Property Malaysia

It’s been another busy month for us, we managed to squeeze in 5 reviews in October. As usual we’ve updated the reviews page .

As a recap, the projects reviewed this whole month were:

Taming Mutiara, Sungai Long
Laman Granview, Puchong
Taman Meranti Jaya: Phase 3, Puchong
Taman Putra Impiana: Putra Homes 2
Serenia Gardens, Ukay Perdana: Phase 1A

IJM Properties have launched yet another project in the Klang Valley, hot on the heels of last month’s Laman GranView. This time, it is also another of the ill-fated Talam’s landbank, now taken full advantage of by the IJM group (and the financial backing). This piece of land is situated in the Ukay Perdana / Hulu Kelang area.

Actually from what we know, IJM have been wanting to launch this project for quite some time now, given the recent uptrend of property market in this area. But some factors have made the launch only possible until now. Quite of a few projects have been launched prior to this around here, and the nearest would be Sering Ukay. Some the others are:
Ukay Bayu and Puncak Ukay, Ukay Heights
Laman Oakleaf, Ampang
3Residen, Melawati
Kemensah Mewah, Hulu Kelang
Kemensah Residency, Kemensah Heights

To get here is quite straightforward, turn off the MRR2 at the Ukay Perdana interchange, which is the same one leading to Kampung Pasir. Pass Sering Ukay on your right and just follow the signs leading to the project site. At the moment, there is no show house, the sales office is located in IJM’s head office in PJ. Coming to the site, you will appreciate one of the reasons why this place took some time to launch – there is considerable infrastructure done prior to this (and still ongoing) due to the nature of the terrain. The site is nestled on the small hilltops. This is ideal for a living place, in that it is surrounded by greenery and according to the salespeople, it is part of a forest reserve that will not be developed, at least not in the near future.

But it also means that there is little land that is suitable available for development, after subtracting the area for fill slopes and infrastructure works like wall and such. Also, the cost of the infrastructure works is almost always factored into the unit price that is borne by the purchaser. The 90 acres that they have for this project is large by any standard, and even more so when considering the good location and proximity to the city centre. By comparison, Sering Ukay also invested quite a sum into their infrastructure preparatory works prior to the pilot launch.

There is currently one access road leading up to the development, but there is plan for another connecting leading to Kemensah Heights. This adds an air of being secluded to the area, but it also poses a problem of traffic in future, since there is limited choice of how to get in and out.

Altogether, the masterplan for this 90-acre development consists of 821 units, consisting of mainly linkhomes and semi-D homes. For this first phase, they are launching a limited number of linkhomes, nearest to the entrance, 225 in total. There are a lot of unmarked plots in the master plan, but the salespeople were not forthcoming with what they were planned for. But there should not be any apartments or highrise of that sort, but we feel they may opt for higher end homes like bungalows in the later phases although this is not shown at the moment.

As with the scarcity of land mentioned above, the linkhomes launched are pretty small yet pricey comparatively. The unit is a small 20’ x 70’ two storey home with a 1400sq.ft. buildup. The layout is pretty unimaginative for IJM’s own standards, probably in an attempt to limit the unnecessary cost that is transferred directly to the bottomline price. The layout is rectangular – 20’ of driveway, unit is about 40’ long, the remaining 10’ serves as a backyard. There are 4 bedrooms, and 3 baths, even the dry and wet kitchen is combined into one. The no-frills design is offset with a pleasant façade design, and this is where IJM Properties maintain their signature look and overall feel with earth tone colours.

Not counting the low cost homes in Klang, this stands as the most affordable landed units that IJM have launched in recent years. But we quite disappointed with the minimalistic design that is coupled with a minimum price tag of more than RM350k (it is, after all only 1400sq.ft.), but it still far cheaper than the recent Laman GranView. But at this build-up, it not accessible to the entry-level buyers, so the main selling point is the view and green surrounding. However, with the tight competition in this area offering the almost similar concept, this is a rather tough sell.

This project is the second phase of Taman Putra Impiana which was launched earlier last year. While that pilot phase, called Putra Homes 1, is nearing completion of the construction, they have just launched the next phase within the same development area. The land is quite big in this development, about 75 acres in all. In the master plan, there an area allocated for commercial lots near the entrance to Taman Putra Impiana, but a check on site show no works yet. The sales people also were not able to tell us when the master plan would be realized, now that the first phase is almost complete.

You are advised to read the review of the earlier phase here as we would be repeating much that has been touched on there.

This project is one the many that have been developed on both sides of the road leading to Taman Mas Sepang, off the LDP. Some of the others here that have come up in the past 2 years are:

Calisa Residences, Taman Mas Sepang
Taman Puchong Tekali
Taman Tasik Puchong
Alam Idaman
Lake Vista @ Taman Tasik Prima Puchong
Taman Putra Prima

So with so much competition what has the developer done to stand above the rest? They haven’t changed much to the original design, unfortunately. So for those of you that felt the original first phase looked dated, this impression would be even more pronounced when you first view the second phase, especially in the light of the change in prevailing design trends seen in more contemporary homes of late.

The other day some friends of our were looking for a home (whether new or second-hand) in this area, preferably a linkhome and not an apartment. Their budget was up to RM230k, but they failed to find any in that range. It was then obvious to us that at that price you’d be hard pressed to find a new home - here, the price starts from RM260k onwards, plus you need two wait at least 2 years for it before you can move in.

Granted, this is a second phase, and naturally it is common for the developer to increase the price from the earlier phase (which retailed at RM250k upwards). But it is hard for us to justify the price, considering that it is leasehold, and the finishes and facade do not reflect the current trends.

The homes are on a rectangular footprint set on a 20′x75′ plot. There are 3+1 rooms and three baths.

Found this video clip at this great website.

It uses a wood framing technology, originally coming from Japan and now in use in the USA.

If it is a small house, you can finish it in a day, while bigger house may take up to 3 days. Nifty.

Last week we ran a poll with the title:

Would You Pay More for Awesome Landscaping in Your Development?

for one week, and it has since concluded. We received a high number or respondents, 117 in all. The results are shown below.

67% or roughly 2 out of every 3 readers responded ‘Maybe’, depending if the concept is done or executed well enough.

‘Yes’ and ‘No’ answers were slight equal, with the affirmative slightly ahead.

I think developers are well aware of this (they’ve probably realized this quite a few years ago) and some developers with the space and money have executed this to that effect. The ones that come to mind are Setia Eco Park and Ara Damansara.

Smaller developments are also doing this, but the budget is usually relative to the price of the home.

We look forward to the next poll.

If you think you’ve seen quirky company names, make sure you check this one out. The subsidiary name is Wandeerfull Property & Development.

But on to the project. Taman Meranti Jaya is located on the road leading branching off the LDP, leading towards Taman Putra Prima. The earlier phases of the development have been completed for some time now, and you can see them as you drive along the road going to this latest phase. This third phase, which they launched earlier this year, consists of 182 numbers of 2 and a half storey link homes, designed with a contemporary look. Comparatively, this is quite a departure from the earlier phases which employed a more traditional look.

The land is ex-plantation freehold, and the surrounding areas are still undeveloped, which is surprising for a Puchong project. But it won’t be long, though, as more and more projects are being planned.

The semi-D unit has the 3rd floor at the front of the unit, giving the house a front heavy look, and we really like the façade and colour combination of it. There are two floors of similar balconies, and they have opted for a darker grey and white look.

The plot is 22’x 70’, which does not really justify the ‘super-link’ tag, and only goes to show how loosely developers use these terms these days. The build-up comes to 3,020sq.ft., and there are 5 rooms and 4 baths. The units come with a large balcony on the top floor facing the back of the house, and with the right location you can get a decent view. 3,020sq.ft. is a good size for a 2 and a half storey unit, and there are two large master bedrooms but without space for walk-in closets. The other two rooms share a bath.

The price is from RM461,100 to RM695,300, which is high for a link home and this location. But maybe they’ve factored in the contemporary design and freehold land status, but it’s hard to justify it when you can get a bigger unit nearer to the city at the same time. But we like the design, although we are not necessarily in favour of this location. The finishing provided is quite standard and as for quality, buyers can check out the completed earlier phases as an indication of what you should be getting. Judging from the actual show unit, we think there are some areas that need touch up, hopefully the other units will have the rushed-up issues we observed.

Tanming has many projects across the Klang Valley. A recent one that we reviewed is Taming Mutiara in Sungai Long.

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You are advised to read and understand thoroughly the details of the investment.

(sponsored)

What a view from the restroom.

I think some people may having problems ‘going’ here…

Taken from here.

Nowadays, developers tend to go for extensive landscaping to enhance their development especially when it comes to landed projects that are larger than a certain size. This comes in the form of landscaped parks, lakes (man-made or natural) streetscaping and viewing gazebos, etc.

While landscaping lends to the overall tropical or nature theme of the project, they usually cost a lot of money to build and maintain, and inevitably this cost is passed down to the buyers whether they know it or not. But on the other hand, it enhances the beauty and value of the area, but at a price.

So what do you prefer: Would You Pay More for Awesome Landscaping in Your Development?

Please vote once only, poll will run for 7 days. Get your friends to vote, let’s get more than 100 replies.

Thanks in advance.

Tired of bland, white rainwater downpipes that look out of place on your apartment balcony?

Want to make your downpipes from roof gutter look more attractive and creative?

Maybe you should try this…

It’ll definitely slow down the traffic on your street.

Pictures taken from here.