of a series of reviews on the new and currently available phases in the massive Bandar Kinrara development. As you know, Bandar Kinrara is a matured, comprehensive housing project with excellent facilities. For our views on the location, quality, facilities and potential of this development, please read our Overall Development Review of Bandar Kinrara (go ahead, we strongly recommend you to read it here first).

Other than that, we have also reviewed the recently launched the Harmony (also double storey linkhouses) series, you can read the review here.

9@Kinrara isn’t the sales gimmick by our local leading English newspaper (although with our tabloids, nothing surprises us anymore!) but a series of very limited 22’x75’ linkhouses within Bandar Kinrara. The marketing concept here is that there are 9 different designs available. However, the designs aren’t radically different, just minor changes in the internal layout, plus corner units, that’s how they get 9. The façade is different, too, akin to the ‘alternating façade’ concept some developers have.

Most of the units have good layout design, we liked Type A, C and J. The ones we didn’t like were B and H. but then again, it’s not too much to complain about.

There are 112 units, so there is a degree of exclusivity and ‘special’ feeling of having a house where not many other houses share the ‘look’.

As with all the newer launches in Bandar Kinrara, there is a premium on the houses, mainly due to the place being almost fully developed, excellent amenities, and decent quality (seriously, did you read our earlier-mentioned overall development review?! ). If you compare the price to another 22’x75’ house in another nearby project, you might find the pricing a little steep, but bear in mind – freehold, low density, good address, 17 schools…

Within the project, 9@Kinrara is located in the up-market area, near some existing super-link homes. Some units will be facing a surau, TNB substation and a kindergarten. All the linkhouses are located on 5 blocks of units.

This phase being upmarket, has better than average finishing. For overall product quality, we think it should be good, but its best for you to take a drive and check out the existing units for a better feel.