Read this good write up in...
https://horizonhills.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/how-important-is-iskandars-success-to-me/#comments
How important is Iskandar’s success to me?
Posted on January 29, 2012 by Audrey
Hello!
Been getting some feedback that I sound rather negative recently. So, first things first….I don’t regret buying a house at HH and I’d do it all over again if I had to. So, if you are thinking of moving over to JB, I still say…DO IT!
Alright, so then what’s with all these negative comments?
To be honest, my bf and I have been contemplating buying another property recently. With the prices in Singapore softening, increased hype on Iskandar and cheap houses in US and UK because of the euro crisis, we are having quite a hard time deciding where to put our money!
You see, buying a property for own stay is super easy. If you like the place, the price is reasonable and it’s not like the place is likely to turn into a dead town, don’t need to think too much, can just buy it – since you will be living in it, any appreciation or depreciation is relatively meaningless unless you intend to sell the house. At least, that’s how I see it, especially since I hate moving and don’t intend to move once I settle in a place. Paper gains are just cheap thrills in my book lah…though I’m sure some folks will beg to differ. :p
On the other hand, buying a property as an investment only is a different story. There are like so many things to consider…such as yield (gross vs nett), rentability, affordability, potential for growth, dependability of the govt, location, future developments, and the list can go on and on. It gets even harder when resources are limited – how to choose the best option from all the choices you have? >_<
Anyway, since we are contemplating buying another property solely for investment, I’m scrutinizing the Malaysian government plans for Iskandar more closely. Want to buy also must know where and why to buy right?
I know, you must be thinking…why not buy another unit at HH? The short answer is, I prefer to keep my eggs in different baskets. The long answer, well…let’s just save it for a post another day! Lol.
Yeah, so I’ve been looking at the developments in Iskandar for awhile now…and then I realize that hey! It’s all houses…where are the high rise office buildings? And following that question…who will be working in Nusajaya? Where exactly is Educity? Who are the students who enroll there? What are their profiles like, will they rent houses near their schools? How many dorms are there? And what’s the progress of the govt moving to Kota Iskandar? What’s going to happen to JB Sentral when that happens? Is Nusajaya the only “good” place to buy a property now? If I buy a shoplot, what are the chances that it will become an abandoned unit because the taman “died”? How successful is Puteri Habour gonna be? How long is this all going to take? What else is being done to improve accessibility and public transport? How about the MRT? If Najib gets kicked out by next election, what’s the fate of Iskandar going to be like? How likely are prices to remain firm?
And so on and so on…
Yeah, by now you should realize that I can be quite neurotic. Lol.
I mean, who doesn’t like buying property? I love property…if I had the money, I’d buy nearly house that I view! Lol…for me, the reasons not to buy are always not as compelling as the reason to buy. So, I really need to hash out my thoughts critically so I don’t do myself a disservice by buying something over-valued (especially now since the prices have appreciated quite abit).
I hold the belief that it is very easy to enter into/start an investment but it is hard to exit. That being the case, I like knowing the full downside risks before I commit…if I can tahan/accept the max downside, things can only get better right?
Believe me, I had all these crazy questions run through my head before I bought my unit at HH too. However, the questions were slightly different as the reason for buying was also different.
I hope you guys can understand that I am not saying it’s not worth it to invest in Iskandar…conversely, like you, I’m also searching for more and stronger reasons to buy. Having one unit in HH already, the reason for me to buy another house in msia has to be even more compelling than before and I guess that why I am more sensitive to bad news.
So…this “negativity” has nothing to do with my original decision to move to JB and I do apologise if I confused you!
On a side note, I have been busy checking out furniture and will be sharing more on my buying exploits in my coming posts soon so stay posted! :p
Til then, good luck for your property purchases and good night!