Living in JB 3 (Johore)

[jasonjst]

"RIVER OF LIFE: Johor Bahru property market is expected to chart strong growth within the next seven years 2012 has been touted as the tipping point year for Iskandar. "

http://www.nst.com.my/red/cover-stor...on-jb-1.146231

Enjoy reading...
cheers

Oh yes the tipping point coincide with PM Lee opening of flood gate to another 1 million FTs into red dot forming a triangle of growth. Huat Ah, more Singaporean cannot tahhan the overcrowding and expensive HDBs, COEs will definitely come over!

[cathylmg]

Reported in today's Straits Times that Najib has given a written reply to Parliament that the EDL will be toll-free. Great news for all who are vested in JB. Greater connectivity is key to Iskandar's success. Hopefully we can have a 3rd link soon to alleviate the jams at the causeway.

Huray! This shows that they are really serious about the development of IR as a whole. And a positive direction for future revival of zone A.

[cathylmg]

Oh yes the tipping point coincide with PM Lee opening of flood gate to another 1 million FTs into red dot forming a triangle of growth. Huat Ah, more Singaporean cannot tahhan the overcrowding and expensive HDBs, COEs will definitely come over!

And huat ah...to those vested both side early early!

[wuqi256]

And huat ah...to those vested both side early early!

Heard from banks that they are going to tighten up soon. Some folks who came in here giving a bad name as they are not servicing their car or housing loans regularly if at all and banks are going to tighten lending soon generally.

[Tibetos]

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for starting and contributing to this thread. It has been a very useful research base - particularly having had like 1000+ pages in the 2 previous threads.

I am an SPR looking to make the crossing over. I realize I may be a little late but hey, better late than never.

Thanks and I look forward to joining you more frequently in this forum.

p/s: Bro RedsYNWA, I sent you a pm.

[Stevewish]

Heard from banks that they are going to tighten up soon. Some folks who came in here giving a bad name as they are not servicing their car or housing loans regularly if at all and banks are going to tighten lending soon generally.

Sometimes ago, my bro received a late installment payment from the bank eg, 2 months no payment eg. RM2k. Upon checking with the bank, the car loan officer commented that there was no service of loan due to no money in the account. i helped to explain that the saving account had over 30K and direct deduct every months and how could it be no money. Upon checking for sometime, he then confirmed that it was a mistake in the system and could ignore the letter & late fine.

Could it be because of the poor administration? i believe the bank system will still reflect as a late payment for 2 months even though this is a system error.

[graveyard]

Hi graveyard,

There are friends who thought we are "weird/crazy" to shift to JB. Trying to adjust this period...
Reading posts by the seniors here made us feel more assured that this is not a wrong decision?

hi melodysoul, i understand and they may have reasons to have that thought. i also agree JB/msia still need to do much more to improve the security and its corrupted image but really i think there are many people in spore who are looking at msia with a narrow mind - they have the impression everyone in msia is a crook and it is 100% certain you will be robbed or have a parang placed by your neck the moment you cross the causeway. the sporeans i know are basically 2 types - those who never ever gotta step into msia after hearing the robbery,crime news in malaysia.. and those who take the "calculated risk" to venture into JB .. a few whom i know drive into JB like twice a month for the usual shopping, entertainment stuff. i would imagine some would think they are weird and crazy too because they will be robbed of their cars

by the way, sorry i am only recently active in this forum, are most of the sporeans here like yourself and wuqi working in spore and staying in JB? or are there some who are retired? i am a msian SPR working and staying in sg and vested in both places. i have seen the improvements in JB esp in highway construction, infrastructure (international schools), entertainment (malls, legoland etc) in recent times and I believe though the crime rates and incompetent govt managamenet will threaten JB's growth, there is no doubt JB is and will continue to prosper. ive seen how robust the property market now in JB so i am contemplating moving back to JB and renting out the property in spore if the congestion at immigration gets better and reduce the office commuting time or if i get a spore car. Are most of you driving to and forth spore if you are still working in spore?

[wuqi256]

Sometimes ago, my bro received a late installment payment from the bank eg, 2 months no payment eg. RM2k. Upon checking with the bank, the car loan officer commented that there was no service of loan due to no money in the account. i helped to explain that the saving account had over 30K and direct deduct every months and how could it be no money. Upon checking for sometime, he then confirmed that it was a mistake in the system and could ignore the letter & late fine.

Could it be because of the poor administration? i believe the bank system will still reflect as a late payment for 2 months even though this is a system error.

It might be because of poor administration but also because of some defaulters. Yet there are those who apply for loans and then skip the country. Guess it is only fair that they are taking action but lots of innocent guys get tarred with the same brush as well. Then i have friends who get buyers who come in insisting on buying only if they get 90%, one chap even told my friends he wanted 95% or 100% if possible.

Even says he will help pay the coffee money if they can do it. I told them to just politely ask him to try elsewhere since he cannot be convinced otherwise.

[wuqi256]

Bros and sisters,

You really don't need to join paid tours if you go through what we have here and on most of the other forums. Just get a friend after that(real friend) who knows Johor and if he is worth the friendship, most likely when he is free, he will take you on a tour or two.

Come in yourself after that and soon you will know the place better. This forum has a wealth of information from the learned bros and sisters here and most of them know more than me about the area. In fact so its good as a first step of checking the place out. Once you know it and check out the maps, then do more due dilligence as this forum is still just a guide, the rest is up to you.

The original intent of this page was always to help others on a pro bono basis and again i stress not development specific though it is impossible to please everyone. I understand some chaps need to make a living but they should post their stuff elsewhere or stop claiming to be related to this forum.

I recently got to know one chap who i did not know whether to laugh or cry when he offered his services to bring me around and claim to be someone i know he is definitely not.

I just smiled and when he repeated the same thing, i just said i was too busy, thanked and then drove off.

[wuqi256]

Hi graveyard, to answer your question about condo or landed as well as coming back to MY, i would say to each his own at the end of the day.

On the two types of properties, I have folks arguing to me about people they met or potential buyers who said they will pick condos over landed and vice versa. It appeals to different folks and there will always be a counter argument for every valid concern raised.

As a vested owner of BOTH condos and landed (folks who know me personally would know), i am pretty neutral but there will always be those pro and against landed and condos. Some will say enough land in MY so landed has no value but by the same token, the land the condo sits on is also yet another plot of land.

Yet some will argue that condo is more secured and has facilities and some against it will say condos has more maintenance issues, etc but i will digress here as the argument is endless.

The key is, IMHO if its built on prime land or a place which has good proximity to desirable amentities etc. Again the pros and cons are easily arguable on its own merits across both sides of the coin but if its on such land, any type of property will always have inherent and its own intrinsic value.

For those doubting yet again, i have posted in another page (my personal one) about some condos and landed that are available to buy.

Bro graveyard, I will seriously recommend to move back here, don't need to buy or rent, just if you have relatives here, see if you can bunk in with them and observe things for yourself. Or do what i did, get a hotel room, stay and then observe over weekends and weekdays etc to see if you will like it here. Come back and be a witness to the transformation.

Malaysia is on a serious road to certain success as long as it stays on its course with so many projects that were under wraps are slowly hitting the surface now. Some folks only realised now that Legoland is not just a pile of Lego bricks and still think Legoland is the only thing going for Malaysia.
It is not going to be just a one hit wonder.

Some initiatives may fail, there will be some which will still succeed as there are not just one government involved. Many of these are only becoming public recently and the revelation of some new parts have seriously shaken me if even just a mere 10% of it takes off.

From what very little i know, my personal opinion is that, the best is yet to come.

[wuqi256]

Hi Tibetos,
Glad you like it here as well. Welcome to Malaysia.

[Guanyi]

Hi CathyImg,

I have been following this forum for a while but this is the first time that I am taking part in the discussion.

For your neck problem, I would suggest seeing a chiropractor. I had similar problem which later propergated into my arm. I spent > $3K seeing TCM and Osteopathy but the treatments were ineffective. Through my colleague, I consulted a chiropractor. Went for posture x-ray and found that dics in my neck are closing up due to poor posture and prolong working in front of computer. The dics are forcing on the nerves around the neck area which trigger the pain and stiffness. I have gone to 13 sessions of the theraphy and found that it has helped me in reducing the pain in my neck and arm. You can find more information in internet.

[graveyard]

Hi graveyard, to answer your question about condo or landed as well as coming back to MY, i would say to each his own at the end of the day.

On the two types of properties, I have folks arguing to me about people they met or potential buyers who said they will pick condos over landed and vice versa. It appeals to different folks and there will always be a counter argument for every valid concern raised.

As a vested owner of BOTH condos and landed (folks who know me personally would know), i am pretty neutral but there will always be those pro and against landed and condos. Some will say enough land in MY so landed has no value but by the same token, the land the condo sits on is also yet another plot of land.

Yet some will argue that condo is more secured and has facilities and some against it will say condos has more maintenance issues, etc but i will digress here as the argument is endless.

The key is, IMHO if its built on prime land or a place which has good proximity to desirable amentities etc. Again the pros and cons are easily arguable on its own merits across both sides of the coin but if its on such land, any type of property will always have inherent and its own intrinsic value.

For those doubting yet again, i have posted in another page (my personal one) about some condos and landed that are available to buy.

Bro graveyard, I will seriously recommend to move back here, don't need to buy or rent, just if you have relatives here, see if you can bunk in with them and observe things for yourself. Or do what i did, get a hotel room, stay and then observe over weekends and weekdays etc to see if you will like it here. Come back and be a witness to the transformation.

Malaysia is on a serious road to certain success as long as it stays on its course with so many projects that were under wraps are slowly hitting the surface now. Some folks only realised now that Legoland is not just a pile of Lego bricks and still think Legoland is the only thing going for Malaysia.
It is not going to be just a one hit wonder.

Some initiatives may fail, there will be some which will still succeed as there are not just one government involved. Many of these are only becoming public recently and the revelation of some new parts have seriously shaken me if even just a mere 10% of it takes off.

From what very little i know, my personal opinion is that, the best is yet to come.

Bro wuqi thanks for your advice. my family is actually based in JB, bukit indah so its easy for me to move back to JB. i go back to JB abt once a month since the journey just take 2hrs from my place in spore. i am also vested in a place near CIQ so it will be good to stay there if i decide to move back to jb

i went to legoland over the weekend - really impressive and i must say it exceeds my expectation. Hope the mgmt will do a good job in maintaining the facilities (which i dont think its an issue as legoland is closed one day per week for maintenance). the staffs there are polite and "kids friendly" which fit with the theme of legoland. i am just glad the govt is not managing legoland - otherwise i think the facilities will be run down in months

i do agree with your view that msia/JB is awakening .. look at the luxury condos in JB thats quickly snapped up by sporeans and foreigners. i am eager to see the development of luxury condos in JB as you all may know, these luxury condos are the first of their kinds.

yes i am really seriously considering moving back but i need time to sort the logistics out. thats the key stumbling block as of now. also will stick around this forum to learn and know more sporeans who are staying in msia and commuting daily to and forth

[fairies]

Hi graveyard ... allow me to share little bit of my own experience living in nusajaya & commuting everyday to s'pore for work & kids schooling.

Initially, my wife & I were seriously in two minds whether to make the move after we bought our LH house. The mere thought of facing the hassle of everyday travelling to & fro s'pore with 4 school-going kids, aged 12, 15, 17 & 18, was just too frightening.

However, to cut the story short, we decided to give it a try. One year should be a reasonable period for us to sufficiently experience and evaluate, we told ourselves. So in december 2011, we gave it a shot.

To our surprise, it takes us only between 45-55 min to reach our kids' school in central s'pore from LH. We make our daily move in our family car at 6.30 and would reach the school at Toa Payoh anytime btw 7.15 - 7.25. Occasionally we reach school 7.30 when the traffic's heavier than usual. Since January, the kids were late ie reach school after 7.30 only three times that I can remember. Not bad I think for a family who have to cross border to go to school Only Monday mornings do we have to go out about 10 min earlier due to heavier traffic.

My kids finish school at 3.30 pm, while I finish work at 5.30. They will normally stay in school, go to the library or spend after school time with their friends before we head back home together. And because of the need to drive the kids back home, I no longer dilly-dally with the never-ending work after my office hours.

There were some degree of discomfort in our first month here, but gradually we got used to it. Now, as a family, I think we are happier compared to when we were staying in spore. The single best thing that my wife & I appreciate most today is .... guess what? .... the family bonding. Those who had the experience with growing up teenage kids would definitely understand the challenges & difficulties, the headaches & heartaches & everything. In our case, we felt that we were losing them! They preferred to go to school themselves in the company of their friends, they spent long hours with their friends after school and only came back in the evenings, their relationship with their own siblings got colder & colder by the day, dinner with the whole family around during weekday evenings also became very rare, etc.

To me & my wife, our kids are the most valuable treasure that we have. Yes, the time will definitely come for birds to fly off leaving behind their nests. But not before the right time, I believe. This improved family bonding that we are now enjoying with our most treasured kids is the most important factor that makes us have no regret whatsoever moving to nusajaya. It is far far more than worth all the hassle of everyday commuting btw spore & johor, plus the high cost of petrol and toll payments, and not forgetting the house loan that we have to service every month. To think about it again, I believe I would never hesitate to spend whatever dollars & cents I have if that is the price to regain back my family bonding.

To put it in one sentence: today, I have MY FAMILY every evening of the week! Simply priceless!!

Bro wuqi thanks for your advice. my family is actually based in JB, bukit indah so its easy for me to move back to JB. i go back to JB abt once a month since the journey just take 2hrs from my place in spore. i am also vested in a place near CIQ so it will be good to stay there if i decide to move back to jb

i went to legoland over the weekend - really impressive and i must say it exceeds my expectation. Hope the mgmt will do a good job in maintaining the facilities (which i dont think its an issue as legoland is closed one day per week for maintenance). the staffs there are polite and "kids friendly" which fit with the theme of legoland. i am just glad the govt is not managing legoland - otherwise i think the facilities will be run down in months

i do agree with your view that msia/JB is awakening .. look at the luxury condos in JB thats quickly snapped up by sporeans and foreigners. i am eager to see the development of luxury condos in JB as you all may know, these luxury condos are the first of their kinds.

yes i am really seriously considering moving back but i need time to sort the logistics out. thats the key stumbling block as of now. also will stick around this forum to learn and know more sporeans who are staying in msia and commuting daily to and forth

[investor5]

Guys, I heard from some investors that East Ledang Semis have hit RM 1.9M? Horizon Hills Golf facing Semis @ The Golf East already my friend got buyers @ RM 1.95m but he is NOT willing to sell his very limited priceless asset.

Was quite disappointed today when I called an agent to ask about a semi D in Gateway 2 storey type. Agent claimed valuation is RM 1.5 million but my verification with two different bankers yielded RM 1.2million. Asked for more details and evidence, agent simply hang up on my phone.

Malaysia Agents, please buck up!

[Grago]

Wouldn't be surprised if the very limited Golf facing Semi's at HH's Golf East will go for RM3 mil. soon!!!

[Nusajaya]

Dear Bro Faries,

Thank you for sharing your priceless experience. I can certainly relate to your circumstance as I also have kids at exactly the same age group except my eldest and youngest are 1 year older than yours.

Most of the parents (who have older teens) would almost need to find an excuse to have a reasonable conversation with them. Sad to say, some of us have already lost the opportunity to communicate and the communication gap is growing bigger each day! Most of us (sorry for generalising here) resort to comfort ourselves that we believe in Quality Time rather than Quantity because we are very very busy with our career/business. I have certainly come to realisation that there is no substitute for TIME. Time as a family to fellowship, having meals, traveling, driving to school, sharing, etc.

I applaud you for turning an obstacle to a much needed opportunity. Well done, buddy!

Cheers
N

[Nusajaya]

I have personally experienced a valuation difference of 35% from different bankers who use different valuer. It depends on how aggressive the bankers/valuers are. It doesnt even matter if you have a proven transacted case in hand to substantiate it. Sounds a little crazy but that's a fact.

Guys, I heard from some investors that East Ledang Semis have hit RM 1.9M? Horizon Hills Golf facing Semis @ The Golf East already my friend got buyers @ RM 1.95m but he is NOT willing to sell his very limited priceless asset.

Was quite disappointed today when I called an agent to ask about a semi D in Gateway 2 storey type. Agent claimed valuation is RM 1.5 million but my verification with two different bankers yielded RM 1.2million. Asked for more details and evidence, agent simply hang up on my phone.

Malaysia Agents, please buck up!

[investor5]

Bro Grago, do you have one of those very limited Golf Facing HH Golf's East semis also?

Wouldn't be surprised if the very limited Golf facing Semi's at HH's Golf East will go for RM3 mil. soon!!!

[investor5]

To be fair, if you look @ the master and future plans of Nusajaya, it is going to become another Spore but with more land to play around. Thats why you see specially-tailored houses in East Ledang and so-called houses perched on hills with spendid golf course views whose prices kept shooting thru the roofs even in economic crisis. I have tried saving my ammos for future launches of these houses of such standard and views but I just cant find them in the current or future launches anymore. Very sad that semis for example have smaller and smaller built up area but the price is going up and up. I am just one of those humble investors in the Iskandar region. I am very very sure the fellow investors feel the same. Overcrowding has become an issue but overcrowding is GOOD for investors.

You cannot find these houses in Spore and will never will. In this aspect, Nusajaya beats Spore hands down. The closest that we have in Singapore is Sentosa Cove ( left 90+ years BUT priced @ RM 50million now!! ). Frankly speaking, to compare landed houses in Springside and Lentor against Horizon Hills or East Ledang is grossly over-estimating the former. The former got no view, small, design is not that world-class either but price is " world class"

It is due to all these factors that my group of investor friends reckon that semi ds houses in East Ledang and Horizon Hills will hit RM 2.5m to RM 3m & bungalows RM 5m quite fast as the developments nearby will be completed one by one.