Living in JB

[lastresort]

Hoo Hoo, just received news fm the lawyers last evening that the owner had signed on the dotted line of the S&P (breathe breathe)! This is one of the anxieties one is subjected to when one buy fm sub-sale and not fm the developer (breathe again, swipe forehead, heave a sigh of relief). Now to relax and wait patiently while the lawyers get the state authority consent and other legal stuff done. In the meantime........plan what to do to the house. Hmmm ....should I dig a hole thru the floor to make a basement? or create a hole thru the ceiling to make ur very own sky roof? Just kidding!

To all the bros and sis here, thanks for all the invaluable advice you've given me! Without you all, and our great leader, Wuqi, I don't think I would have the ardor and the courage to pursue this dream of owing a property in JB. Thank you, thank you

ODYSSEY bro, congrats on your purchase too, welcome to Horizon Hills. So many new HH residents here in this forum. I think HH houses are very marketable in the resale market. So at this moment, the purchases brothers here have made are fairly on the low risk side. Cheers!

 

[Icyraine]

The latest issue of homefinder has an in-depth coverage and analysis of Nusajaya! Will Iskandar has the last laugh?

 

[lastresort]

View attachment 3067

The latest issue of homefinder has an in-depth coverage and analysis of Nusajaya! Will Iskandar has the last laugh?

I read that one already, I also read another mag with entire edition on Iskandar. =) quite a good coverage. These days the magazines are featuring more Nusajaya/Iskandar developments.

 

[Icyraine]

yes , Nusajaya is getting more coverage now. I think perhaps it will take another 3 years to really reach it's 2nd peak? (after legoland and all...)

 

[LGLab]

Hi All,

today i went in with teck21 today.
He handled over 2% of the total property cost to the agent ...

then after that , i follow another agent and went to view the gateway unit.

he had shown me 700k nett gateway semi D..

then another 1 is intermediate unit, that is similar to the 480k unit at the gateway..

when i went it, it is pretty SMALL..

my expectation of JB house should be big, but it is rather small.. but well for 480k and a freehold what i expect.

the agent told me if the owner dont mind, then i can buy for <500k as a foreigner..
but i got to declare that i buy 480k unit and not 500k unit and i got to pay 5% of the 20k difference as tax to the government.

that will be 10k ringgit that will be around $420 sing.

pretty ok for me..

today came home to discuss with family members, i keep mentioning that the place is not as big as i thought...

but then my wife still want to go over..

should i move not? if yes.. this weekends, i can go over again to view the exact unit..

 

[LGLab]

i am told by the agent that there are no more unit at golf..

really or not man?.. he told that all are bungalow and above..

 

[LGLab]

what is a safe way of converting sing dollars into ringgit ?..

the agent told me it is through the money changer... i bring $1k sing and convert there..
wa seh. if i bring 6 1k notes. convert to ringgit wont i be attention seeker?
it is cus convert from sing to ringgit through the bank gonna get sucks rate~~

 

[Investor]

I have finally make my purchase at HH. Hehe, pretty excited!

Took me a while to decide... I have been to HH like 1 and half years ago, checked out the place and i told myself, this is the place i want to stay. Couldnt jump in straight coz i wasnt sure if i will settle down in JB for good. I am born in Penang and grow up in KL but my wife is from Muar.. and due to job offer, i am currently working in JB. Deep down, i still miss my life in KL and penang... basically i just miss the sophistication of a big city!

Honestly, there isnt much to do and see in JB. When i accept my job offer in JB, i told myself that i can always cross over to Sg for some entertainment/shopping etc but i found that i am always too tired during my off day, i hate the traffic jam. Like i said, i have been to HH atleast 5-6 times in the past 1-2 years and couldnt make up my mind. 1)I am not sure if i will settle down in JB 2)Like many, i am not sure if Iskandar will be successful ( hehe, even for a malaysian). To be honest, i am very skeptical in the beginning.

However, i am really seeing some concrete progress in Iskandar. Legoland is building (yup, not a myth, haha), Premium outlet, New castle university, Marborough, Glenealgle Hospital, Columbia Asia etc... And i say hey, may be i will end up staying in JB longer than i thought? May be JB will end up like a "mini" KL/Sg city after 10 years? Well, may be not comparable but definitely not a dead town like now. Now that the coastal highway is up and running, it will make traveling much easier for both me and my wife too. My wife work in Monash Medical University in JB (down town) and i work some where near Pelangi Plaza, with the new highway it will only take me 10-15 mins to reach work.

Saw the Iskandar johor Open aired on Astro the other day and that further boost my confidence in Nusajaya, then, i found this thread. Oh wow, i never know there is such a good singaporean/ malaysian community already present in this part of the town. I just need that last push and this thread really help me make up my mind. Talk to my wife, went to HH and got it done, at last!

I have a big grin on my face when Azhar (sale person in HH) shook my hand and said "welcome to Horizon Hills !"

Thanks for sharing your story and congratulations on your new purchase Welcome to our friendly community.

 

[Icyraine]

I think sucky bank rate or cheque is safer than carrying load of cash with you laaaa.....

 

[Investor]

Just spoken to some expats over the weekend and many say that they are bearish. The good news is that many already sold their property last year and this year. Plus many that buy from them cannot sell in the next 3-4 years because of the seller stamp duties. As such, I do not think Singapore property will not fall so much.

The price of land at Ledang height is MYR70-80psf (SGD30-35psf)freehold (consider prime) where sembawang is SGD450-500 for leasehold (outskirts). Either Singapore is too expensive or Malaysia too cheap. Whatever, there need to me some convergence. I always believe in relative value.

Hope the above does help....

Cheers,
PH

Hi PH,
Your figure of SGD450-500 is not purely land's price right? Looks like price of land with house.

 

[contra]

Hi LGLab,

If she has not seen it yet, you can show wifey the e-brochure from HH website http://www.horizonhills.com.my/pdf/1a1(20x70).pdf. To access the other house-types brochures, when you are in the HH website, click e-marketing. Love the jingle of the site. Is hypnotic . . .

Sure must bring the minister of finance to visit la. happy wife happy life

A word of caution: The houses I saw was similar to what you described. First visited the Golf 20x70 intermediate. Interest piqued. Then the Gateway Semi-D around similar price you mentioned. Infatuated but above my budget. Then Hills 26x80 intermediate. Love! Budget reset!
But no regrets. Secured, knowing resale value will sustain over long term.

And then you take her to Jusco to shop and eat to secure the deal

Hi All,

then after that , i follow another agent and went to view the gateway unit.

he had shown me 700k nett gateway semi D..

then another 1 is intermediate unit, that is similar to the 480k unit at the gateway..

when i went it, it is pretty SMALL..

my expectation of JB house should be big, but it is rather small.. but well for 480k and a freehold what i expect.

the agent told me if the owner dont mind, then i can buy for <500k as a foreigner..
but i got to declare that i buy 480k unit and not 500k unit and i got to pay 5% of the 20k difference as tax to the government.

that will be 10k ringgit that will be around $420 sing.

pretty ok for me..

today came home to discuss with family members, i keep mentioning that the place is not as big as i thought...

but then my wife still want to go over..

should i move not? if yes.. this weekends, i can go over again to view the exact unit..

 

[contra]

i am told by the agent that there are no more unit at golf..

really or not man?.. he told that all are bungalow and above..

Go straight to HH sales office at the clubhouse. If you want facts, they are there. They can even show you which unit is Bumi to b sure. Probably right no more Golf link units but sometimes some unit come up at developer original price if customer cannot secure financing...

 

[arsenal]

So happy for u!! We will be neighbour, haha. Then we can play tennis together.

Got to play golf. You have golf view so no excuses not to golf..

 

[contra]

Bro Wuqi, first of, i want to thank you for starting this thread coz you have help alot of ppl!

I have been to East Ledang, SP Setia, NI and a few development, but just like u.. HH is the one that suit me. Right now i have 2 other condos at downtown, one is Sri Samudera , the other is Golden Sands (both opposite of Thistle Hotel, next to Hospital Sultanah Aminah), so these 2 condos have lots of medical profession and medical students (40% medical students, 25% doctors). The current going rate of a 2 rooms 750 sq feet unit is renting out at RM1700, one room 450sq f studio is renting out at RM1300, pretty good for returns. My wife is working at Monash Medical University which is attached to the hospital and she told me Monash intend to expand and up the number of students next year.

Other project i am looking is the Indah 3 shoplots which are all sold out (launching price 700-800k, now selling at 1.1 m), they told me they will be launching another project (shoplots) next to Jusco next year so i will looking at this one.

Thanks for your story Icyraine. Welcome to the forum.
Your perspective stands out because is about a Malaysian moving to JB and working in JB. Is interesting to know the medical plans are growing into reality and not just talk by IRDA.

 

[Investor]

Agreed with Wuqi.

Barring another Global meltdown similar to 2008-2009 crisis, SG property prices are unlikely to fall so much.

Reasons:
- SSD (seller's stamp duty) implemented in Jan 2011 will ensure buyers do not sell their properties too quickly within 3-4years.

- influx of investments/money and immigrants to Asia in general, including SG. Many foreigners are coming here to look for jobs and setup their businesses. Today I spoke to a headhunter who told me contract jobs are increasing in popularity due to the current hiring freeze in Banks, and experienced foreigners looking to come to SG are quite open to contract jobs.

- our govt will continue to open the floodgates to let foreigners come in, despite the seemingly temporal slowdown in approval of PRs and Citizenships. Else who is going to take Downtownline 2 & 3, Northshore line (pasir ris to punggol to sembawang), Eastern region line (tg rhu to marine parade to changi airport) and the other extensions? Expect SG's population to increase too...

Of course, competition is tough with upcoming economies, and I think Iskandar will serve to be a partnership with Singapore, rather than to compete directly. How well Iskandar will do depends on their ability to create jobs and increase income levels of locals, and hopefully that will lead to a sustainable property market.

Singapore has been very blessed (though I know there will always be detractors) - to progress from Third world to First world within a generation. I don't belong to MIW, pls don't get me wrong, but those who invested in the massive property boom here have been rewarded handsomely.

As the saying goes, last time policemen wore shorts. In our property scene, not too long ago, The Sail @ Marina Bay was lauched at $1,000psf, today it is selling at $3,000psf. Without wanting to predict prices, it is possible that early investors in Puteri harbor, East Ledang, Horizon Hills, etc etc will be richly rewarded. Of course most of us are looking for a place to stay/retire, hence this thread, but who doesn't want their property to go up and be able to retire nicely.

Really agree with what you've mentioned above in bold. Some might say that this is 'Living in JB' and not 'Investing in JB', but who in the right mind hopes that his house, even if it's his one and only house for his 'living in', would depreciate badly while he stays in it over time?

 

[arsenal]

I am surprised there is a 700k semi D in HH.. Any reason why it is so cheap? Which exactly is the unit?

Hi All,

today i went in with teck21 today.
He handled over 2% of the total property cost to the agent ...

then after that , i follow another agent and went to view the gateway unit.

he had shown me 700k nett gateway semi D..

then another 1 is intermediate unit, that is similar to the 480k unit at the gateway..

when i went it, it is pretty SMALL..

my expectation of JB house should be big, but it is rather small.. but well for 480k and a freehold what i expect.

the agent told me if the owner dont mind, then i can buy for <500k as a foreigner..
but i got to declare that i buy 480k unit and not 500k unit and i got to pay 5% of the 20k difference as tax to the government.

that will be 10k ringgit that will be around $420 sing.

pretty ok for me..

today came home to discuss with family members, i keep mentioning that the place is not as big as i thought...

but then my wife still want to go over..

should i move not? if yes.. this weekends, i can go over again to view the exact unit..

 

[Aisanbo]

what is a safe way of converting sing dollars into ringgit ?..

the agent told me it is through the money changer... i bring $1k sing and convert there..
wa seh. if i bring 6 1k notes. convert to ringgit wont i be attention seeker?
it is cus convert from sing to ringgit through the bank gonna get sucks rate~~

Open a bank account in JB. I opened islamic current acct. with ATM card and cheque bk.
Annual rm8 fee.
1.25% interest with avg min 2k monthly balance.

Then Remit RM to your Malaysia account no.
I did remittance once last week.
Rate is 2.44 which is better than money changer rate at that time. But there's a S$10 fee per transaction.
Can pay them a cash cheque and they will transfer rm10k per day till the amount is reached.

 

[teck21]

i am told by the agent that there are no more unit at golf..

really or not man?.. he told that all are bungalow and above..

What he meant was that he and his partner have no more units on hand in The Golf, other agents still have units for sale. PM me your email address if you want me to forward the mail from the other agent.

Go straight to HH sales office at the clubhouse. If you want facts, they are there. They can even show you which unit is Bumi to b sure. Probably right no more Golf link units but sometimes some unit come up at developer original price if customer cannot secure financing...

I have been checking with the HH sales staff regularly, and always been informed that they have nothing for links or clusters except the current launch at Hills due for completion after 2 years. And given the run-up in prices, wouldn'tthey won't mark up the prices of any such units if they came available. Seems to be a premium placed on buying direct from developer.

 

[teck21]

I am surprised there is a 700k semi D in HH.. Any reason why it is so cheap? Which exactly is the unit?

I believe it is the same cluster unit in Gateway that my wife and I saw on our first visit since both these agents are a team.

LG: You should probably check out the Bt Indah area units as well before jumping in and possibly end up dissatisfied with what you got.

 

[wuqi256]

I believe it is the same cluster unit in Gateway that my wife and I saw on our first visit since both these agents are a team.

LG: You should probably check out the Bt Indah area units as well before jumping in and possibly end up dissatisfied with what you got.

Guys, a lot of agents market clusters as semi-d. They call it linked Semi-D only if you asked.
Do a check at the back of the unit, if its linked physically back to back to another unit and side to side
with the other. Then its a cluster.

If there was still a 700k real Semi-D in HH, a whole bunch of us just in my row would have snapped up already without a 2nd thought. One neighbour who bought a place about 800k just got her place rented out for about 4 plus k i think. Not really furnished too.

My humble 2 cents on the types of houses you may encounter

Essentially houses that are like that =

Terrace (Corner/Intermediate)

Corner Int Int Int Int Int Corner
[ 1 ][ 2 ][ 3 ][ 4 ][ 5 ][ 6 ][ 7 ]

When viewed from the top,
Clusters are like that

[ 1 ][ 2 ]
[ 3 ][ 4 ]

When viewed from the front, they look like a semi-d

[ 1 ][ 2 ]


When viewed from the top or side by side.
Semi-D

[ 1 ][ 2 ]


There is also a new beast called the linked bungalow.
Essentially when viewed from the top:

[ 1 ]
[ 2 ]

When viewed from the front, it looks like a bungalow, closer inspection will reveal that its linked to another house.

Bungalow

[ 1 ]