Living in JB 2 (Johore)

[yonglip]

To add on. I was advised to install water tank because of occassional water supply disruption in JB. Any bro and sis can comment on this?

I understand there are water tanks already built on top of houses precisely for such situations. I noticed my roof has one/two black tank-like unit. I suppose is to store water. Maybe bros can verify this.

 

[LGLab]

Greetings and happy CNY to everyone here! My very first post in this forum and indeed very helpful information all around.

Similar to some of the forumer here, I'm also currently looking to secure a property in JB more for own stay purpose.

I'd been visiting some of the common area mentioned by all bros here lately, and just to share some of my own view.
Note : The comments are based on the unit that I've visited personally, and it does not imply to other units in that area, so I hope nobody will get offended.

EL and LF are obviously out of budget range, now left HH, NI and ND which still under consideration.

HH : Currently in the top of my list, liked the surrounding, location and security there.
The Gateway (HH) : All resale units. 2-storey terrace about RM485k - 520k, while cluster house is 720k. I believe most of the units were purchased for investment purpose and thus none has stayed in the house before (some are not even rented out). The unit that I'd visited is not really in good condition.

The Golf (HH) : All resale units. The Golf double-storey (24'x75') is going for around 650k-700k and cluster is above 800k, compare to The Gateway it is more expensive (I believe mainly due to larger build-up area too). House is in better condition (perhaps due to newer phase??)

The Green (HH) : Waiting for The Green's 2-storey terrance (22'x75') launch to make further comparison. According to HH sales office, they will use mostly porcelain tile throughout the whole house rather than normal ceramic tile, however it would make no difference if renovation will be done later. Similar price psf with The Hills / The Golf (based on indicative price).

The Hills (HH) : 2-storey terrance unit are big and spacious (26' x 80') but a bit overbudget (> 800k). However if compare price psf, it is still reasonable.

NI (Nusa Idaman) : I find it quite an ideal place right after HH especially the location. Not sure why the sales are going slow in NI as I find the price are attractive and competitive compared to others. Just some minor concern about the access-card as most of the other ready - precinct e.g. Phase 5 & 6 doesn't have it. Surprise to find out that the Precinct 8b end lots are almost sold out as back in early Jan there were quite some units available - personally liked the end lot design compared to Precinct 7. They are selling Courtyard 3 (24' x 80') too - named as Phase 7b but located in Precinct 5. Priced at 570k intermediate unit and 665k end lot but found out some of the resale units from Courtyard 2 are only selling 500k with same land size (24' x 80').

ND (Nusa Duta) : Visited the cluster house (22' x 70') + 10' land beside, liked the design and security but all are resale and priced around 620k (was 580k back in Dec 2011). Location wise it is closer to the Gaint / Tesco etc but I find the location crowded and prefer those more secluded area e.g. HH or NI to have a quieter surrounding.

Other nearby projects - Nusa Sentral / Nusa Bayu are mostly below 500k and much further away from the coastal highway / shopping complex / etc, so i do not include them here.

I bought the gateway at hh for 620,000 RM. Is that overpriced ? It is an end lot...

 

[arsenal]

I bought the gateway at hh for 620,000 RM. Is that overpriced ? It is an end lot...

Bro,
You have already bought the house. Don't worry.
We are all paying the premium. The locals and even my loan officers said frankly they would never buy such houses as we did because these are way overprice..
Are Sentosa Cove terrraces at S$30M considered overpriced? Are the 99 leased The Sails considered overpriced? Are those Bishan HDB considered overpriced?
I guessed if you want to sell your linked house in HH one day, you can easily find buyers... How low can it go? 500Krm? A difference of 120Krm is approx $40K.. Just like the stamp duties one paid for Singapore houses.. Don't think so hard over it..

 

[yonglip]

I bought the gateway at hh for 620,000 RM. Is that overpriced ? It is an end lot...

bro..cheap or ex has to be in relation to something

e.g when compared to SG prices?
when compared to other tamans?
when compared to what locals are generally paying?.
when compared to what the original owners actually paid for years ago?.

normally i do most of the worrying before i buy something. after i bought it. i try to make the best use of it.

forget about the price bro, focus on the LIFE TRANSFORMING journey you will soon be embarking man. haha.

cheers.

 

[avalon74]

thanks bro.

painiting - will keep to the colour scheme of the developer. both interior and exterior.
yes. may need additional power point/relocation
not intending to get a hood/hob. will get instead one induction cooker (SGD30+). want to avoid need to call gasman. hood need to maintain/clean. will install exhaust fan instead.
will stick to original doors.
auto-gate - something i thought about. will most likely nstall at a later time when staying there becomes more permanent i.e.retiring there.
cheers.

My unit only came with primer layer.. so need to paint.. yours painted by developer at vacant possession (VP)?
For me also using induction heater since rarely cook.. but also bot microwave oven..

 

[teck21]

Bro,
You have already bought the house. Don't worry.
We are all paying the premium.
I guessed if you want to sell your linked house in HH one day, you can easily find buyers... How low can it go? 500Krm? A difference of 120Krm is approx $40K.. Just like the stamp duties one paid for Singapore houses.. Don't think so hard over it..

normally i do most of the worrying before i buy something. after i bought it. i try to make the best use of it.

forget about the price bro, focus on the LIFE TRANSFORMING journey you will soon be embarking man. haha.

Good advice, no point worrying about it after you buy it.

So you over paid? Then how? Siao liao! I paid too much, lucky I going to live in it, won't die.

If you under-paid? Then how? Siao liao, I going to live in it, cannot sell, die!

You are there for a better life, worrying about whether you over paid now defeats that purpose no? If things work out well for your family, the returns cannot be measured in $.

Thanks for the tips yonglip, I going to commence reno soon. Calling contractor on Monday see whether he ready to start work. Will advise on pricing, attitude and quality when appropriate.

 

[yonglip]

My unit only came with primer layer.. so need to paint.. yours painted by developer at vacant possession (VP)?
For me also using induction heater since rarely cook.. but also bot microwave oven..

Yes bro. they had 2 show units, one fully reno and one bare - for the bare unit - wyswyg, it is all painted.
will have micro, standalone oven, rice cooker, deep fryer and the likes,..haha

 

[trithl]

Indeed according to NI sales, phase 7 was 45% completed before they launch it in May2011 and it is indeed going to be completed by end of this year.

Maybe NI owners could give some insights whether they still consider NI a value buy.

Perhaps a two-cents and straight forward view here:

NI (after disc):
Intermediate: 465k+
Endlot with 10ft of land: 525k+

HH Green (no disc):
Intermediate: 580k+
Endlot with ~11ft(smallest endlot) of land: 800k+

That could be one of the reason why the end lot of NI finished faster than intermediate.

It is still justifiable to pay 100k extra for the HH bcz of whatever "x" factor.
But for the endlot, the pricing of HH really make NI endlot stands out with the price diff of about 280k !!!

With 280k, imagine how many things you can do to your house...

 

[Diaspora]

HI juzanee,

Great job! You are a good man or woman.

bro..cheap or ex has to be in relation to something

e.g when compared to SG prices?
when compared to other tamans?
when compared to what locals are generally paying?.
when compared to what the original owners actually paid for years ago?.

normally i do most of the worrying before i buy something. after i bought it. i try to make the best use of it.

forget about the price bro, focus on the LIFE TRANSFORMING journey you will soon be embarking man. haha.

cheers.

I totally agree.
Take our time to make the decision / commitment.
Once commited, make sure we dont regret or over analysed our commited decision. It's really non value-added...IMHO.

e.g when compared to SG prices?
> Surely JB / Malaysia is cheaper. This is not an apple-to-apple comparison...more like a langsat-to-durian comparison...

when compared to other tamans?
> This is a fairer comparison. But then we must take note of the location, maturity of the taman, facilities, environment, finishing and land status as well.

when compared to what locals are generally paying?.
> This is definitely difficult to compare as now, most of the developers are over-pricing their properties to more than RM500k in order for Sgreans to purchase.

when compared to what the original owners actually paid for years ago?.
> This is also difficult to compare as most of the earlier original owners surely paid a much lower price then compare to now. The taman may not be as matured as now, the facilities may not be ready then, etc etc.

What I would compare is the relative price one is paying for other units in the same or neighbouring taman...
What I would compare is the overall or total cost of ownership in the long term.

Just my two cents worth...

 

[Diaspora]

Perhaps a two-cents and straight forward view here:

NI (after disc):
Intermediate: 465k+
Endlot with 10ft of land: 525k+

HH Green (no disc):
Intermediate: 580k+
Endlot with ~11ft(smallest endlot) of land: 800k+

That could be one of the reason why the end lot of NI finished faster than intermediate.

It is still justifiable to pay 100k extra for the HH bcz of whatever "x" factor.
But for the endlot, the pricing of HH really make NI endlot stands out with the price diff of about 280k !!!

With 280k, imagine how many things you can do to your house...

With RM280k, we can even purchase a luxury SUV in JB...but then again, many bros here do warn against showing off in JB...hahaha...

 

[CameraMan]

Not my unit at NI 8B. Need to look into how to install one.

It is usually install on the roof top, right? I wonder if my roof can handle the it.

I understand there are water tanks already built on top of houses precisely for such situations. I noticed my roof has one/two black tank-like unit. I suppose is to store water. Maybe bros can verify this.

 

[spidey]

Austin heights looks fab!!

http://austinheights.com.my/comingsoon/

Prices here not as steep as HH and BI area....then again, not directly link to major Hiway except the NSHW going into Setia tropika/dato Onn...so depends on what u like... Old causeway or 2nd link...
Take a pick....

 

[juzanee]

Wow, Bro juzanee, great job! Thank you very much for your generosity for putting in so much effort to make such a great site.

HI juzanee,

Great job! You are a good man or woman.

Lol. Thanks. I'm compiling it also for my own use in future.

Oh yeah, I'm not bro, I'm a gal

 

[nicholas1213]

I bought the gateway at hh for 620,000 RM. Is that overpriced ? It is an end lot...

For current market I think 620k for end lot is quite reasonable in HH, most importantly you are satisfied with what you've purchased for the price. Imagine the new soon to be launched terrace in The Green - indicative price is RM600k - 650k for intermediate lot for 22' x 75'.. end lot would be at least above RM700k..

 

[nicholas1213]

Perhaps a two-cents and straight forward view here:

NI (after disc):
Intermediate: 465k+
Endlot with 10ft of land: 525k+

HH Green (no disc):
Intermediate: 580k+
Endlot with ~11ft(smallest endlot) of land: 800k+

That could be one of the reason why the end lot of NI finished faster than intermediate.

It is still justifiable to pay 100k extra for the HH bcz of whatever "x" factor.
But for the endlot, the pricing of HH really make NI endlot stands out with the price diff of about 280k !!!

With 280k, imagine how many things you can do to your house...

Endlot in HH Green cost 800k+ more? I expected it to be 80k - 100k more than the intermediate unit but if it is really 280k more with same build-up area, then it is quite ridiculous.. For 800k one might as well get a terrace in The Hill precinct (26' x 80')..

 

[ginfreely]

His workmanship is fair.. masonry workers from indonesia, tiling & piping local chinese..
His price is quite good but that is also becos he is the main contractor for renovation works..

Can contact him at 017-772-9990 (Wong Leong) honest chap

Thanks for the info Avalon74. Rm18k seems reasonable for your extension.

 

[Diaspora]

Noted bro. Originally i had wanted to re-turf using Pearl grass. But tot that it might be fun to let the kids mow the lawn (under supervision of course) once a while. Will re-consider again.

Cheers.

I have no idea which nursery has it but pearl grass is widely available in most if not all nursery. Sounds like Bro Yonglip might know where to get it.

Bro Odyssey - pls dont level and concrete it. I guarantee you will enjoy a natural green patch at home. This is precisely the kind of little little stuff that you get to appreciate while others has to pay millions for.

Pearl grass...cow grass...carpet grass anyone...?

Here's a good website for info..

http://www.cowgrass.com.my/eng_about.php

 

[ginfreely]

Bro, you may need to adjust abit once you get the quotes, my advise is to have renovation done up first if there is budget constraint.. furniture can be topped up later..

one example is the railing on 2nd storey which I redid.. cos 500rm but think its much nicer.. besides also safer for the young ones from stepping on the horizontal rails..
View attachment 3627 View attachment 3628

Yeah your railing looks very nice. Is it done by the iron grill contractor? Are the rest of your iron grilles for window and doors the same type? Can share how much and the contact? Thanks.

 

[mathstub]

Bro teck21, did you get an interior designer involved to come up with the house interior design before you call in the contractor?

I wonder whether there is any interior design+reno package of good quality and reasonable price.

Good advice, no point worrying about it after you buy it.

So you over paid? Then how? Siao liao! I paid too much, lucky I going to live in it, won't die.

If you under-paid? Then how? Siao liao, I going to live in it, cannot sell, die!

You are there for a better life, worrying about whether you over paid now defeats that purpose no? If things work out well for your family, the returns cannot be measured in $.

Thanks for the tips yonglip, I going to commence reno soon. Calling contractor on Monday see whether he ready to start work. Will advise on pricing, attitude and quality when appropriate.

 

[Lord Aragorn]

Hi all, I've been lurking around this forum for awhile. Definitely a lot of info here! Noticed that some people suggested categorizing the content, but guess that goes against the whole "forum feel".

So I've created a new site called livinginjb.info, compiling useful information from these two thread. I'm still on the first forum, working backwards from page 800. Now only reached Page 698! 600 over pages to go.

Hope you all find the new site useful!

Great site - would be nice to have a section on IDs and contractors, their prices, workmanship and the experience our forummers have with them.