Living in JB

[cathylmg]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

after months of looking around for good furniture, I have come to a dead end really. Seems like the really nice modern contemporary designs are shipped direct to SG. I cannot find something here that is both aesthetically pleasing with quality for any price at all. The shops in JB mostly thinks modern contemporary is lux and opulence. So I went back to SG to hunt around. Lots of choices though the prices seem to stretch from dear to costing an arm and a leg + an organ in places like proof living, XZQT, space.

Anyway found something at koda, the built quality looks great and design is finally the modern contemporary minimalism I was looking for and the company is apparently one of the few in the Singapore furniture Association of some sort. For those who are interested there is a warehouse sale going on, there is 1 walnut table going for $290!!! very sleek and nicely grained though the edge is a tiny bit banged up, if you can live with it, it is a STEAL!!! When you get there go to the showroom to look for help otherwise, just go upstairs and act like you looked lost, a pretty girl will come to your aid.

If any of you would like what you see and bought stuff too we can share the shipment to JB to reduce cost since currently, I only ordered a table. Am in no hurry at the moment, my timeline is just before Christmas so its back to eating on the kitchen counter-top for now haha :(

euphony, maybe you can try see buy from Singapore and get them to send to you directly from their warehouse in JB. I tried my luck with Nova and found out they could actually do that. Haven't buy from them yet though....

 

[yonglip]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

im not surprised that there are many many johor real estate agents amongst us here, and i see some really clever marketing of properties. Well fine, as long as genuine house hunters get useful info, then all is good. But increasingly i smell many rats n smelly fishes doing their rounds in a bid to apply pressure on potential purchasers to committ on a purchase (there are only a handful of active agents in johor's market, by coming together to promote properties, its only a matter of time when the units they are marketing gets picked, so its really ok to remain anonymous n continue posting here). So genuine home hunters, do not just believe all that you read, property purchase is (no matter how cheap, or no matter how strong SG currency is) proceed with care and do your own logical research b4 you take that plunge.

hi bro..i think your fears are unfounded...i am quite new to this forum myself...only posted after i had bought a house 2 months ago..from what i have read so far..i dont sense "many many" agents here..... what i sense instead is the enthusiasm many proud owners have of their new found nests. some times their pride gets the better of them and they start to "over promote" their humble abode. its natural la. if you sell flowers, you have to say they smell nice. to the extent some even defend their 'turf' if trampled upon. so this might give you the impression they are agents.


for me, i like to go to the ground and see for myself instead of just making decision based on what people say. if the place is good, no selling is needed..if the place is bad, no amount of selling can help either.


cheers bro.

 

[checkers]

Take whatever we read here with a pinch of salt.

Certain things are over rated here. Not all things are necessary cheaper here than in Sg. If things are cheaper, they are maybe of a lower quality. This is especially so with food , furniture and (houses too).

一分钱，一分货 is very true.

Watching movies is real cheap though!

 

[cathylmg]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Jason, what about this scenario - buy 500k - take loan 400k, assuming monthly instalment 2k.(I think is around this range, I hope)
Rent out 1.3-1.5k (hope can fetch) then 500 to 700 take out from own pocket - this translates to 200-400 Sgd a mth...not so taxingly!!

I remember seeing people renting small terrace house at Setia Tropika for rm1500-1800. But that was actual transactions a couple of months back. A rental agent also offered me this price then. But now I see people asking for rm2300. If owner give some discount, I think it might not be far lower then rm2k too. So don't too pessimistic of jb's rental market. I think its all about location, location and LOCATION!

 

[jasonjst]

For the average Joe in a standard terrace, let me try to work out the sums for rental...

Initial prep - basic reno/electricals/furnishings - RM30K depreciate over 5 years (optimistic) = min RM500 per month..one can also expect to spend this amount over the course of the rental for upkeep, replacement, repairs etc..
Maintenance = min RM100 per month (rubbish collection and security)
Interest = min RM1000 (if no loan lagi best)
Misc = RM100 per month (tax etc)

Rental = RM2000 (if lucky) and soon soon..

net rental income per month = RM300 per month or about 0.8% p.a. over a RM500K house. Interest to the banks is the real killer...else is workable.

for some, it might be so much work and hassel for so little...for others, as long as can cover the house, good enough...wait for capital appreciation (if it comes) and retirement (sure come)...haha.

retirement sure come ? ... if only we move to JB lor , otherwise comfirm only got wipe tables / cleaner jobs for senior citizen like us , ha-ha .

 

[spidey]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

I remember seeing people renting small terrace house at Setia Tropika for rm1500-1800. But that was actual transactions a couple of months back. A rental agent also offered me this price then. But now I see people asking for rm2300. If owner give some discount, I think it might not be far lower then rm2k too. So don't too pessimistic of jb's rental market. I think its all about location, location and LOCATION!

Thanks - this is one living example that rental is comming up in JB and is not as bad as we all thought it would be..
Heard so many nightmare stories from my jb frens so this together with some of our Bros and Sister in the forum here are living proof that jb is getting better and better...:-)))

With so many infra works/highways/mega projects comming on board in the next few mths/years, i believe there are opportunities of capital and rental appreciation to those who take calculated risk here...

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Just few days back someone here rented a terrace at HH for 1.8K isnt it ?
Consider low if based on current price of 600K - 700K , but is OK if owner brought it at the 300K range .

Yes, that is vincentck, he rented unfurnished at HH for Rm1.8k. He is one case and this is the other I come across asking Rm1.75k for BI. The market is more than one case mah. Who knows, it could be Vincentck is a good negotiator and managed to drive a hard bargain at HH?

I also wondered before when renting out my place in SG why another unit higher floor than mine is willing to rent out at much lower rental? The market is not uniform lah, sometimes it is becos the owners undervalue their own property or trusted the agent blindly to get a good price when the agent is actually more eager to close quickly than to get a good price for the owner.

 

[GorengPisang]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

No prob, i hardly speak up anyways, prob was abit harsh in my earlier posting, but i still maintain my views. Having committed in a house myself i sure would love to c johor's property market 'boomz'...however i would also like to stand up n remind that home purchase is a major commitment, and over long term, speculative elements can be disastrous if not checked. As most who have purchased a house in johor and have been actively monitoring the market would know, as long as 1 house in the same estate is transacted at lets say RM500k, then the very next moment u c all houses within the same estate going for 550k, then of course u have the developers, b4 every new launch they will send out info that new launch price will be 800k, then owners will jump and start selling at 800k as well.....developers absorb stamp duty, discounts, legal fees....but subsale owners dont.....some home owners will be lucky to sell of for a handsome profit, others will be wondering how come developers selling so well but they cant a get a buyer......of cos not, becos owners are indirectly helping developers to sell n chieve a much higer price. 10-20 yrs down the road our next generation will suffer, inflation continue to go higher n higher....rich becomes richer, poor - middle income group will slog till they are 80, and still worrying abt their children. Of course we are nowhere near that kind of situation now.....but slowly n surely. So when i c an irresponsible posting, i get agitated.....someone serious into buying a house , did not ask clearly abt prices, then start to throw figures and $ signs around, now that is not being responsible....or for that matter, doesnt seem logical, how many of us looking for a house, RM500k (not expensive but no small amount either) will make assumption that a house is selling for ie. RM550k , tells the whole world, and then said that its an assumption.....i mean cmon...i knw multi millionaires who go ard buying without checking prices...but normals folks ?

Well, with regards to agents in the forum, i seriously have no concern as long as info are accurate, no misrepresentation etc etc. I say this becos there are many who are venturing for the 1st time in to johor's properties, i rem seeing sm1 asked abt which orientation to avoid afternoon sun, if these freshies get misled n misinformed, buy smthing then regret, then swear never to go into johor again...worse, go ard telling their frens n relatives abt it, then what good is it? Of course with the internet where information are in abundance, and with recent more stringent msian HDA (housing development act), 1 shd be safe in their purchase, thus today, its not just abt getting ripped off, unlikely, but its abt false hope, misinformed decision, inflated prices. Just go to online property portals n look up properties for auction and u'll be shocked how many turn up. We hardly c auction properties in sg, that speaks alot. Want to have a better picture, spend some time to check out KL's property scene. Its not uncommon to c a whole row of houses unoccupied, young couples struggle with not enough for their 1st homes, while these rows of houses are sitting there to rot. And its also not uncommon for developers to sell selected units to 'investors' at new benchmark prices, then again sends out a new wave of high prices....again false hope n impressions....i can go on and on but end of the day, like what wuqi said n reminded, buy within your means, and buy with your eyes open. Ok i shall shut my gap for now....im suppose to be in jovial mood eagerly awaiting keys to my new corner house , its gona be a long 12 mth wait...zzz

Bro GP (sorry your nick very long to type...... ) I commend you on your selfless help, like Bro Wuqi, most on this forum are trying to get a better and saner place to live whiteout running the gauntlet of being 'ripped off'. Thumbs up to you Bro.

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

I am definitely not prominent but i have bought 3 units resale, the rest straight from the developer. 2 to invest and 1 was at least 50% because i wanted to help someone i thought was my "bro". Anyway hard lesson learnt there. No issues with the other 2 units subsale.

The main problem (actually only problem) i had with a subsale was in the unit i bought from this "bro".
The one i thought was my only real friend in Johore.

Anyway its really sad but to cut a long story short, towards the end, didn't honour what he said earlier and made it worse by repeatedly promising (and not delivering) and not transferring DMC. Even said i maligned him when i spoke online about it(when first i tried to contact him many times and he did not respond for months) Then sent me rude SMS when i said i wanted to resolve this amicably. Maybe i wasn't tactful or nice enough. For all the shennigans, in the end, he did all this in vain. Lawyer side told me lots of stuff and in a way some of the people he knew also tried to drum me up to take action but i declined, just felt sad enough at that time.

Turns out in the end it would affect him adversely if the DMC (with HH and etc) wasn't completed (taxation and other issues) and then he asked lawyer side to chase me repeatedly.(probably fearing i would do the same to him)

I didn't want to make things difficult for him and by the time the lawyer side called me, i already did all the necessary things and paid up the necessary stuff so the transfer went ahead smoothly. He probably will never know this but i paid all the tax stuff ahead already for him before i even did the rest of my other properties, didn't want to affect him buying other properties as he is still young.

Still, no hard feelings any more but just to share all on the pitfalls, just get all the paperwork done and don't just depend on trust no matter how much you like or trust someone. Imagine, back then i trusted this guy more than alot of my family members.

I still do alot of business based on trust but i learnt a hard lesson in life.

Hi Wuqi, what is DMC?

 

[ginfreely]

Bros who are thinking of buying properties here mainly to rent out. Only some areas are good, most aren't so great, at least not yet.

A bro of mine has several and most of his are terraces. His are $2500-$2800. He shared with me only has one family (his tenants) that he likes a lot (i actually recommended them to him if i am not mistaken) so always kept low for them. My semi-d neighbours has no issues with renting out at 5000MYR or more. These are fully furnished units, just sharing some experience in The Gateway, your mileage may vary.

I was able to rent out some units and some references:

The Gateway:
1. Terrace - $2600 MYR
2. Terrace - $2800 MYR
3. Cluster - $3600 MYR

All fully furnished with aircon units, curtains, dining sets, wardrobe sets water heaters, sofa sets, queen/king sized beds, lighting/fans, kitchen stoves, etc. Only things required are some shelves/cupboards and personal clothing. Average of 1-3 months within taking of keys to rent out. Rented without the use of agents except for the Cluster one as i wanted a higher price.

Hi Wuqi, do you need to do built in wardrobe for these furnished units or just buy wardrobe from furniture shops will do?

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

For the past few mths of daily researching n reading up on Iskandar's properties, have found many useful info n insights frm various forums, of which 1 would be right here...and happy to say that i have secured a new unit myself. However since the beginning up till now, everyday i read up on new posting with mix emotions. 1st-ly im a msian myself (a spr), like many im buying a house for own consumption yet do not want to be too far away frm spore as i've spent most of my life in SG, where all my good friends are sporean, thus johor properties seem like a natural choice. Next , i belive what im gona say will probably ruffle some feathers.

On 1 hand being a m'sian i would love to see msia (specifically in this context, johor) prosper and achieve economic progress, on the other hand, i feel upset whenever i hear abt sporean getting ripped off doing business in msia, or paid for a housing project that gets abandoned halfway thru or...take the plunge into a purchase and got confused into buying something that's overpriced.

Now my rantings....in this particular forum which draws thousands of readership regarding properties in iskandar johor, im not surprised that there are many many johor real estate agents amongst us here, and i see some really clever marketing of properties. Well fine, as long as genuine house hunters get useful info, then all is good. But increasingly i smell many rats n smelly fishes doing their rounds in a bid to apply pressure on potential purchasers to committ on a purchase (there are only a handful of active agents in johor's market, by coming together to promote properties, its only a matter of time when the units they are marketing gets picked, so its really ok to remain anonymous n continue posting here). So genuine home hunters, do not just believe all that you read, property purchase is (no matter how cheap, or no matter how strong SG currency is) proceed with care and do your own logical research b4 you take that plunge.

Last but not least, to our friend spidey's post, here's my 2 cents worth:



My summary /interpretation is this: From a fresh reader's perspective, i would have interpreted it as: Damn, i better hurry up n buy smthing cos even at 500k i cant get a decent gated&guarded house....wat the heck, 600k quickly go grab 1st. After buying n move in, realise neighbour's house for sale for 400k for past 6 mths still no buyer, end up either auction or sell to his/her agent for 350k. End of the day sporean buy expensive/overpriced house, poor uneducated johor uncle sell house away cheaply, housing market gets inflated, local johorean blames sporean for high property prices. Well, i might get shot n flamed for this long posting, but i sincerely hope there are as many who will benefit frm my sharing.

Hi, GP, I remember you! You were commenting Nusa Duta is pretty good but lamenting the price increase and I agreed with you as a biased owner that it is pretty good. Remember you were saying it is nice and neat and even chic to a certain extent. So i guess you didnt buy ND in the end. Where did you buy? Btw I agree with you fully there are lots of options for Malaysians to still buy house at below Rm500k. Unfortunately Sporeans have to buy above Rm500k and restricted by foreign quota, do less options.

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

hi bro..i think your fears are unfounded...i am quite new to this forum myself...only posted after i had bought a house 2 months ago..from what i have read so far..i dont sense "many many" agents here..... what i sense instead is the enthusiasm many proud owners have of their new found nests. some times their pride gets the better of them and they start to "over promote" their humble abode. its natural la. if you sell flowers, you have to say they smell nice. to the extent some even defend their 'turf' if trampled upon. so this might give you the impression they are agents.


for me, i like to go to the ground and see for myself instead of just making decision based on what people say. if the place is good, no selling is needed..if the place is bad, no amount of selling can help either.


cheers bro.

"they","their","them"? Not us but them.. You not included in this forum meh?

 

[wuqi256]

DMC = Deed of Mutual Covenant. Its basically a document informing HH, etc that there has been a transfer of ownership, etc.
I would save my money on custom built wardrobe. First find out where you are confirmed having the wardrobe, then measure the place, just got out and get one closes in terms of the nearest feet.

Custom built stuff, other than being expensive, if they become damaged, very hard to replace or repair. Worse case with one bought from a shop is to just replace the whole thing and not to have to pay guys to tear down things.

 

[GorengPisang]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Hey Gin! Yeah of cos i rem u, well i got myself a corner end lot at NI! well not as convinient as Duta, but it has a nice residential environment. Would have taken a unit at Duta but i was still in initial stage of search at that time. But no regrets, both are ncie developments. U are also waiting for completion eh?

Hi, GP, I remember you! You were commenting Nusa Duta is pretty good but lamenting the price increase and I agreed with you as a biased owner that it is pretty good. Remember you were saying it is nice and neat and even chic to a certain extent. So i guess you didnt buy ND in the end. Where did you buy? Btw I agree with you fully there are lots of options for Malaysians to still buy house at below Rm500k. Unfortunately Sporeans have to buy above Rm500k and restricted by foreign quota, do less options.

 

[ginfreely]

Take whatever we read here with a pinch of salt.

Certain things are over rated here. Not all things are necessary cheaper here than in Sg. If things are cheaper, they are maybe of a lower quality. This is especially so with food , furniture and (houses too).

一分钱，一分货 is very true.

Watching movies is real cheap though!

I agree with you, the main things that are cheaper here are house, car, petrol and utilities, maintenance fees. This is very important to cut costs during retirement.

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Hey Gin! Yeah of cos i rem u, well i got myself a corner end lot at NI! well not as convinient as Duta, but it has a nice residential environment. Would have taken a unit at Duta but i was still in initial stage of search at that time. But no regrets, both are ncie developments. U are also waiting for completion eh?

Yes, I am waiting patiently.

 

[ginfreely]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Hey Gin! Yeah of cos i rem u, well i got myself a corner end lot at NI! well not as convinient as Duta, but it has a nice residential environment. Would have taken a unit at Duta but i was still in initial stage of search at that time. But no regrets, both are ncie developments. U are also waiting for completion eh?

Oh how much did you buy NI if you don't mind sharing?

 

[GorengPisang]

DMC in general is a mutual contract that binds an owners responsibility towards a particular development....well, not an expert, but in a condo context, a DMC will spell out what u can do n what u cannot do within the compound....some sample terms are like: thou shall not indluge in illegal n vice in the condo/or in your unit, do not be a nuisance to others (neighbours) etc.....erm...but not sure if DMC is in a landed estate? Logically it shd be in a strata development...maybe othe rexpert can come out n share? Esssentially its liek a set of house rule that governs what owners can and cannot do.

DMC = Deed of Mutual Covenant. Its basically a document informing HH, etc that there has been a transfer of ownership, etc.
I would save my money on custom built wardrobe. First find out where you are confirmed having the wardrobe, then measure the place, just got out and get one closes in terms of the nearest feet.

Custom built stuff, other than being expensive, if they become damaged, very hard to replace or repair. Worse case with one bought from a shop is to just replace the whole thing and not to have to pay guys to tear down things.

 

[ginfreely]

DMC = Deed of Mutual Covenant. Its basically a document informing HH, etc that there has been a transfer of ownership, etc.
I would save my money on custom built wardrobe. First find out where you are confirmed having the wardrobe, then measure the place, just got out and get one closes in terms of the nearest feet.

Custom built stuff, other than being expensive, if they become damaged, very hard to replace or repair. Worse case with one bought from a shop is to just replace the whole thing and not to have to pay guys to tear down things.

Hi Wuqi, thanks for the info.

 

[GorengPisang]

Re: Investing in Nusajaya

Expensive! haha....i almost got the ND semi-d but after a couple of viewing i find it too big, im single n will only have occassional family & friends over for sat night football n bbq hehe, so i guess NI size is just right. got it at 535k with all misc acquisition cost absorbed by developer, its a nice (and rare) end lot corner, i like the end lot here cos its like a small corner/cluster with 10ft land as i do not want to have a tipycal corner with huge 20ft land. Its 32x75, so essentially its similar to ND's cluster, but smaller built up. Well its for own stay n long term, so i guess its alright

Oh how much did you buy NI if you don't mind sharing?