Property Malaysia

This project was actually launched quite some time ago, but due to the high number of units and the phasing of the sales, there are still units available at the moment. This project is mainly typified by the many ads around the area.

The condo is situation very near to another project reviewed here recently, Riana Green east. So or our take on the access, location, connectivity and surrounding environment, you are advised to read the review of it here. In a nutshell, this condo is very near to the KL Suburban Centre (KLSC), a large well-planned sub-district in Wangsa Maju that boasts of many facilities and commercial area when fully developed. It’s very convenient to get to the city centre or onto the MRR2. Besides, you can also hop onto the LRT.

Also nearby but within walking distance is Desa Putra (by the same people who brought Riana Green east), but that one has one distinct advantage over the competition – it’s right opposite to the proposed Sri Rampai LRT station.

Actually, the first phase is actually due to be completed in a few months time.

In total there are 5 towers of 20-floor residential units. There are 4-8 units per floor, and the strange thing about this development is that even though there are more than 1300 units here, they have only one basic unit type, 1,249sq.ft. There are (very limited) units of larger types, mainly because of the extra space from the linkbridge walkway. These units come in 1,834sq.ft. Penthouses, which are twice the size of the standard unit, are also available, both these types of non-typical units are no longer available.

The standard unit is at a 45-degree angle design, with 3+1 rooms. Most people don’t mind these angled design, but there are those who find the space not optimized due to some odd angles and spaces.

The facilities provided here are pretty adequate, with a ‘resort style clubhouse and landscaping’ and the other usual stuff. The building specs offered here are quite standard and in line with the pricing.

As for pricing, it starts from about RM163psf onwards, but the ones available now probably slightly more expensive. The developers are throwing in some freebies with the unit, please check with them for the latest offer.

A lot of the units have been sold, and the developer is quite upfront in promoting the remaining units. It’s hard to find fault with the project, since it targets a broader based market, therefore the pricing, design and facilities are tailored that direction. One concern we have would be the same as Riana Green east – the high density will contribute to a heavier traffic load around the area. Street parkers may also be a problem. But beside that, we reckon that Villa Wangsamas can little wrong.

The developer has a few other projects in the vicinity, they also been around for awhile (they developed Setapak Heights). Their planned launches are also shown in the sales office.

Reader Eddy has forwarded some recent photos of the progress of works at the site. Looks like they’re working on the 11th floor onwards, the second block is also quite advanced in construction.

For comparison, some photos taken in November 2006 can be viewed here. The original review of the Heron Residency here.

Update Feb ‘07: We’ve some latest photos here.

Reader and Sierra Residency buyer Cel has sent us some more site photos taken recently. Looks like the earthworks and platform preparation is in full swing.

You can read the review of the project here. Some earlier photos of the site taken last month can be found here.

The first phase of this project, Avenue I, was launched in late November, and has now since been sold out. The second phase, Avenue III, was launched yesterday.

Altogether, there are 3 towers in this project, with, giving a total of 600 plus units. The first phase had 272 units, with 17 floors and 16 units per floor. This current launch, phase 2, consists of fewer units (202) mainly due to having fewer floors.

The development is set on a massive 5 acre plot of previously vacant land. On the plot beside it, the developers are currently building a medium size commercial area with shoplots (Kuchai Business Park), and it looks like the response to it was overwhelming, typical with the demand for retail space in this area. Kuchai Avenue will itself be a commercial development, there are shops on the ground floor of the entire area. The parking for the commercial area is located on a basement floor. Above the shops are a few levels of parking for the condo, followed by the condo units.

The condo is located in Jalan Kuchai Lama, a very established and matured neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city. This piece of land is surrounded by existing condos, low-cost middle rise apartment, a small green hill (with landed homes on the other side) and generally old residentials and shops that define the character of places like Kuchai Lama.

Kuchai Lama has always seen as a connecting part of Old Klang Road, Taman Gembira, and Sungai Besi. It is also very near to the newer Sri Petaling, and also to KESAS and the National Stadium and TPM from there on. Accessibility to the highways (North-South Highway, LDP, KESAS, NPE), city and suburbs (Bangsar, PJ, Subang Jaya, Mid-Valley) work in favour for this development. For LRT, the nearest station is Salak Selatan.

For all its plus points going for it, there is but only one unit type. It’s a standard 3-roomer, 2 baths, 935sq.ft. The layout is designed such to appeal to a wider spectrum of buyers, from small families, to renters, to bachelors, and to investors. The masterbedroom isn’t big, but they’ve made an alcove to suitable for a walk-in wardrobe. The show unit exemplifies to good idea to conceal the entrance to the attached bath with it. The second toilet is pretty small, not to mention bedroom 3. There’s a balcony, and both the dry and wet kitchen are reasonably sized.

The developers are throwing in lots of freebies (terms and conditions apply, of course) in the unit to make up for a somewhat Spartan condo facilities. Aside from a small swimming and wading (shared by all towers) and a playground, there isn’t much amenities, although it looks like it isn’t from a lack of space. Perhaps the developers have skimped on that aspect to keep the prices and maintenance fee more affordable, plus that with all the amenities surrounding the development, it may not look to obvious. Plus with the shops at the ground floor, so convenience isn’t a particularly big issue.

There are three entry and exit points planned.

The façade of the condo is dominated (and slightly marred) by the 5 or so levels of parking above ground. This is probably in part unavoidable due to difficulty in excavating to deep for foundation works because of its proximity to surrounding buildings and roads. There is only one level of basement as mentioned earlier.

From the marketing angle, they are targeting newlyweds and young couples, obviously drawing from the large market of surrounding areas. This ‘upgrade’ strategy should work well for them, any sizable land is pretty scarce around here, plus getting outsiders to move in here would more likely be a harder sell.

Price for the first phase was from RM146,500 onwards, but it does not include any parking bays. One bay can be bought for RM20,000, which brings the price to RM166,500. Since most people would need one parking bay per unit (at the very least), we’ve added the cost to the unit when comparing with other condos, as it would be a fair comparison. With that the unit would cost from RM178psf onwards. However, for this latest phase, the price has increased RM5,000 per unit, making the price from RM171k to RM190k, or RM183psf to RM203psf.

Price of the last phase is expected to be higher. Residents are limited to buying 2 parking bays only. The streets around the development, as narrow and congested as they are already, will be further choked with street parkers.

Kuchai Avenue its strong points, the proximity to the city and accessibility are some of them. However, Kuchai Lama isn’t everybody cup of tea (unless, as you mentioned, you’re upgrading from within the area), but we have no doubt it will do well, especially when the neighbouring business park is completed and in full swing. We’re not particular fond of serviced apartments, especially ones with shopping on the lower floors, but here it isn’t really a shopping centre like Beverly Towers, Tropics or Axis Residency in Ampang, just one level of walk in retail space. Price wise, it is quite strongly structured, but reflective of the above mentioned pros.

Maintenance fee is 13sen psf, equivalent to RM121 per unit for each units. The developer recently launched Dynasty Garden in nearby Old Klang Road, some of you might notice the similarities in their marketing strategy, as if getting Hong Kong stars like Kenny Bee is unmistakable.

So after a week or so of semi-hiatus, not helped by the slow Internet connection speed, we’re back with our reviews for the new year. First up for 2007 are a couple of carry-overs from last year, beginning with a project that has been quite heavily marketed around the city, Riana Green east.

First some background on the overall development. Riana Green east, is so called to differentiate it from the other Riana Green which is in the Tropicana area. It is developed jointly by the property arm of construction giant IJM and Landmarks Land & Properties. The latter is part of the master developer of the surrounding KLSC (Kuala Lumpur Suburban Centre) here in Wangsa Maju. Desa Putra, which was launched earlier just down the road from Riana Green east, is also by the same people. Both projects, in fact, share the same area for the sales office.

We’ve actually touched a bit on this whole area in our review of Desa Putra, so you are encouraged to read there for some understanding. Basically, this is a relatively new area carved out around the green reserve on a hill. There is an impressive masterplan in action here, with residential and commercial areas serviced by the existing Carrefour, a proposed bus station, a well connected road network and LRT stations (the proposed Sri Rampai LRT station is next to Desa Putra).

When completed, this project will be a massive development, with three phases totally close to 1,000 units. The salesperson told us that the 3 phases are planned to be similar (although not necessarily similarly priced). The first phase consists of 391 units, called Sagaris. This consists of a 36-storey apartment block, 2 medium rise blocks, and a plaza block which also forms the common facilities.

There are 16 units types to choose from, ranging from 790 to 2,000sq.ft. With the option of different orientation and views, not to mention the different blocks to choose from, there is a great array of choice for the buyers. Block A, the highrise tower, has 6 to 8 units per floor, and mostly traditional layout ones with 3+1+1 rooms. There are also limited smaller units, which we feel aren’t really practical. Blocks B & C are similar, with two wings each, totaling up to 8 units per floor in total. Here the units have a more squarish layout, and have a more exclusivity to it owing the lowrise height. The Plaza block D has limited units.

For Riana Green east, they are going for a water-themed surrounding, with also lots of green landscaped areas. With a large acreage at the developer’s disposal, they are able to indulge in the greenery and niceties, something that adds to the appeal of the project. However, the is also one thing to consider, 954 units in total is a very high density number, and even though all three parcels have separate access, they are all going to be on the same main roads, and this is something to consider. Another issue to mull over is the parking here. As with all large scale condos, parking on the roads outside will be inevitable.

In terms of facilities, there the standard stuff is on offer here, maybe a bit more on the sports courts compared to other on par condos.

Undoubtedly, IJM Properties is one player on the rise, and is serious in building a name for themselves. They are currently joining up with other parties (through many methods) to bulk up their operations, e.g. with the likes of Landmarks (JV), Road Builder (takeover) and Talam (what’s left of the good projects, anyway). Monte Bayu is another project by them (you can read the review here) and many more are slated to be launched soon. Another is PJ8 in Petaling Jaya.

Maintenance fee is 21sen psf, please check with the salespeople for details.

We thought the overall concept of the project is appealing, although it is a little too high dense for us. The area is quite charming to stay in, with its controlled development environment and good amenities. However, the price reflects this, and puts it slightly out of the entry level market. Depending on the unit you get, you can get a good view of the green mountain range or the forest reserve on the nearby hill, or the KL skyline. IF you like the area, this would be a good time to buy in, future development (including the later phases here) probably won’t stay at this pricing.

The Star ran an interesting article about moving from a bungalow to a large size condominium in an upmarket area, a trend that mirrors the real estate landscape in areas like Mont’Kiara and KLCC.

WHEN Ben, a 30-something, invited his parents to live with him in his condominium, his parents winced. Having lived all their lives in a bungalow, they have come to relish the spaciousness offered by a landed property.

But things have a strange way of turning out. Concerned about security and having difficulties finding a gated and guarded environment with landed units in a locale they find acceptable, they finally settled on buying a condominium. Not just any, but a biggie, with a minimum of 3,000 sq ft and above.

Recomended read. You can find the full article here.

Happy New Year to all our readers. We haven’t been posting much for the past one week, partly due to the long weekend of holidaysm and also because of the poor connections most of us are experiencing due to the damaged undersea cables near Taiwan.

As a wrap-up for December, we’ve reviewed 5 projects, and they are listed below. As always, the projects page has also been updated.

10 Mont’Kiara, Mont’Kiara
Avilla Apartments, Bandar Puchong Jaya
Alam Sanctuary, Seri Kembangan
Alam Impian, Shah Alam (Tinta and Canting)
Kemensah Residency, Kemensah Heights