Living in JB

[Diaspora]

Dear All Esteemed Bros n Sis here,

Thank you for the wonderful sharing and pointers. This must be one of the most hapenning and active forum about 'Living in JB', kudos to esp Bro Wuqi and gang for making this happen!

Just a brief intro about myself.
I am a SPR from KL and recently bought an 2BR unit at Impiana...more for investment...Still scouting around for one to be called my home in JB...Dont like staying in pigeon holes...Went to Setia Tropika last Fri, liked their houses (the cluster show houses are amazing) but alas a bit far from the CBD and Sg...Furthermore, read that the EDL's toll rate will even surpassed 2nd link...So, now back to Nusajaya...:-)

Great forum!!

 

[Narmi]

Bros and Sis

Just fyi...i received latest info fr my yger sibling who is xxx officer that very soon Woodlands checkpt also will impose toll upon entry into sg for sg plated vehicles. Wah pay n pay sumore.

 

[Diaspora]

Hmm...looks like more investments for IM...

PM launches Johor Premium Outlets
JOHOR BAHARU: Johor Premium Outlets (JPO), which was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today, is estimated to attract 3 million visitors in its first year of operation. Najib said he was confident the upscale outlet would not only see an influx of local consumers but also of international visitors from across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
"I am sure many of our European tourists will also take advantage of the favourable exchange rate and discover that it is more economical for them to buy their goods here," he said at the grand opening of JPO at Kulaijaya near here today.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister, said Genting Simon Sdn Bhd, the JPO operator, will invest an additional RM100 million to build another 60 shops, bringing the total number of JPO shops to 130. JPO, the first Premium Outlet megastore in Southeast Asia and the 70th in the world, is a collection of 80 designer and name-brand outlet stores featuring savings of 25 to 65 per cent every day.
Genting Simon is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simon Genting Ltd, which in turn is a 50:50 joint venture between Genting Plantation's Azzon Ltd and Premium Outlets, the outlet division of Simon Property Group.

The Prime Minister said JPO's future plans include the construction of a water park, convention centre and a 2,000-room hotel, all within the vicinty.

"I am fully excited with the investment," he said at the ceremony which was also attended by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Genting Group chairman Tan Sri K.T. Lim and Premium Outlets president John Klein.
When annoucing the Budget 2012 earlier this year, Najib said the government wanted to promote Malaysia as a shopping haven in Asia by providing branded goods at competitive prices, adding JPO could do much to help fulfill this vision. According to the Prime Minister, JPO, located in Iskandar Malaysia, is one of Malaysia's leading tourism projects under the National Key Economic Areas of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
He said under the ETP, Malaysia expects to attract some RM1.4 trillion in investments, create 3.3 million new jobs and achieve a gross national income of RM1.7 trillion by 2020. Out of the 131 Entry Point Projects (EPP), he said, 72 have taken off within the last 12 months.

With government investment in infrastructure of more than RM6 billion and encompassing over 2,200 sq km, Iskandar Malaysia is the largest single development project to be undertaken in this region, he added. As of September this year, Najib said, Iskandar Malaysia had recorded a total cumulative committed investment of RM77.82 billion, with 60 per cent from domestic investors and the remaining 40 per cent from overseas.

"I am pleased to say that we are expecting further investments from China, South Korea, Japan, India, the Middle East and North America in the near future," he said. -- BERNAMA

Read more: PM launches Johor Premium Outlets - Top News - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/top-news/pm-launches-johor-premium-outlets-1.17830#ixzz1gE3ii9pF

 

[LGLab]

Bros and Sis

Just fyi...i received latest info fr my yger sibling who is xxx officer that very soon Woodlands checkpt also will impose toll upon entry into sg for sg plated vehicles. Wah pay n pay sumore.

is this real ?..

pay and pay is really sickening..

 

[LGLab]

Bros who are buying subsale, please do be reminded that you should get your own lawyer and different from the one representing the seller. Even if it costs more.
That way, the lawyer will act in your best interest. Also, there are people who wants the 10% before state consent. State consent is normally granted after a few months but could take a while, 2-4 months typically and some sellers could be needing money before that hence there are some who asks for 10% prior to the state consent.

This is not that rare a request but best to get everything documented in black and white before you commit.

1. If a seller persists in delaying signing the S&P, its a bad sign.
2. If an agent offers to return you your cheque the very next day.
3. Always appoint your own lawyer even if it costs you more. Do not listen to agents asking you to use theirs or
only theirs can handle it.
4. Soft negotiations can be done sometimes, instead of disbursing 10%, ask for 5% or the right to move in early
to the house.
5. Where a deal goes south or even after a deal concludes well, you have the right to ask for a discount from the
lawyers if you find that the service was tardy or slow.
6. Don't be afraid to seek legal advice, there are reputable ones such as Syed Alwi, Ng & Co*.
7. Where possible, buy direct from developer or from direct owners if you really cannot get it direct.
8. Agents* should normally only be getting the comms direct from the seller unless somehow that agent saved you
a ton of money.

*Wuqi256 is not in any way related to agents or any law firms.

Hi Teck, I will be using the same lawyer as what you will be using with kelvin.

is that gonna be trust worthy? ..

with pointer 3. wuqi is asking us to find our own laywer firm.

with pointer 8, kelvin is also asking us for 1% commission..

hmm..

 

[LGLab]

All good points, in fact when i first came out here 3 years ago, i still remember Mr A, Mrs B and another couple who told me repeatedly i had missed the boat.
Back then, i was already too late, luckily i didn't listen to them. If you are buying for own stay, its never too late. If you are investing though, i cannot comment much as this was always meant to help people living here.

One thing i would beg to differ is that its no longer about the cheap or reasonable price of living for some who made the move. There are definitely lots who are here because of the push factors but some as well here for the pull factors. I think prices have risen quite a bit. Renting out for certain developments is not an issue, its just how much you can cover and how much you can make potentially.

As for rental, though most of the bros here are doing pretty well rental wise, my recommendation would always be to buy for own stay. A point to note though, those coming out here are not only just Singaporeans these days, but also expats coming here for the education/medical as well as their support staff. There are also more business opportunities now hence even folks from Penang, Kedah, Kelantan has become my neighbours and some tenants. They are either working in Singapore or have new businesses here in Johore. Back to Singaporeans, there are also people who rented out their homes in Singapore to live out in Johore, the rental they receive in SG is enough to cover for the same or better housing here.

These are just my humble observations.

Hi wuqi,

today i had paid 2% to the agent, the agent will be helping me to submit loan through the bank to purchase the place of 620k ..

teck, vincent and myself are all using the same agent.

the agent is asking for 1% commission and using the same lawyer as vincent and teck.

am i on the right or wrong path ?

 

[spidey]

Bros and Sis

Just fyi...i received latest info fr my yger sibling who is xxx officer that very soon Woodlands checkpt also will impose toll upon entry into sg for sg plated vehicles. Wah pay n pay sumore.

If this is true, then really painful for users! Pay both side... Not that it's jam free!!!!

 

[palden]

Both side pay will result in smooth traffic, hurt biz in JB. Wonder why they want to do it. Will not be positive for Iskandar. Both govt throw lots of money there. Visit JB in a weekday and you will get what I mean. No more petrol and groceries in JB liao

 

[yonglip]

there is even a police post at Allianz bank now. .

Was in the vicinity just now..saw the post..i think they call such shoe-box post "beat post" or something...with so many banks in the area and more shops setting up in the vicinity, not surprising the post is there.

 

[Narmi]

Dear All Esteemed Bros n Sis here,

Thank you for the wonderful sharing and pointers. This must be one of the most hapenning and active forum about 'Living in JB', kudos to esp Bro Wuqi and gang for making this happen!

Just a brief intro about myself.

I am a SPR from KL and recently bought an 2BR unit at Impiana...more for investment...Still scouting around for one to
be called my home in JB...Dont like staying in pigeon holes...Went to Setia Tropika last Fri, liked their houses (the
cluster show houses are amazing) but alas a bit far from the CBD and Sg...Furthermore, read that the EDL's toll rate will
even surpassed 2nd link...So, now back to Nusajaya...:-)

Great forum!!

Hi Diaspora

Welcome on behalf of the forum bros n sistas!

 

[Narmi]

is this real ?..

pay and pay is really sickening..

Hope it is untrue too!
But not so optimistic cos i read the circular myself :(. If enter for holiday or weekly still acceptable but if daily? Damnit!! I just cannot reveal when but hint (it is sooner than later). Hope in the meantime there is a change of heart but i doubt it.

 

[east539]

Bros and Sis

Just fyi...i received latest info fr my yger sibling who is xxx officer that very soon Woodlands checkpt also will impose toll upon entry into sg for sg plated vehicles. Wah pay n pay sumore.

yah, for what i know it will be like 2nd link go in pay, come back also pay.

 

[lastresort]

Hi wuqi,

today i had paid 2% to the agent, the agent will be helping me to submit loan through the bank to purchase the place of 620k ..

teck, vincent and myself are all using the same agent.

the agent is asking for 1% commission and using the same lawyer as vincent and teck.

am i on the right or wrong path ?

Hi LGLab bro,

congrats on having found your ideal home.. Is it in HH, may I know what kinda unit is now priced at 620k. Are you also putting your parent's name as the owner of the unit.

 

[lastresort]

we went to cascadia on saturday, but was not able to enter the show room after 3pm as they were preparing for the night concert where Fish Leong performed. Was quite impressed by their marketing campaign, the eco concept is interesting but I have doubt such a concept would work in such an area, and honestly, we think the place is a little too far from causeway and the heavy traffic one has to endure sometimes. But the marketing campaign must have been successful in attracting such a great turn out, so kudos to Setia for being able to market such a project so well. Everything in the ad looks so nice, especially the nice looking cascading lakes.

 

[lastresort]

we also stumbled upon this township called JP Perdana, which we initially thought is a development by Mah Sing as it has similar Perdana theme name, then we ventured along the road to another development called Austin LA gardens but later quickly made a u turn as the place looks deserted and undeveloped, located very near to plantations in a hilly area.

 

[LGLab]

Hi LGLab bro,

congrats on having found your ideal home.. Is it in HH, may I know what kinda unit is now priced at 620k. Are you also putting your parent's name as the owner of the unit.

Hi, dont congrats me yet, till the completion.

hehe..

it is a end lot unit at gateway precinct .. around 2280 sq ft..

oh yes, my mum gonna be the owner and im gonna finance it.

inside pretty well maintain..

 

[LGLab]

something im pretty wary but i dont know if it is a common practise.

im taking loan with malaysia bank.

the agent told me that if my loan fails, the 2% downpayment will be confiscated by the seller.

is this true?

can any expert help ?

Thanks.

 

[mathstub]

For those Bros and Sis who are into condo, say one type of condo with its balcony faces the pool surrounded by condo buildings and another type with its balcony faces the outside world seeing a large piece of land on which there is a township with a whole bunch of low-rise houses, do you think the condo facing the pool or the one facing the outside world have a better capital appreciation? Would love to hear your views here.

 

[mathstub]

Bros and Sis,

When I paid the booking fee to reserve a unit, I sent my money through the money changer to the bank account of the developer provided by the sales.

But I often hear the sales I can also place a cheque. Is this cheque the one from our checking account in SG or should be one from an account in Malaysia (meaning I need to open a checking account)? How do you guys usually do to reserve a unit? Putting down a cheque sounds so convenient.

Do you usually pay the booking fee and then apply for the loan and wait for the loan to approve or do you wait for the loan to approve first and then pay the booking fee (of course, it is possible that you will lose the unit of your choice if you wait until your loan is approved)?

 

[mathstub]

If I don't remember it wrong, based on very limited experience with one developer, I think one can get the booking fee (after substracting the admin fee if any) if the loan is turned down. If the loan is approved but with loan margin lower than what the buyer needs, then he cannot get the booking fee. But for this case, I have encountered another nice developer who still returns the booking fee after substracting some admin fee off but I suppose most other developers will not do this.

I am sure some Bros here should know much better than me regarding the above.

something im pretty wary but i dont know if it is a common practise.

im taking loan with malaysia bank.

the agent told me that if my loan fails, the 2% downpayment will be confiscated by the seller.

is this true?

can any expert help ?

Thanks.