Medini zone in Iskandar granted property gains tax exemption

Thought this is an interesting update: "Malaysia has granted a substantial tax break to a zone in a showpiece investment project near Singapore, a move likely to provide crucial support to a US$800 million (RM2.5 billion) initial public offering of the area's developer next year". Time to relook into investment strategy for this area?

Iskandar Malaysia Low Carbon Community Implementation Book

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Wednesday launched the Iskandar Malaysia Low Carbon Community Implementation Book to enable the residents of Iskandar Malaysia to enjoy better living with the use of more efficient energy in 2015". Read more here.

I'm a skeptic but am willing to give the government a benefit of the doubt. Let's see how much of this is actually implemented on the ground (doesn't look like UEM gets the memo though).

Johor move to cool down property market | Free Malaysia Today

Many would have been aware of this, but in case if you've not heard about recent cooling measures in Johor, the government will be imposing processing fees of 4% and 5% of the property value starting next year. This is a dramatic increase from current fee of RM10K.

Another measure is in limiting the number of foreign ownership. “Local buyers will not be able to transfer ownership of their units to foreigners once the 30 per cent quota (for foreigners) has been filled. These are just some of the steps that the state government will be introducing to safeguard the interests of locals,” Johor’s State Housing and Local Government Committee Chairman Abdul Latiff Bandi said.

We do feel that the property market has started to slow down, partly also due to financing issues faced by many interested buyers. Banks are more strict in giving out loans and the cash over valuation amount is quite significant, hence only cash rich investors would be able to invest.

The next wave could be when Educity, Pinewood etc open up, let's see what the future entails :)

Johor move to cool down property market | Free Malaysia Today

Channel Newsasia Documentary on Iskandar

Very recent documentary on Iskandar by Channel News Asia. Congrats Tina John for being in this documentary :)
 

Johor Property Show Happening This Weekend

Just found out that there's a Malaysia property show this weekend in Traders Nusajaya hotel. Here's the write up about this show:

• Exclusive Registration and Preview by Tanah Sutera and Country Garden Danga Bay Property Launch Access Up to 10 Property Developments in One Central Location
• Enjoy Up to 5% Rebate for Selected Property Developments 
• Gain Expert Insights via Our Speaker Sessions about Johor Properties
• FREE Shuttle Service from Singapore to Traders Hotel, Johor Bahru
• FREE Shuttle Service to Visit Actual Development in Iskandar

EVENT DETAILS 
27 July - 28 July 2013 10:00 - 19:00
Level 4, Iskandar Ballroom, Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia Persiaran Puteri Selatan, Puteri Harbour, 79000 Nusajaya, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia

Launched: Smart Way To Book Taxi In Iskandar Malaysia

I'm very slow nowadays..I know :) but I thought this is an interesting update to ease transportation challenges in Iskandar.

An application, which is named MyTeksi, would help commuters to book taxis via their smartphones in a fast, convenient and safe manner.

Paim embarked on the usage of the MyTeksi application with taxi drivers from Koperasi Permodalan Melayu Negeri Johor (KPMNJ). By year-end, Paim hopes to achieve 1,000 registered taxi drivers using the application. I've downloaded the app and played around a little bit. App looks quite user friendly but it does not seem to register my address (it's listing a wrong street name instead) and there's no taxi nearby. I guess it'll take some time for this app to be taken up by taxi drivers in Johor, if it does, it'll be a very convenient way to book taxis.

Beautiful Bungalow in Leisure Farm for sale

Afternoon everyone, helping a friend to post on a bungalow for sale in Leisure Farm.

Leisure Farm (RM7mil nego)

Built up area: 5,000 sqft
Land area: 18,000 sqft
Furnishing: Fully furnished 

Drop us a message if you are interested to find out more.

Happy Saturday,

Erika

Iskandar opens up opportunities for Indonesian investors

I'm now starting to get questions from my fellow Indonesians friends about Iskandar. Good to see IRDA has stepped up PR & marketing activities of Iskandar in Indonesia, this should also drive increase in private investors into the area (& hopefully more Indonesian food in near future :).

Iskandar opens up opportunities for Indonesian investors

Here we go again. Renovation part 2.

Sorry for being M.I.A for a while. Life has been hectic lately as we kick started stage 2 renovation in our house. We are now back to living in 1 room and without kitchen and TV. I feel a lot more confident that stage 2 will be way smoother and less painful than what we went through in stage 1, now that we have found a reliable designer contractor. We are redoing quite a number of cabinets & rewiring work done by previous contractors. We are expecting to finish stage 2 in 3rd week of October, so I am super looking forward to that! Stage 3 is exterior and we'll start thinking about it in Oct.

Renovation aside, I've also had some interesting time with our car. Besides getting a speeding ticket & demerit points (watch out for your speed on AYE near exit 20-22 towards Tuas) and forking SGD4K for car repair, life's generally good :)

Very much looking forward to October!!!

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Frost & Sullivan to invest RM500mil in Iskandar

We saw Frost & Sullivan sign now put up in building opposite UEM sales office. I was wondering what they were doing here but this news article confirms that Frost & Sullivan is setting up in Iskandar with commitment of over RM500mil in investment and 830 staff in employment by 2020. Great to see more addition and growth to this area.

Frost & Sullivan to invest RM500mil in Iskandar

Nice place to drink some beers @ Beer Channel

I've noticed Beer Channel a couple of times in our drive to Gelang Patah. Bright lights always attract me :) We decided to check out this joint and have beers to relax for the evening.

We ordered 1 pine of Strongbow (not exactly beer but that's what I felt like having) and 1 pine of Carslberg. Ian also ordered chicken chop for his dinner which was quite good. Overall, the 2 beers & chicken chop cost ~RM55. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing. We'll definitely go back for more. Unfortunately I don't have the exact street address and I can't find it on the web, but this place is located between East Ledang and Gelang Patah. It's in an industrial shop houses complex.

New bungalow in Ledang Heights for sale

Here's my last posting for the week:

Another bungalow (currently under renovation) for sale.
LOT.465
Bedrooms: 4+1
Land size: 11909sqft
Build Up: 3469qft
Swimming pool: Yes (4mx15m (depth 0.8m-1.5m)


Design illustrations:



Please drop a message if you are or knows anyone who would be interested on the property. Have a great Sunday.

Traders Hotel Opening by End of 2012

Here's a recent picture we took of the Puteri Harbour's Traders Hotel development:

The four-storey 283-room Traders Hotel is a Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts operated hotel.

Besides Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour waterfront development area also include an indoor theme park, a family entertainment centre and a 100,000-square-foot retail centre. Puteri Harbour will house a water transport terminal and three marinas in the near future.

The 60,000-square-foot indoor theme park will feature world-renowned and popular children’s characters in three main areas: Hello Kitty Town, showcasing Hello Kitty and friends by Sanrio; the Little Big Club featuring HIT Entertainment's Thomas and Friends, Barney, Bob the Builder, Pingu and Angelina Ballerina; and a themed family restaurant by popular local cartoonist, Lat (per press release from Shangrila).

Excited!!!

Bayou Grove Court Villa @ Leisure Farm

A beautiful court villa in Leisure Farm for sale.

About the location:
a) Situated on the outskirts of the fast growing Iskandar regional development project with US$100 billion investment planned over next 15 years
b) Easy Commute to Singapore located 15 minutes to the border and 50 minutes to Singapore's Financial District
c) 15 minutes away from renowned UK school Marlborough College which opens in August 2012
d) 15 minutes away from Puteri Harbour, a waterfront and marina development, location of planned ferry service direct to Singapore
e) 2 minutes away from 36 hole golf course (Japanese owned and managed) situated within the Leisure Farm Compound
f) 2 minutes away from an equestrian club/stables within the Leisure Farm Compound

Property itself consists of 5800 square foot of built up area with an additional land area of 6400 square foot and the unique 'courtyard design' has been featured on the cover of several property magazines

Details
Project Name:Bayou grove-leisure farm-court villa
Property Type:Landed
Price: SGD1.9M
Land Area: 5800 built up/6400 land
Furnished:Fully furnished
Tenure: Freehold

Features
Corner UnitPark / Greenery ViewRenovatedGround Floor

Fixtures & Fittings
Air conditioningBathtubCooker Hob/HoodIntercomJacuzziWater Heater
Indoor / Outdoor Space
Balcony
Maidsroom
Outdoor Patio
Private Garden
Terrace
Walk-in-wardrobe


For anyone who is interested to find out more about this property, please feel free to drop me a message. Have a great evening!

About 5,000 Singaporeans call Johor home, WOW!

I found this newly published article on The New Paper:

About 5,000 Singaporeans now call Johor home, estimates the Johor-Singapore Community Care Association, a newly formed group that aims to champion the interests of Singaporeans living across the Causeway.

The New Paper interviewed 3 families who shared their stories about moving to Johor and it's similar story one would hear from most of our neighbours (including us). We feel very lucky to have bought our house at the right time and even luckier to have great neighbours.

It is true that Johor is definitely not as safe as Singapore (not many places in this world are), but as long as we are prudent, vigilant and look after each other in the community, the probability of incidents will be reduced. The article also mentioned about Johor-Singapore Community Care Association (JSCA) which is formed to act as voice to speak to authorities for security concerns in Johor. This association can be contacted at contact@johor-singapore.com.

Despite rising crime, S'poreans don't regret buying Johor properties

East Ledang Committee Residence Gathering

We're having a residence committee meeting tomorrow (Monday 9th July) at 8 pm at 24 Jln Hang Lekir 1/1. If you're an East Ledang resident/property owner, please feel free to join. Have a great evening and week ahead!

2 Storeys Bungalow in Ledang Heights for Sale

For anyone who's looking for bungalow in Ledang Heights, I came to know of this unit for sale. The house is still under renovation but it should be completed soon.

Description of the home:
• 2 storey bungalow
• Land size: 8,748sqf
• Built up: 3,368sqf
• Fully furnished to a high specification
• 4 + 1 bedrooms
• Gated community with 24h security
• Club house (membership required)
• Neighbourhood Shopping Centre
• Park (with central lake)

Images of the house interior design:
The owner is asking for RM2.6mil negotiable with 2 years tenancy agreement.

A brief description of Ledang Heights:

Ledang Heights is an exclusive bungalow only enclave located in the prime residential area of Nusajaya. Designed and laid out to make the most of the 360 acres of rolling hills on which it is located, Ledang Heights offers generous plot sizes to build your desired palatial home. Spaciousness is a definitive feature of Ledang Heights with its picturesque lake vistas and lush green central park while its 24-hour security creates a sanctuary for your total peace of mind. Its unbeatable location makes it only a 30 minute drive from downtown Singapore.

Location:
-10 mins after Johor 2nd Link Immigration Custom Complex
-2 mins to New Johor State Goverment Administrative office(Kota Iskandar)
-3 mins to Mydin and Anjung (Supermarket and food court)
-5 mins to Puteri Harbour Centre
-5 mins to EduCity university
-15 mins to Bukit Indah Jusco, Tesco and Giant
-10 mins to Columbia Hospital and more
-5 mins to Marlborough College


Please feel free to drop a note if you're interested in finding more information about this bungalow. Have a great Sunday Evening!

UEM Land Q1 Profits Up 207% thanks to East Ledang and few other developments

Recent article reported that UEM Land's revenue increased 61.8% to RM303.72mil from RM187.68mil in Q1 2012, mainly due to contribution from the group's development from East Ledang, Nusa Bayu, Nusa Idaman, MK28 and Quintet as well as sale of inventories from Dutamas and Meridin.

Well, I certainly hope that they spend some of this profit in better maintaining the development! A lot of times, UEM can be such a slack, for example quality of building is not as "prestigious" as image projected (i.e. high end development), gardens which have never been finished, refusal to service any building defects for sub-sale units, etc. UEM show us and the world that you are actually able to build and maintain high end development.

Marlborough College pick-ing the very best for students

The start of 1st intake of Marlborough College is approaching very quickly and development of the school campus is well underway. Bringing it's British tradition established since 1843, the Malaysian campus is built on a 90-acre site, equipped with cricket ground, 50-meter swimming pool, sports hall, arts classes and more.

Famous Old Marlburians (alumni) include the Middleton family, most famous being Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton. See if you could recognise anyone else here.

In a recent interview with Robert Pick, Founding Master of the MY college, he mentioned that the purpose of establishing an overseas campus was not only to offer access to a leading English independent co-educational boarding school but also to build cultural and social bridges. “We intend to have student and staff exchanges between campuses to provide exposure to different cultures and socio-economic climes for members of our school,” he said.

Read more on this interview article here.

TGV Ciname Aeon Bukit Indah Opened on 1st June

Good afternoon, I hope everyone's having a great weekend. I meant to write this article a couple of weeks ago but was caught up with other stuff...as usual :)

We finally have a cinema near home. TGV opened its 17th cinema on 1st June at Johor Bahru; TGV Bukit Indah. This cinema is located in the newly extended area of Aeon mall and only encompass 7 standard halls, but also an additional Beanieplex hall as well as a premiere class hall, TGV Club.

We've yet to watch a movie, but it's definitely in the plan. To check out movies and screening sessions, visit TGV.