Property Malaysia

A lot of people have been asking us what are they building at this particular site, since its next to the main road.

Giza @ Dataran Sunway is actually a Specialty Retail Centre with large retail space, covered boulevard with alfresco dining and a supermarket, built next to the current shoplots. More details can be seen here.

At the moment construction is still at basement carpark level.

By the way, that’s Casa Indah in the background. The one under construction is the first tower of Casa Indah 2.

Taman Putra Prima has mainly released double-storey linkhomes in their development over a few phases, but now they are entering into a (slightly) higher range of homes with larger build-up. Most of the earlier phases of Taman Putra Prima (TPP for short) have been well received, over the few phases they’ve managed to iron out some of the kinks in their design to improve their homes. They’re one of the few developers to actively seek their purchasers feedback on the design.

For the review of the earlier phases here on Property Malaysia, you can read it here:
Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4B (Azurite)
Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4A (Beryl & Ivory)

To get to TPP, you need to turn right at the Puchong Utama LDP interchange, then at the third traffic lights, turn right and go all the way to the end of the road and you‘ll see the development on your left. As a general rule the area on the right of the dual carriageway is part of MPSJ (hence, Puchong) and on your left would be Sepang. Along the way on the right, you’ll see projects like Tasik PrimaPuchong Tekali and the mature Puchong Utama township. On the right you’ll Taman Putra Impiana and a lot of empty land. Beyond that area projects like Puchong Prima, Bandar Bukit Puchong 2, Meranti Jaya, Bandar Nusaputra (reviews here, here and here) and the older Amanputra and Putra Perdana.

You are encouraged to read about our take on the quality, accessibility, connectivity and overall look of the development there as we won’t repeat it here.

For TPP, bigger units at slightly higher prices is something of a new step here. Amethyst is a limited phase of only 22 units set in a small area that is right next to the existing phase of double-storey linkhomes. Here the plot size is 24′ x 80′, only slightly longer than a standard linkhome, but the built-up is at a spacious 2,408-2,891sq.ft. For those of us who are used to living in homes around 1,800 to 2,000sq.ft. or below, it is not difficult to appreciate the extra 400 to 500sq.ft. in your living space. Although on paper it usually doesn’t look much, you can easily see the difference upon first impressions when entering the show unit. But of course its all relative, if you are used to living in a 4,000sq.ft. bungalow, then…

There are only 4 rows of units, all arranged in a semi circle, concentrically enclosing a field. This layout allows a high ratio of corner units to intermediate ones, 8 in total.

Building footprint is a regular rectangle shape, with ample driveway able to fit up to 4 cars. There are 4+1 rooms, with 3 baths, with a pretty standard design with bedrooms 2 & 3 sharing an attached bath (a design holdover from the late 90’s wethinks). The ground floor takes up a smaller footprint than the 1st floor, mainly because the yard is quite big. Corner lots come with welcome garden space, which we think makes it workable for the small ground floor area. With the wide 24′ frontage, this benefits the masterbedroom.

For that extra space, they are marketing it at RM381k to RM550k. They are throwing in some freebies, please check with the salespeople for the latest info.

The area shares the same gated entrance as an earlier phase. There is also a central linear park for this phase.

So it is a small addition for TPP to add to the growing neighbourhood, although this area still remains low density, with the phase all spaced out very well, and no condominiums up as yet. For the pricing, it seems a little steep for a slightly wider and longer linkhomes, but the limited number and surrounded location may sway buyers.

Here’s a quick run-down on the properties that we reviewed in the past one month of April:

188.Mutiara Indah, Puchong (Phase 2C)
187.Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4B (Azurite)
186.D’Rapport, Ampang
185.Amberhill, Melawati

As usual, the projects review page has been updated.

Have a good weekend for those on a long break!

We’re not usually tolerant of SMS spam, but we actually were drawn to visit this place after receiving more than a few text messages. Actually we were in the area as a matter of coincidence, so don’t let that reinforce the idea of the effectiveness of this particular medium of invasive advertising.

But we actually have been wanting to revisit Mutiara Indah for some time now, after of first two trips there awhile back. One of the reasons was to see how the earlier phases turned out to be especially in terms of the finish quality. We have reviewed one of the earlier phases here:

Mutiara Indah, Puchong (Phase 2)

which was a quartet home design, and have now been handed over to the purchasers, and some have moved in.

A drive through the earlier phases showed that the later phases have slightly better quality compared to the first phase, and after all that has been said and done, the quartet homes still look a little awkward for us. But other than that, the facade design looks quite pleasing.

But for the remaining row facing the quartet homes, the developers are going slightly upscale, with the launch of the limited units of link bungalows. Isn’t the term link bungalow a paradox? If it’s linked, it can’t be a bungalow, right? (don’t get me started with ‘bungalows in the sky’, then…). In this case, the unit is actual a large semi-D unit. The reason why (or at least we THINK why) they went for the misnomer link bungalow is that the unit is joined to the next only at the kitchen, instead of the entire length of the party wall as in a normal semi-D. So there is actually a spce at the front in between the two units, albeit a narrower space compared to the other side where there is a side garden.

The plot size is 48′ x 70′, slightly wider than a normal semi-D unit, but with a shorter length. Standard units come with a 3,487sq.ft. buildup for two and a half storeys, but there are a few special units with a slightly roomier 3,812sq.ft. (slight difference to the layout).

The facade design opts for the contemporary look with accentuated sills and low windows, which looks an extension of the look that was employed for the earlier phases. We weren’t too thrilled with the colour scheme of pastelly brown and cream, perhaps a grey look (quite popular nowadays) would have suited better, but of course its a question of personal taste.

Inside the unit, we were actually quite pleased with the layout. The living room is spacious, although our first impression was that they could have gone with more full length windows to maximize the natural light. But there are actually still enough windows to allow some creativity in ID. The dining / family area is a double-volume space that is quite impressive. On the second floor are 3 rooms, all with their own attached baths. Because of the double volume space from the ground floor, it is understandable that the space is limited in the first floor. On the top most half floor, it is entirely made up of one huge master bedroom, big enough to have your own study attached. The design is quite interesting, there are large false columns in the middle of the room, probably meant to separate out either a walk-in wardrobe or a baby room. Quite a nice touch. Unfortunately, the open design meant that they had to introduce a sliding glass door at the top of the staircase, and the tracks on the ground will be a problem in the future. A little more thought in the design could have avoided this problem.

So all in all there are 5+1 rooms, all with attached baths, even for the maid’s room.

Like we said, we like the layout, but for us it is no more than a semi-D unit. Price starts from RM764k onwards, currently at a promotional price due to launch. The lower units will have a main road at the back of the unit, the higher units will be backed with a landscaped park.

The development is gearing up for more upscale units in the near future as they open up new areas bordering Saujana Puchong and IJM’s Laman Granview. So this limited phase serves as a testing ground for them to gauge the response of a higher end unit from the public. Price for a semi-D is just about right, maybe its a strategy to market it as a bungalow to make it seem very affordable…!

We have actually passed by this show unit a number of times since the end of last year, but didn’t make an effort to go and see it, so last weekend we decided to turn off the main road and check out this place.

Things have changed a lot in this part of Puchong / Sepang over the last one year, many of the projects that populate both sides of this road. Many of these projects that we launched in the first half of this decade (yes, we ARE nearing the end of this decade!) have now matured quite a bit, with the general population of this area getting higher and higher by the month. With the pilot phases of each development ready, each of these projects are starting to show their identity and image, although in some cases it isn’t entirely what the development intended it to be.

But Taman Putra Prima has maintained a very peaceful and sparsely developed project, a drive through the earlier phase will attest. Granted, they haven’t really tinkered with their concept of entry level linkhomes, but it serves the intended purpose well.

To get to Taman Putra Prima, you need to turn right at the Puchong Utama LDP interchange, then at the third traffic lights, turn right and go all the way to the end of the road and you‘ll see the development on your left. As a general rule the area on the right of the dual carriageway is part of MPSJ (hence, Puchong) and on your left would be Sepang. Along the way on the right, you’ll see projects like Tasik PrimaPuchong Tekali and the mature Puchong Utama township. On the right you’ll Taman Putra Impiana and a lot of empty land. Beyond that area projects like Puchong Prima, Bandar Bukit Puchong 2, Meranti Jaya, Bandar Nusaputra (reviews here, here and here) and the older Amanputra and Putra Perdana.

For the review of the earlier phase Beryl and Ivory (Phase 4A), you can read it here:

Taman Putra Prima: Phase 4A (Beryl & Ivory)

You are encouraged to read about our take on the quality, accessibility, connectivity and overall look of the development there as we won’t repeat it here.

Once into Taman Putra Prima, the Azurite phase can be found quite deep inside the development. Just as with the earlier Phase 4A, there are about 220 units, and Azurite are 22′ x 75′ double storey linkhomes with a buildup of 1,930sq.ft. One slight difference is that there are special units here that are larger at 22′ x 80′ and 2,176sq.ft. Of course it also comes with a bigger price tag. All units come with 4+1 bedrooms, and with 3 baths. There is a guest room downstairs, and it shares an attached bath with the kitchen. They haven’t changed much of the layout from some of their earlier design, but here the thing that really impressed us was the first floor facade. It looked really elegant for a linkhouse, with the tall full height windows. This results in some odd high level fixed glass windows that are a pain to clean, but we think many people will appreciate the design value.

We also liked the white and dark grey colour scheme, very trendy, and something different from an overload of pastel-ly cream homes around here.

Obviously for a later phase, the price has increased a little, but it is about the average price of a DSL in this area. In terms of convenience of shops, the commercial area here hasn’t really taken off yet, but they are actually building more shoplots. For a more shops the nearest would probably in Puchong Perdana, or else Bandar Puteri would be the next nearest commercial area.

Nutshell - nice facade, area is a bit far.

This site has quite a long history with interested parties and developers, before the current development took shape. The site in question sits on prime land just off Jalan Ampang, in a rather secluded enclave but very accessible to the city.

We are talking about the 60-acre site now developed by Acmar International, as a high end project called D’Rapport. We were actually part of a team that took a look at this site some years back on behalf of an interested client, but at that time there were some conditions regarding the status of the land. But let’s talk about the here and now. The developer has managed to get the a huge parcel of land, and with it planned an ambitious large scale project that is prestigious and set to be a major landmark along Jalan Ampang.

To get to this site, you need to turn off Jalan Ampang at the South Korean Embassy near the MRR2 interchange. Other than the embassy, this small enclave is made up of the a Korean school, some low rise apartments, and older bungalows. The proximity with the Korean embassy and school is not coincidental, the developer has brought in some heavyweight Korean investors to take advantage of this, and have started the marketing process in South Korea itself, and have reported to have done brisk business. Little Korea is quite nearby, up at the next traffic lights. They have recently just started to open up to local buyers and investors.

Let’s take a look at the development. There is 60 acres of land here, although it didn’t really seem that big when we surveyed the site after viewing the sales gallery. From what we can tell, there are four portions to the development. The first phase, called Complex 1 or Festa (!) is the current launch and is nearest to the entrance. The second phase, Complex 2 and also known as Heroes (!?) is on the other end of the development. This phase will be launched in the future, so details are quite sketchy although development concept will be similar to the Complex 1. Between the two complexes, is a large Lake Park which consists of the SMART tunnel overflow pond (yes, THAT particular SMART tunnel), surrounded by a recreational park with landscaped areas. This whole lake park actually accounts for about half the 60-acres, which partially explains why the scale of the development space is not that evident.

The 4th part of the development is some public buildings like a school, shopping mall, clinic & education centre and pre-school that is located beside Complex 1. These facilities will be open to public, but the other areas such as the lake park will not be.

Since the current launch is on Complex 1 Festa (!!), we will concentrate on that only.

Complex 1 is a massive development by itself, make no mistake about it. We are talking 1,099 units, 5 tower blocks spread over 10 acres here. On the ground floor, there are the retail outlets. On the 1st and 2nd you have extensive facilities, from sports courts, indoor driving range, gym, cafe, and even guest houses (always a great idea if you have lots of expats living here). The third floor is where the podium level is, and there are more outdoor facilities like tennis courts and numerous swimming pools and landscaped areas. The parking is located in a basement level, and on part of the commercial facilities floors.

There are 6 tower blocks, each with 34 floor of units, Block E has 35 floors (because of the penthouse at the top). Each floor has 6 units per floor, Block E has 8. So on the average there are about 200 per tower. Excluding the penthouse (4,496sq.ft.), there are 7 unit types, ranging from 1,100sq.ft. to 2,230sq.ft. The units are spread across the different towers, but each tower has only 2 to 3 unit types, typical from the first floor up to the highest.

The largest units at 2,230sq.ft. are designed as ‘elegant and spacious’, and is laid out in a almost 2:1 rectangle layout. There are 3+1 rooms, large living, no balcony (which we like) and a spacious entrance foyer. The second tier of units are from 1600 to 1800sq.ft., which are basically slightly smaller options of the above. And then there are the smaller range, which are quite interesting. You have angled units, and also a studio units with a guest area. At 1,100sq.ft. they are as large as normal condo, but here they have emphasized the concept differently, and we think it’s a refreshing use of space. Good for those single expatriates on the go who do not want to pay for space they don’t need.

The prices start at RM700psf. They reflect the intended market, and is about the going rate for a KLCC condo, although this is not as near as the condos that are marketed as such. Not for the average local investor. This is quite an interesting situation, actually. The local market, especially in the KLCC can be said as saturated, with most of the rich folks who are looking to buy have already bought any of the condos launched in the last 3 years. But some folks are already flipping their first luxury condo, and now with more buying power, this may seem an attractive investment. But again, it should be noted the pricing is on the high side.

The units come with freebies and built in items, please check with the salespeople for details. Maintenance fee is 25sen psf.

The developers are marketing as close proximity to KLCC and embassy row along the Jalan Ampang area. Actually more than half the units have been booked overseas, so the locals are not getting the prime units but this seems to be the prevalent trend in recent luxury. As we mentioned, this is a pretty massive development in what used to quiet enclave. Taking into account Complex 2, there are about 2000 units, imagine the number of cars pouring out onto the already congested Jalan Ampang. There is only one entrance / exit (beside the Shell station).

We think we should be asking some pertinent questions about foreign buying power (both Middle East and Far East) in our local property market, but that’s probably another discussion for another day. As for the condo alone, we don’t fancy the shopping strip at the ground floor. With flooding becoming a recurring concern in the city centre, an associate of ours wondered about the lake that’s used for the SMART tunnel. We’ll try to get more info from the salepeople. But i bet there’ll good kimchi around here soon, though…

Our blog reader Tan Kok Choong has sent in some photos of the almost completed Mutiara Bukit Jalil Phase 2 units. There seem to be some defect rectification works in progress, as you can note from the living room.

Thanks to Tan for the excellent shots. If you guys have any site progress photos of any project, do send it in to us.

You can find the original Property Malaysia review here.

Access road loading into site:

Internal road (jalan Tiara 7):

Backlane:

One of the units:

Living room:

Staircase:

Dining:

kitchen:

2nd Floor:

2nd floor living area:

The construction of this project has been in progress for more than two years at the site, and with their huge billboards around the site, it has attracted a lot of queries over the long period. The long construction period so far is mainly due to the earthworks and site preparation, due to the very steep condition of the site. The show house is nearing completion, and will the official launch will be soon.

The site is along Jalan K5 of Taman Melawati, near the top of the small hill behind the rows of existing bungalows. This small parcel of land was a left over from the early development of Taman Melawati in the mid-80’s, and is identified as Phase 7B. In the interim years, this area of Taman Melawati has become a nice, rustic area at the edge of a jungle overlooking the natural limestone hills. The area is popular for jungle trekking, and if you had driven past there a few years ago, you can clearly see the granite outcropping at certain stretches along K5 going up to more than 2m. From the formation, it can be seen that the blasting was carried out those days to form the platform we see at the moment.

Now, this area has become a hotspot for luxury homes, with a few developers moving in during last 3 years - namely, this project by Pembinaan Asmegah, 20 Trees by SDB Properties, Riverview by Loh & Loh and a 60-acre project by Mutiara Goodyear further in. To get to this project, turn right the MRR2 at the Zoo Negara interchange and follow the signs up the hill. Approaching the site you can see some massive slope terracing works using retaining walls, it can be imposing bordering on trepidation.

There are only 50 units in this development, the land is a tear shaped enclave. There are basically only three rows of homes, with the 20 bungalows at the highest row, and the semi-Ds are facing the main road. There is one odd bungalow at the corner of the development at the lowest point that is especially large, but with a very high and imposing retaining wall behind it. Perhaps it would have been better to have a clubhouse or community hall there rather than squeeze in another unit in such a location.

Each unit has a large land area, although most of them are on terraced slopes due to the inclined, and every unit also comes with a private swimming pool and built in Jacuzzi.

The bungalows are of a very traditional façade and layout design. They have a big build up of about 6,500sq.ft., and all 3-storey. Most bungalows have extra space in front, and corner units come with extra land. With so much space, 6+1 and 7+1 rooms (depending on the type you choose), you can’t really ask for more space, although the footprint is minimal to enhance the design concept. The façade and colour scheme takes a bit of getting used to, though, we found it to be too conservative for our liking.

The semi-Ds, however, in totally different with their contemporary design. Here you have double pitched roofs (very trendy and popular these days) and a grey white colour scheme probably to attract a younger crowd. They are all 2 and a half storey units, you have 3,400 to 5,050sq.ft. of space. There are 6+1 rooms, and depending on the type you choose, you either get an indoor courtyard or a rooftop garden. Families with small children will have extra careful with the slopes in your garden. The footprint employed here is quite simple, almost rectangular.

Price of a unit start pretty steep, from RM1.6million up until RM4million. Driving by the site you can see why this is so – there is a lot of infrastructure work that has been done (and still in progress) prior to the superstructure being erected, like retaining walls, granite rock breaking, soil strengthening, etc. From the pricing it looks like its pretty exclusive to a tee.

As part of the sales package, they are offering RM48k to RM80k worth of freebies with each unit, please check with the salespeople for details.

Overall, you probably need to see the site yourself appreciate the view and see the actual terrain of the site. Choosing the right unit might be important, too. We would choose the semi-D units over the bungalows, but having said that, the pricing makes it inaccessible for most of us, anyway.

This is the Kuantan developer’s first major project in the Klang Valley. They are also known for the D’Embassy project in Bukit Pelindung, Kuantan.

Reader Lee Wei Li sent in these Hijauan Residences photos some time back, we apologize for the delay in posting them up, we’ve been a little pre-occupied recently…

Lee notes the patching work / workmanship issues in the 3rd photo.

For the original review of Hijauan Residence, read here.

Yep, it’s now April and its tax time. February and March breezed past us, and we’re wrapping up the reviews for both month together, since for most of February we were away on other assignments, plus a two week Chinese New Year break. In total we had 5 reviews in the period and as usual, the reviews page is updated.

The 5 projects reviewed in the last 2 months were:
184.Meranti Condominium, Taman Raintree, Batu Caves
183.Casa Idaman Condominium
182.PT19 Residency, Puchong
181.Hijauan Saujana
180.Amaya Saujana, Petaling Jaya