Property Malaysia

Happy 50th Merdeka to all Malaysians, from Property Malaysians.

While we acknowledge that not everything is this country is perfect, we are proud and happy to be Malaysians and celebrating half a century of Independence.

(pic from wkipedia)

We wish all Malaysians a great holiday weekend, don’t drink and drive, and don’t forget to fly our nation’s flag proud and high.

Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Here’s something that’s makes you thankful for your own bricks and mortar house.

It’s a collection of homes made from uncanny everyday objects - beer cans, cardboards, tyres, rubber and other stuff you would expect to be used.

Alternative & Crazy Home Construction Materials : Beer Cans, Tires & Cardboard.

Not sure if the cardboard house can survive long in the rain…

We think the whole issue with this location is that it has a poor rep when compared to their neighbours. Back in the old days, we always knew this place as Batu Tiga, with the landmarks being the Carlsberg factory, the KTM Komuter station and CSR refinery. But the developers have chosen to identify it as Subang Jaya rather than Shah Alam where it is actually located in, probably because ‘Subang Jaya’ sounds a little more appealing than the ‘Shah Alam’, and a whole lot better than ‘Batu Tiga’.

Here’s the part about the poor rep. People tend to think of it as far away or near industrial areas. While it may be true in parts, it’s no more better or worse than a lot of other areas in Puchong or Subang Jaya for that matter. But perception is difficult to change, especially when added with the notoriety of traffic jams (from the Federal Highway-Glenmarie junction) and floods (although this has been mitigated in recent years).

Actually, there have been quite a bit of condo development along this stretch of road, mainly led by this developer. Although it is still far away from connecting with Subang Jaya / USJ to form one continuous suburban development, it would only be a matter of time before that happens.

As we mentioned before for Indarisa, the appeal here is that it’s near enough to many of the major highways like Federal Highway, ELITE, PLUS and KESAS thereby easily connecting it to all the areas in the Klang Valley. Plus it’s really near Shah Alam, Subang and Klang, so it can be considered quite central, but not really central if you know what we mean.

The location is opposite the CSR factory, also opposite the completed Crosshill Indarisa condominium, which is also brought to you by the same team. Next to Subang Andaman is Puri Aiyu, another apartment by Crosshill, but that one has been completed for sometime. While Indarisa is more of a affordable condo, they’ve upped the ante and price here to accomodate a more luxurious feel to it. Looking at the name, you can guess that they are going for a tropical design feel (although for some other projects, judging the name alone can be wrong). They’ve hired an Australian landscape designer for the job, and the results in the brochures looks quite impressive. There’s this glass pavilion thing for yoga/pilates/gawking floating in the swimming pool with a beautiful translucent pitched roof, giving it a little rustic feel, although it probably looks a lot better at night with controlled lighting rather than the blinding glare and heat of Malaysian daytime.

There’s also a lot of shady palm trees and landscaped plots, all in line with the aforementioned tropical theme.

There are two identical towers going up midrise, all the units have a similar looking facade with balcony railing, some look over the pool and common facilities. Basically there are 3 typical units available. ranging from 758 to 1,149sq.ft. Larger penthouses are also available, up to a size of 3,611sq.ft. The smallest unit has 2 rooms, while the larger two types have 4 bedrooms, something unusual for apartments this size. What this means is the rooms including the masterbedrooms are generally smaller, so don’t expect to fit a king size bed plus have lots of moving space. We didn’t get to see the layout for the penthouses so we can’t comment on them.

The units are priced starting from RM260psf. It’s a little pricey for this location, but they are going for the landscaping and concept to sell the product. Repsonse to the earlier Indarisa seems adequate, and have probably encouraged the developers to go for this concept and pricing.

We don’t really like the area here, for that price there are a lot of condos in Subang competing for your attention, and in Shah Alam proper there are many landed homes recently launched that matches this pricing. So it’s a matter of choice really, but we have to say the landscaping looks out of the ordinary. The ELITE highway runs behind the condo, so with busy roads around the condo, noise could be a problem. Also we wished they could have gone for a more elaborate facade, a little plain for that kind of condo…

Last week, we ran a poll on residential versus commercial property for our readers, we’ve closed it and the results are in. We actually got a little over 100 votes, which is less than the response from our earlier polls. If you are interested in seeing the results of our earlier polls, you can see them listed below at the end of the article.

If you guys remember, the question was this:

QUESTION:
Malaysian condos are usually built on land that is designated as commercial or residential. Initially, commercial condos were more popularly known as serviced apartments, but now that differentiation is not so obvious are many commercial title projects are marketed the same.

In terms of the national land code and HDA, there is a world of difference, but what do you prefer as a buyer?

There were four choices available, and an overwhelming number of you voted for RESIDENTIAL only (65%). That’s almost 2 out of every three votes. 23% voted that they had no preference to either RESIDENTIAL or COMMERCIAL, while 5% prefered only COMMERCIAL.

The remaining 8% said they did not know the difference.

I think in this day and age where prime freehold land is getting more and more scarce, especially at prices viable for development, people are getting warmer to the idea of commercial development, although residential projects still hold the lure above anything else.

Thanks to all who participated in the poll, we look forward to the next one soon!

Poll: Freehold vs. Leasehold
Poll: What Is The Value of Your Next Property?

If you have ever been to the top of the new Sunway hotel or played futsal at the sports complex at Bandar Sunway, you would have noticed the large tract of previously undeveloped land left behind Sunway Lagoon. The land is extends all the way to the river separating Puchong and Sunway, and is characteristic for the large depression in middle left behind by activities of a bygone decade.

Now Sunway is developing and launching what could be the last major piece of land Bandar Sunway into an exclusive lakeside development known as South Quay City. In their own words, they are turning this 178-acre site into a “vibrant waterfront precinct with top-notch residential estates, respectable educational institutions, as well as world-class integrated services and facilities with ancillary commercial elements”. Apparently, they had a competition among the architects and this design was taken from the winner’s work.

They have laid out an impressive master development plan for the area, stretching from the LDP right up to the existing Monash University. The development is sparse, in line with making this a rather low density upmarket area.

Quay? Never mind. The complete, unabridged named for this parcel is actually BayRocks Garden Waterfront Villas at Sunway South Quay, A Lakeside Metropolis. Wow, try saying that fast. They’ve all the marketing angles covered there in a kind of overkill way, haven’t they? I mean, we get it, it’s lakeside. Water. Quay. Bay. Garden. Villas. Metropolis reminds us of some comic-book superhero.

Marketing aside, the rest of South Quay will mainly be condos and other highrise development, although a lot of it is still on the drawing board at the moment. What is set in stone is BayRocks, the bungalow parcel, consisting of 77 units. They are arranged in 6 rows of homes in an arc cascading down to the lake, somewhat like an open air auditorium (incidentally there’s one in nearby Sunway Lagoon). Obviously, there are 11 units that is the fastest to be snatched up, that would the row right next to the lake. In the centre of the lakeside row, is the management office.

When we stood at the site, the immediate impression is that it’s a low point, and you can see all around you it’s higher than you, although it’s a big, big area. Sort of like standing at the centre of a huge, shallow dinner plate.

There are 4 types of designs to choose from – 11 units Aquara (6,662sq.ft.), 26 units of Bayuna (6,757sq.ft.), 28 units of Curentia (6,659sq.ft.) 11 units of Dalluria (6,469sq.ft.). All the units are two and a half storeys, extravagantly designed with your own private plunge pool, feature wall, and a water feature. Very impressive. Some units even come with the option of installing a private lift, this is fast becoming a trendy must-have with all the new super-expensive launches in KL these days.

All the trappings of the rich and famous are there – 5+1 rooms minimum, AV room, large full height windows, wide parking enough for 3 cars, landscaped features, quality fittings and finishing.

This is one of those projects that are limited to those who can really afford it, the price tag is from RM4,530,000 to RM6,178,000. In this area, there isn’t any other project like it, so it can’t really be compared on an apple to apple basis. Even neighbouring Casabella doesn’t quite match up in terms of the surrounding, although if in terms of interior only, there may be some justification for comparison.

Sunway is selling the whole environment of a tropical-lakeside concept for South Quay. They are also throwing in lots of freebies to give added value to the pricey homes, and the location and connectivity of Sunway is pretty good, and is well-documented elsewhere.

We like the façade of the homes, there’s an interesting mix of old-world elements in there with the new. We are actually quite interested to see the launch of the condo units, especially if they are going to make it for a more affordable price range. Would we buy it if we were in the market and can afford it? Probably not, we aren’t fans of Bandar Sunway. Although, with this, it only serves to make the upcoming condos more viable. You should drop by to see the appointment only show units.

This project will be financed by Kuwait Finance House along the Islamic principle of Musyarakah (joint-venture profit sharing).

As part of our effort to provide a wider range of scope and coverage, we have joined Smorty, the premier blog advertising, which brings a touch of international companies reaching out to our readers. Basically, how it works is that they give opportunities for property related companies (especially US and UK) to advertise on blogs such as ours.

Blog advertising like Smorty’s is one of the way we keep the blog going, since we are pretty much doing this voluntarily and on our own free time and resources.

We will still be focusing on what matters the most - in-depth, honest reviews of newly launched properties, and we continue to appreciate the support of our many loyal readers over the years. We are also looking to increase coverage of local property news and happenings, as these have become more significant to our nation’s (and ultimately our personal) economy in recent times. Property, like it or not is increasingly becoming a vital element in our nation’s economy.

Now here’s something that will cause massive traffic problems if implemented in KL.

Town planners have long dreamt of floating super-cities, especially in densely populated or land-scarced cities like Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo or Hong Kong.

The reality of these plans coming to fruition is still many, many years away, but it still doesn’t stop the designers from working on a design is getting closer and closer to materialization. Taisei Construction Corporation, has come up with plans for one such super city, and according to Inhabit:

Looking eerily like Mt. Doom in the above rendering, the mountain-like X-Seed 4000 represents a utopian eco-vision for a self-contained high-rise city in the Tokyo harbor - powered mainly by solar energy. Aesthetically inspired by nearby Mt. Fuji, the behemoth building would measure 13,123 feet tall with a 6 square-kilometer footprint, and could accommodate five hundred thousand to one million inhabitants.

You can see the pictures and full write up here.

With the school holidays here and most people depressed by the subprime market thing (not to mention the KLCI dropping), let’s take a breather a do a poll.

Please send this poll to as many people as possible, we want to get a huge feedback. You can direct people to this page or send them link (it will bring them to this same page). Please only vote once, this poll will run for a week.

http://propertymalaysia.blogsome.com/2007/08/19/poll-commercial-or-residential/

QUESTION:
Malaysian condos are usually built on land that is designated as commercial or residential. Initially, commercial condos were more popularly known as serviced apartments, but now that differentiation is not so obvious are many commercial title projects are marketed the same.

In terms of the national land code and HDA, there is a world of difference, but what do you prefer as a buyer?

Thanks in advance for voting.

Looks like the Damansara Heights real estate landscape is going to be changed a little more in the near future. An multi-million ringgit mixed development is being planned at this stage, jointly developed by E&O Property Development Bhd and Selangor Properties Bhd (SelProp). The planned project will comprise of commercial and retail space, and service apartments.

According to the report:

Under the deal, Puncak Madu Sdn Bhd, a joint venture company of E&O Property and SelProp, is acquiring the 16-storey Wisma Damansara together with the 1.1ha piece of land located in Jalan Semantan here from SelProp for RM100 million .

Wisma Damansara is adjoining a 2.62ha piece of land, which was acquired by Puncak Madu in February, 2005 for RM124.5 million.

Puncak Madu is a 40:60 joint venture between SelProp and E&O Property. E&O Property will raise its stake in Puncak Madu to 50% by subscribing to 20,000 new shares at RM1 each.

With the acquisition, the parties will jointly develop the combined 3.73ha site into a mixed development comprising commercial and retail space as well as service apartments.

This is definitely prime commercial space, we hope that the design and density would be suitable for this kind of area.

For those of you who haven’t stepped (or driven) into Putra Heights, you should. Most people think it’s a further extension of USJ across the LDP and in certain parts, across the NKVE. While that is fair and true, when people say that it’s a little too far, that is really subjective.

Putra Heights is literally between Puchong and Shah Alam, and it’s has really been industriously developed in the last five years. Things are even getting busier with a new massive launch next to USJ 26 (the name escapes us at the moment). Anyway, you can tell by the traffic coming in and out of the area how much the area has been developed, and now there is the latest launch in Putra Heights.

Since we recently reviewed the previous launch, Sapphire, you can read our take on the area, location, accessibility here:

Sapphire, Putra Heights (Putra Avenue)

In a nutshell, Putra Avenue is the name given to the cluster of phases on the east of the NKVE, differentiated from the rest of the phases in Putra Heights. If you are driving in from the LDP, Putra Avenue is immediately seen on your left. The phases in Putra Avenue are generally named after precious stones, like Amethyst, Ruby & Sapphire (or girls’ names, depending on how you see it…).

As with most of the other launches in Putra Heights, Ruby is a self contained phase with it’s own green area. Basically here, there is a landscaped park, with a sports field, kindergarten and surau. There are 5 clusters of parallel homes, each cluster is 2 rows of homes back to back. Altogether there are 174 homes, but for the moment they are launching the first 100 units, that is the 3 clusters nearest to the main road. Not sure when the other units will be released for sale, but it will usually go at a higher price.

Ruby is located at the very end of Putra Avenue, bordering NKVE reserve and toll on two sides. On one other side, there is a primary school and on the north it borders the Amethyst phase. All the hallmarks of Sime’s products are here, many variants to the basic type, arranged in alternating order for choice, premium for certain house numbers (for auspicious reasons, we’re thinking…).

Ruby is a 22’ x 75’ linkhome, that represents a smaller and cheaper choice compared to the earlier Sapphire, although the bigger units are actually more expensive, at almost RM738k, but with a build-up at 4,700sq.ft. The typical unit is about 2050sq.ft., retailing about RM350k per unit. All in all there are 6 variants, Type A and B are the basic types and are mirror image of each other. Type C puts the utility room at the back of the house, giving more build-up space. Type D is the end unit, with a bigger layout and additional garden space at the side. Type E and E1 are the corner units, up to 4700sq.ft. and priced in a different range.
RM350k is a lot of money for a 22’ x 75’ home. But if you really like the location or the developer or both, then it may be justified.

Sime are a huge property developer in Malaysia, and have many projects in Klang Valley and across the country.