Living in JB 2 (Johore)

[mathstub]

I also have a small kid. I feel sad everytime hearing news about kids having been kidnapped and lost. All those children kidnappers do not deserve being treated like human beings.

parents/guardians should also exercise their due diligence, and the kids properly taught about strangers.
to avoid confusion, i told my kids all strangers are bad.. like gagamel will catch and cook smurfs
slightly extreme, but i think this is necessary until they grow older to differentiate people/lies

i also read from forums that such kidnappings are rampant in recent years in hk and china.. omg.. how can people do these sort of things!
just hope kidnappers and potential kidnappers get caught and sentenced to hang under the law. :oIo:

 

[mathstub]

Bro, UEM said NI precinct 6 was gated and guarded when UEM sold it?

I have seen someone posting on the forum a reply from UEM stressing it is Guarded but not Gated precinct because it is not a landed strata title.

So what the heck do these developers for some developments mean when they say their development is gated and guarded when they advertise?

HH (also involving UEM) says it is gate and guarded. But HH landed properties are not landed strata titles. This means it should cannot be guarded as well.

Does the above tell something about the quality of UEM as the developer?

Prescint 6. Yes, I have asked neighbours to launch a group complaint to UEM. I am so disappointed to hear this in a development like NI.

I agree NI is not that high end development but you still wld expect better security.

 

[sgtsk]

Yes agree, just secure your place. Form your own group, know your neighbour and things will only improve from there. I have many neighbours here who thinks they are very rich and ignores everyone, keeping to themselves. Yet those truly rich ones tend to be the humble ones. Even had an atas neighbour who claimed they drank at least a full bottle of red a day.

They forgot, they may be rich at 65 but some already did pretty well at 25 yet others become millionaire below age of 20. For a mountain that is higher, there may be higher still. Even mount everest is not the highest if you count those in the sea. Low profile is key.

There is actually someting called Rukun Tetangga program(something like a neighbourhood watch program) started by the Malaysian govt nationwide since decades ago and as far as I know, still quite widely practised espcially in neighbouthoods which are troubled by thefts, robberies and other security issues . Some of the intentions of the program amongst others are to promote national unity, community spirit of cooperations and looking after each others wellbeing and yes most usefully the security and prevention of crimes in one's neighbourhood. As i know this is not like forming an armed vigilante group but could just be a loose arrangement of having a duty roster for groups of neighbor meeting and taking a walk around the neighborhood for a couple of hours each night. I know this defeat the purpose of having G&G but if necessary may be this could be considered. I am not sure if you could get funding from the govt though eventhough I come across news as I googled that govt has allocations for the program. Anyway, all HH or NI or any G&G residents are considered relatively well off.

 

[yonglip]

thanks bro wuqi, doa & sis crystal for your concern, and the help you have given so far.
unfortunately, it didn't quite work out.. the unit we wanted has a master toilet right above the main door.
we couldn't bring ourselves to compromise this.. cos imo, this will come and haunt us in the future.

so... the hunt is still on

yes.. i was sort of mia for some time.. tied up with work cos a few of my colleagues has gone on vacation during this lull period.
i'll still be lurking around here for info

If your 'ming' has the money or good fortune, having the toilet on top of your front door will not stop you from striking toto. Conversely, if you are fated to be just mediocre this lifetime, having 2 pixius staring outside the front door will only bring DUST on them. That is the reason why fengshui works for some and not others.

cheers.

 

[yonglip]

There is actually someting called Rukun Tetangga program(something like a neighbourhood watch program) started by the Malaysian govt nationwide since decades ago and as far as I know, still quite widely practised espcially in neighbouthoods which are troubled by thefts, robberies and other security issues . Some of the intentions of the program amongst others are to promote national unity, community spirit of cooperations and looking after each others wellbeing and yes most usefully the security and prevention of crimes in one's neighbourhood. As i know this is not like forming an armed vigilante group but could just be a loose arrangement of having a duty roster for groups of neighbor meeting and taking a walk around the neighborhood for a couple of hours each night. I know this defeat the purpose of having G&G but if necessary may be this could be considered. I am not sure if you could get funding from the govt though eventhough I come across news as I googled that govt has allocations for the program. Anyway, all HH or NI or any G&G residents are considered relatively well off.

Ya. saw this in action in one of the channel 8 chinese show. i think the basic problem with this type of vigilante groups is sustainablity. Everyone is on the ball right after a break in incident. after that, if nothing happens for sometime, the enthu level drops and thats when the break-in starts again. I think one of the ways to tackle break ins in a G&G neighbourhood is to make the security guards feel like family members. respect them and reward them adequately. so they dont feel is just another job but they are actually guarding the lives and properties of their friends. When they make mistakes such as being caught sleeping, dont be too quick to whack them, it could be the bugger has a day job as well and is trying to make ends meet. Understand their problem and maybe offer help. i think they will appreciate it. Afterall for them, being fired from one taman simply means walking to the next door taman and asking for a job. no big deal. firing threats will not work.

cheers.

 

[greddy88]

Understand, the toilet above the main door actually affects a lot of units, there are ways to go about this as well. This is as it
is sometimes near impossible (not to say impractical) to do everything by the book in terms of feng shui. Alleviating the bad would
actually help.

This is as there is a popular saying about the 5 forces in life that determines ones path and success/failure

Yi Ming, Er Yun, San Feng Shui, Si Ji De, Wu Du Shu.

1. Destiny
2. Ones own luck
3. Feng shui remedys
4. Doing good deeds
5. Education

Knowing yourself is like doing a SWOT analysis first followed by knowing and changing yourself, your surroundings and deeds.

If your 'ming' has the money or good fortune, having the toilet on top of your front door will not stop you from striking toto. Conversely, if you are fated to be just mediocre this lifetime, having 2 pixius staring outside the front door will only bring DUST on them. That is the reason why fengshui works for some and not others.

cheers.

yes brothers.. i know. the feng shui is not the one and only thing that will determine my destiny and fate.
well.. let's put it this way... if it is within our means to control, why not? we can't really control our destiny and luck (though to a certain extent, we can still do it.. like mixing with the right people, having positive mindset etc). but for fengshui, doing good deeds and education, we can actually do it.
but i don't do good deeds just to get good karma though.. just feel like doing it to help people
just to share.. heard from radio 95.8 that blood banks in sg are in critical level.. can only last a few days.. if u are free, pls make a trip down.
i have done it 3 days back.. after stopping like 15 years ago (felt like a virgin when they drew blood the first time )

Bro, according to the floor plan, my house in HH has the master bathroom above the main front door. OMG, will this affect the future property price or is it more difficult to sell this house? I should have thought about this more carefully before I bought.

Do you think we can require HH to change the location of the main front door on the side below the master bedroom instead (the master bedroom is next to the bedroom)?

relocating the bathroom will involve a lot of redesign and architectural work.. not advised.. probably relocate the main door. but i am not sure the management will allow that?

as bros wuqi and yonglip said, it is not the end of the world.. it is just my wife and i couldn't get thru the psychological barrier.
there are many units (we saw at subsale gateway and the brochure at the greens) built this way, it doesn't mean everyone will kenna bad right?

anyway, just google 'house fengshui' for info.. there are tons on the internet.
one example i picked up http://fengshui.about.com/od/realestatefengshui/bb/feng-shui-buy-new-home.htm
then validate some of it with further google, example, 'bathroom over main door'.
many more results will appear... and the supposed remedies.
compare them and make an informed decision

 

[investjb]

Bro,

Like it or not, kelvin chee and his buddy jeff are the Number 1 super top sales of hh. Many hh owners love them because they are able to sell at higher price. But if u r a buyer, u will curse him like hell.

With hh competitor nusa idaman in such a deep mess now and east ledang terraces already asking for rm1 million and above, many more folks will buy up hh houses in year.

There are other agents in the internet where u can find to buy resale houses other than kelvin and jeff also but one thing to note is that they are not the super salesmen of hh.

Btw, on your other discussion about the agent kelvin Chee, the plum guy that drive white Toyota (I think it was Toyota if my memory serves correct), yes be mindful. He showed me some houses, and he had the guts to jack up the price by 30k when I showed interests to enquire deeper. He said if I was a week earlier, the price would be as per advertisement, that was 30k lower! And as I was upstairs looking around, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call. I went out to the balcony upstairs and I overheard him telling his colleague offering the same deal at the original advertised price.

I was pissed off of course. Basically he and his colleagues played with the resale market, especially those big reputable tamans. U will see their names repeatedly shown. Exercise discretion is my only advice when dealing with them.

[/QUOTE]


think they did the same to nusa duta. but for those area that they don't have 'stock' on hand, they will tell you that the area is not good for stay/investment.

 

[greddy88]

Ahh, sorry that it didn't work out well. It takes time to find that one special dream home, for sure! When I started, i was all over the places and visited so many places ... like doing election rally like that lol

Keep on searching but don't take too long until the state levy increases

Btw, on your other discussion about the agent kelvin Chee, the plum guy that drive white Toyota (I think it was Toyota if my memory serves correct), yes be mindful. He showed me some houses, and he had the guts to jack up the price by 30k when I showed interests to enquire deeper. He said if I was a week earlier, the price would be as per advertisement, that was 30k lower! And as I was upstairs looking around, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call. I went out to the balcony upstairs and I overheard him telling his colleague offering the same deal at the original advertised price.

I was pissed off of course. Basically he and his colleagues played with the resale market, especially those big reputable tamans. U will see their names repeatedly shown. Exercise discretion is my only advice when dealing with them.

thanks...
he's the same guy.. drives a dunno what model 3 digit plate black toyota.. no major complains about him, as i have not dealt with him too in-depth, cos i didn't proceed further after some intense discussions with my wife..
but with your feedback... erm.. he sounds like an opportunist..

 

[DREAMorACTION]

Ya, I cursed and sweared because I was playing the "buyer" role. If I was a seller, I probably will love them to bits lol

Anyway, back to the point, they can be top seller by asking and advertising the inflated price. If the prospects viewed the house based on the advertised price, there is already a chance for them to clock the sales. But the point about jacking the price up when u wanted to get into deeper details, that's a no no. More so, when they relist an old ads, they don't change the price and told me that the listed price was a week's old and it has since been increased by another 30k because the stocks were low. Up till now, many of those that I viewed 2 months back, are still up in the market and now at a even higher price.

I'm sure through these processes, they have turned away quite some customers and creating bad resale reputation to JB.

Bro,

Like it or not, kelvin chee and his buddy jeff are the Number 1 super top sales of hh. Many hh owners love them because they are able to sell at higher price. But if u r a buyer, u will curse him like hell.

With hh competitor nusa idaman in such a deep mess now and east ledang terraces already asking for rm1 million and above, many more folks will buy up hh houses in year.

There are other agents in the internet where u can find to buy resale houses other than kelvin and jeff also but one thing to note is that they are not the super salesmen of hh.

Btw, on your other discussion about the agent kelvin Chee, the plum guy that drive white Toyota (I think it was Toyota if my memory serves correct), yes be mindful. He showed me some houses, and he had the guts to jack up the price by 30k when I showed interests to enquire deeper. He said if I was a week earlier, the price would be as per advertisement, that was 30k lower! And as I was upstairs looking around, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call. I went out to the balcony upstairs and I overheard him telling his colleague offering the same deal at the original advertised price.

I was pissed off of course. Basically he and his colleagues played with the resale market, especially those big reputable tamans. U will see their names repeatedly shown. Exercise discretion is my only advice when dealing with them.

[/QUOTE]

 

[greddy88]

Ya, I cursed and sweared because I was playing the "buyer" role. If I was a seller, I probably will love them to bits lol

Anyway, back to the point, they can be top seller by asking and advertising the inflated price. If the prospects viewed the house based on the advertised price, there is already a chance for them to clock the sales. But the point about jacking the price up when u wanted to get into deeper details, that's a no no. More so, when they relist an old ads, they don't change the price and told me that the listed price was a week's old and it has since been increased by another 30k because the stocks were low. Up till now, many of those that I viewed 2 months back, are still up in the market and now at a even higher price.

I'm sure through these processes, they have turned away quite some customers and creating bad resale reputation to JB.

[/QUOTE]

i read somewhere one should exercise his own due diligence to find out the house's valuation from the banks (i'm not sure how much though).
for example, corner terrace houses in hh probably valued up to 600k. more than that, say, 680k means u are actually paying 80k cov (just like hdb). worth it or not, depends on individual.

don't forget, if one takes a loan on the house, the interest that add up will then not make further sense to pay that high cov for the house (worse if u wanna use the house for investment sale later on.. would one wanna buy a terrace for 1 mil?)

 

[DREAMorACTION]

From my recent findings with the banks, it normally costs a few hundred to 1,200. Forgot if the valuation fee is highly correlated to the property value though.

i read somewhere one should exercise his own due diligence to find out the house's valuation from the banks (i'm not sure how much though).[/QUOTE]

 

[sgtsk]

Ya. saw this in action in one of the channel 8 chinese show. i think the basic problem with this type of vigilante groups is sustainablity. Everyone is on the ball right after a break in incident. after that, if nothing happens for sometime, the enthu level drops and thats when the break-in starts again. I think one of the ways to tackle break ins in a G&G neighbourhood is to make the security guards feel like family members. respect them and reward them adequately. so they dont feel is just another job but they are actually guarding the lives and properties of their friends. When they make mistakes such as being caught sleeping, dont be too quick to whack them, it could be the bugger has a day job as well and is trying to make ends meet. Understand their problem and maybe offer help. i think they will appreciate it. Afterall for them, being fired from one taman simply means walking to the next door taman and asking for a job. no big deal. firing threats will not work.

cheers.

Agreed. May be the rukun tetanga thing could be tailored in such a way, it reinforces the G&G. Still things might not be fire proof, but it sure adds an additional layer of security. A friend told me it seemed that when on duty, the neighbors met just like gathering to have tea or exercise together. This way probably helps alleviate the work part and inject some fun part to make it more doable.

 

[2bFree]

Sensibly said. How many of us actually give a wave to the guard when we approach the guard house? Just a quick smile and wave makes them feel appreciated. No need for grand gestures.

Again, I think it is important to build a good relationship with your immediate neighbours so they can help keep a lookout for your place and you do the same in return. It is also critical to always be aware of your surroundings and never take security for granted.

I think one of the ways to tackle break ins in a G&G neighbourhood is to make the security guards feel like family members. respect them and reward them adequately. so they dont feel is just another job but they are actually guarding the lives and properties of their friends. When they make mistakes such as being caught sleeping, dont be too quick to whack them, it could be the bugger has a day job as well and is trying to make ends meet. Understand their problem and maybe offer help. i think they will appreciate it. Afterall for them, being fired from one taman simply means walking to the next door taman and asking for a job. no big deal. firing threats will not work.

 

[abugumgum]

Short of arming ourselves with guns like the Americans, there is really a limit to how much precaution we can take, the rest is really 'heng' 'suay'.

Cheers.

I agree with you on this. Best defence is visible deterrence and leave the rest to luck.

 

[abugumgum]

Btw, on your other discussion about the agent kelvin Chee, the plum guy that drive white Toyota (I think it was Toyota if my memory serves correct), yes be mindful. He showed me some houses, and he had the guts to jack up the price by 30k when I showed interests to enquire deeper. He said if I was a week earlier, the price would be as per advertisement, that was 30k lower! And as I was upstairs looking around, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call. I went out to the balcony upstairs and I overheard him telling his colleague offering the same deal at the original advertised price.

I was pissed off of course. Basically he and his colleagues played with the resale market, especially those big reputable tamans. U will see their names repeatedly shown. Exercise discretion is my only advice when dealing with them.

Happened to us when looking for resale too. Not Kelvin but from same agency. Once we expressed interest and want to start nego price, he make a call (said to be owner). Came back to us and say another agent has expressed told owner can sell higher and has upped the price by 50k. He behaved as if frustrated.

We just shrugged our shoulders, thank him for showing the place and left.

 

[yahoo1234]

This is bad. I remember it happened earlier for the early phases, think it was phase 3. When I asked the sales agent about the break-ins, they didn't hide. In fact, the first question she asked me was - " did u read it from some forums"? They knew exactly what the source of the leaked news was so they didn't hide. They told me that it's due to new completion of the phase and that the occupancy rate was still low. And the break-in happened because some contractors left the doors opened after their day work, so the thieves broke in without much efforts. I just left it at that, because their story was different that those reported on the forum. And because of that, those residents actually took step to install barrier system with access card. I can't believe Uem is still taking security so lightly.... They have to be responsible too, because they offer 3 year free maintenance, dont they? Or is it one year

Indeed it is a bad news for NI and they are learning from their mistake. Have to give credit to Precinct 6 residence for taking quick response in setting up an urgent meeting addressing the recent security issue. This is an advantage of having majority occupied by ownstay buyers against investors in the Precinct. Also UEM responded with action points to beef up security in that area as well.

I read this from http://nusaidamanphase6.lefora.com/2010/04/12/introduction-of-nusa-idaman-phase-6/page11/

In summary:

Residence Meeting Agendas
1. Nominate a temporary/interim Resident Commitee for Precinct 6
2. Nominate representatives for each block
3. Collection of resident names / contact
4. Security and safety related issues - Proposal and ideas are welcome.
5. Financing to enhancing security and safety of NI6
6. Propose meeting with Developer, etc

UEM Action Points
1. Relocating two security guards at the end of Jalan Nusa Idaman 6/3 bordering to Phase 7A development.
2. Security provider to increased the patrolling clocking points inside Precints 6.
3. Auxiliary Police (AP) to conduct patrolling two time per shift inside the Precints 5 & 6 and to station at least 30 minutes at each precint.
4. Working together with Police in patrolling Nusa Idaman areas.

UEM is launching hilltop semi-d soon, so they better give more assurance to the potential buyers that NI is a safe place to stay.

 

[whoami]

Agreed. May be the rukun tetanga thing could be tailored in such a way, it reinforces the G&G. Still things might not be fire proof, but it sure adds an additional layer of security. A friend told me it seemed that when on duty, the neighbors met just like gathering to have tea or exercise together. This way probably helps alleviate the work part and inject some fun part to make it more doable.

Yes. Gotong Royong...in Malay. All work as a team regardless of race or religion for the benefits of the precinct or "kampong".

I can still remember vividly wat had taken place during the 1964 racial riots. I was juz a kid then. I lived in a malay kampong (Jalan Durian off Jln Eunos)...with a mixture of Chinese and handful of Indians. Head of the families ie. fathers, took turn to guard the kampong. Any transpasser whether Chinese, malay or Indians will be questioned by the "guard" on duty. We never let our guard down. After the dust had settled, though we no longer have "guard post", we still remain as good neighbours, helping each other in time of needs..and this carry on till the govt came into the picture and we were scattered and resettled other parts of Sillypore. Nowadays in pigeon hole..reached home..neighbours door closed. The only time we meet is when we go to work in the morning..or met them in lift..with a simple "Hi" and an artificial smile. Yes...even my own race also behave like tat too..

 

[wuqi256]

Sensibly said. How many of us actually give a wave to the guard when we approach the guard house? Just a quick smile and wave makes them feel appreciated. No need for grand gestures.

Again, I think it is important to build a good relationship with your immediate neighbours so they can help keep a lookout for your place and you do the same in return. It is also critical to always be aware of your surroundings and never take security for granted.

I worked as a security guard long ago so i know how its like. I never take them for granted and CNY, always knows to give some small gestures of thanks. Alway work with neighbours and never be too atas.

Using solar film is good in a sense it deters people from peeking in easily. Helps a little.
I would recommend taking up archery as well as its legal to own a compound bow here.

 

[wuqi256]

If your 'ming' has the money or good fortune, having the toilet on top of your front door will not stop you from striking toto. Conversely, if you are fated to be just mediocre this lifetime, having 2 pixius staring outside the front door will only bring DUST on them. That is the reason why fengshui works for some and not others.

cheers.

Well said, agree wholeheartedly, feng shui is good as a reference point but a lot of things still depends on oneself.
Don't listen too much to others, do what you feel is correct.

I am supposed to have a very mediocre life and bring ill luck to the parents which probably explained why i was
left to fend for myself.

So far in life, i have always taken the road less travelled even if everything/everyone else tells me to head back.

 

[wuqi256]

Happened to us when looking for resale too. Not Kelvin but from same agency. Once we expressed interest and want to start nego price, he make a call (said to be owner). Came back to us and say another agent has expressed told owner can sell higher and has upped the price by 50k. He behaved as if frustrated.

We just shrugged our shoulders, thank him for showing the place and left.

Very unscrupulous guys, just ignore them. :(