Living in JB 2 (Johore)

[greddy88]

@rogue1109, odyssey & crystal:
my eldest just started primary, and younger one will be joining him in a couple of years.
as typical sinkie, the kids attend classes in sg like berries, english and music lessons.. basically 6 of 7 days a week are used.
wife can't drive, totally dependent on me if we were to move in.
so, if i were to buy the house, we cannot move in full-time, only weekends.

actually it will be ideal if we were able to all move there and rent out the hdb.
for that arrangement, i considered staying at my parents' place as transit (waiting for the kids to start/end school), then evening wait for me to fetch everyone home.... no-go, cos she got problems with my mom.
then, her parents' place...quite far away. she don't want to waste travel time (which better used for kids' homework).
i think she is simply not receptive to change and harder routines (waking up at 5-6am instead of 7am, crossing border daily)
finally i considered renting out a room.. and still working it out... hopefully privacy won't become an issue...
don't really want to rent out the jb house.. cos what can RM1.5 to 2k do? probably not enough to cover maintenance/damage by the tenant.

so worse case, not rent at all.. all from my own pocket till everyone is ready. but at least the house is sitting across the causeway ready for my retirement.
sigh..this walking atm cum robot better not fall sick.. else everything falls apart :(

anyway, i'm still working things out, if all goes well, probably within early next year. my financials will be more secured for half a decade if my company wins a big contract this june (that's partly why i'm also taking my time here)

 

[DREAMorACTION]

That's a touching story, bro. Live well, play hard, work none and retire rich u have a good life ahead of ya ...

Wish I had the money and power to have done it 2 years ago and collect keys this year. Now I gotta wait 2 years ... Bum

Thanks Crystal.

Actually, i was looking to retire in Penang, Batu Ferringhi area in a couple of years from now. But fate has it that I learned about Sutera Mall in a car forum; ppl were writing so much about how different the place was compared to the rest of JB. So, one weekend my wife and I and another couple friend of ours decided to visit the place and satisfy our curiosity. We stayed one nite at the J-Hotel and we fell in love with the place. We loved the ambiance and were surprised such a place even existed in JB; before this, JB was a no no for us. We loved our many road trips to Malaysia but would conscientiously give JB a miss for all the wrong reasons. There was no intention whatsoever to buy a place in JB to stay.

We couldnt stop talking about our wonderful one nite stay at Sutera. We returned the following weekend to soak in the experience again. It was at this trip that our couple friends mentioned that some of his colleagues has houses in JB and suggested we drive around to take a look. Not expecting anything, we tagged along and lo and behold, we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw! We visited the houses at the indah area and eventually ended up at HH. Wow..... this place reminded us so much of Australia!

And so, the rest is history...... prof goggle pointed me to this thread and I was so intrigued by what written in it! I started reading from page one, as I didnt want to miss anything. I read all the contributions that Wuqi, (and some others) so bravely wrote, putting down every critic with solid arguements, and those who tried to tear at his dreams, epic! It took me 2 intense weeks to finally catch up with the reading. I would read it at every opportunity I could and slowly got to know and understand the man behind this all. Therefore I say, for those still undecided or contemplating whether to take the plunge, do yourself a favour and read Living in JB from page one - this is where most of us started. If you can "survive" reading the now 935odd pages, you are definitely ready for JB! There are numerous gems in the thread written by good intentioned people.

Sorry to be so long-winded. In a couple of weeks time, I will be getting the keys to my house. Thank you Wuqi, for transforming my thinking about JB, I owe you much! Please be safe and good health to you and your loved ones. SALUTE!

 

[crystal_tiong]

Bro Odessy

I just bk fr Penang n went to batu ferringhi . Indeed there is much better than jb. Look at e public transport so new . The cars they driving at Japan or luxuries cars. Food is cheap but not too sure abt e house. Should
Be very ex. But like to see so many Chinese there. I feel so safe compare to jb.

 

[greddy88]

car cams are beginning to be a necessity nowadays.. too many jokers around.
earlier today i read a ST online article about one guy driving toyota wish overtook a cab, then reverse ram into the cab, and tried to claim the cab (road rage incident).
the cab has an on-board camera.
this case, the wish guy self-pwned. but imagine the cab has no camera...

Hee coz now car very ex, can't afford to buy new one if always Kenna bang by ppl n repair costs is ex

if always kenna people bang, i think the problem is probably u.. better go temple spray holy water
anyway, imo most of the time will be scratches/dings/dents, and these can be fixed easily.

or when u are ready, take up mm2h, import the biggest 9yr old car u can find (no import duty).
people will be able to spot your huge V8 from far, thus avoid banging onto u

 

[arsenal]

I think hoh.. Ah Tiong and you.. Both can share the avante lah.. No food can go ah Tiong house.. If ah Tiong need seafood, can come to your place... Quite good match leh.. Some more..not many Singapore woman dare to live in JB.. Solid match..

Yup. That's another idea. Can just drive to the interchange, park there and take bus also ... But I thin I will still need a s-plate la. Imagine if I have emergency to get back to Sg but don't have the luxury of time to travel by bus, I won't be able to drive the m-plate car into Sg leh. It'll be an offense ...

 

[crystal_tiong]

J

if always kenna people bang, i think the problem is probably u.. better go temple spray holy water
anyway, imo most of the time will be scratches/dings/dents, and these can be fixed easily.

or when u are ready, take up mm2h, import the biggest 9yr old car u can find (no import duty).
people will be able to spot your huge V8 from far, thus avoid banging onto u

No mm2h for me , I will buy a Suv jb car plate. Hee.

 

[crystal_tiong]

I think hoh.. Ah Tiong and you.. Both can share the avante lah.. No food can go ah Tiong house.. If ah Tiong need seafood, can come to your place... Quite good match leh.. Some more..not many Singapore woman dare to live in JB.. Solid match..

Hahaha. Matchmaking again. Doa is younger than me la and We dun hv feel for each other la. Bro arsenal , I prefer someone like yr character leh , hahhahahaha . Always can make me laugh with yr postings at times.

 

[arsenal]

Me too.. Make decision within 2weeks after reading up the forum... If security is good, this place could better better than Australia. In real fact, Australia is as unsafe..and they don't welcome Chinese...

Thanks Crystal.

Actually, i was looking to retire in Penang, Batu Ferringhi area in a couple of years from now. But fate has it that I learned about Sutera Mall in a car forum; ppl were writing so much about how different the place was compared to the rest of JB. So, one weekend my wife and I and another couple friend of ours decided to visit the place and satisfy our curiosity. We stayed one nite at the J-Hotel and we fell in love with the place. We loved the ambiance and were surprised such a place even existed in JB; before this, JB was a no no for us. We loved our many road trips to Malaysia but would conscientiously give JB a miss for all the wrong reasons. There was no intention whatsoever to buy a place in JB to stay.

We couldnt stop talking about our wonderful one nite stay at Sutera. We returned the following weekend to soak in the experience again. It was at this trip that our couple friends mentioned that some of his colleagues has houses in JB and suggested we drive around to take a look. Not expecting anything, we tagged along and lo and behold, we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw! We visited the houses at the indah area and eventually ended up at HH. Wow..... this place reminded us so much of Australia!

And so, the rest is history...... prof goggle pointed me to this thread and I was so intrigued by what written in it! I started reading from page one, as I didnt want to miss anything. I read all the contributions that Wuqi, (and some others) so bravely wrote, putting down every critic with solid arguements, and those who tried to tear at his dreams, epic! It took me 2 intense weeks to finally catch up with the reading. I would read it at every opportunity I could and slowly got to know and understand the man behind this all. Therefore I say, for those still undecided or contemplating whether to take the plunge, do yourself a favour and read Living in JB from page one - this is where most of us started. If you can "survive" reading the now 935odd pages, you are definitely ready for JB! There are numerous gems in the thread written by good intentioned people.

Sorry to be so long-winded. In a couple of weeks time, I will be getting the keys to my house. Thank you Wuqi, for transforming my thinking about JB, I owe you much! Please be safe and good health to you and your loved ones. SALUTE!

 

[arsenal]

I just heard today of the big MNC if don't win a big tender, will have to cut the work force.. In fact many have been asked to work from home... Such incidence happened to me several times in my career.. Talk about globalization, we really LAN LAN have no choice since there is no union to protect us in Singapore. Our union is to make sure they protect the employers...

However I feel much better once I bought a place in JB.. Because I know suddenly I am on par with all the foreigners working in our country, where they will always have a place to go when something go wrong and the truth is our govt is always good at making hard division..that is to make the pragmatic decision to protect shareholders interests which you can always say they have a good brain..but no heart..

If one lose his job, firstly you might not be able to get loan, secondly you dare not make any big item investment..
Hard life for us....we are also the walking ATM for the country...

@rogue1109, odyssey & crystal:
my eldest just started primary, and younger one will be joining him in a couple of years.
as typical sinkie, the kids attend classes in sg like berries, english and music lessons.. basically 6 of 7 days a week are used.
wife can't drive, totally dependent on me if we were to move in.
so, if i were to buy the house, we cannot move in full-time, only weekends.

actually it will be ideal if we were able to all move there and rent out the hdb.
for that arrangement, i considered staying at my parents' place as transit (waiting for the kids to start/end school), then evening wait for me to fetch everyone home.... no-go, cos she got problems with my mom.
then, her parents' place...quite far away. she don't want to waste travel time (which better used for kids' homework).
i think she is simply not receptive to change and harder routines (waking up at 5-6am instead of 7am, crossing border daily)
finally i considered renting out a room.. and still working it out... hopefully privacy won't become an issue...
don't really want to rent out the jb house.. cos what can RM1.5 to 2k do? probably not enough to cover maintenance/damage by the tenant.

so worse case, not rent at all.. all from my own pocket till everyone is ready. but at least the house is sitting across the causeway ready for my retirement.
sigh..this walking atm cum robot better not fall sick.. else everything falls apart :(

anyway, i'm still working things out, if all goes well, probably within early next year. my financials will be more secured for half a decade if my company wins a big contract this june (that's partly why i'm also taking my time here)

 

[wuqi256]

I was there are 8 , a bit dark so dun dare to alight to check it out. Tat area can sell so ex ah, I thinking how u gg to settle dinner every day

Hi Crystal and Dreamoraction(now Manofaction)

Danga is moving their amusement stuff, mini zoo over to Laguna area so that place will be a bustling place soon enough. It definitely has potential given that other than million dollar homes, it will also have amenities and good proximity to quite a few places via the new highway.

 

[arsenal]

Hahaha. Matchmaking again. Doa is younger than me la and We dun hv feel for each other la. Bro arsenal , I prefer someone like yr character leh , hahhahahaha . Always can make me laugh with yr postings at times.

Just joking but we shall always look out for each other here in foreign land.. No one else would...

 

[greddy88]

Me too.. Make decision within 2weeks after reading up the forum... If security is good, this place could better better than Australia. In real fact, Australia is as unsafe..and they don't welcome Chinese...

on the surface, they have anti-racism laws.. but deep down, there are quite a number who are.
it has gotten worse, as they also have a lot of FT competing with locals for jobs.
a friend of mine told me many mainland prc have spoilt their market, driving almost everything up.
imagine, a yellow asian punk driving a large sports car while the local white drives a small-medium toyota.
the aborigines are in the worse.. better avoid them.. u'll never know..

i heard from him the previous prime minister rudd was voted out partly due to his generous immigration policy.
the new gillard lady took over, they started to tighten it (and mine kenna too :()

anyway, australia is now similar to sg nowadays.. only difference, they have a welfare state, we don't.

 

[wuqi256]

Just joking but we shall always look out for each other here in foreign land.. No one else would...

Good call, not everyone thinks like that though but i wish there was more like you. You and Crystal sounds like a good match.

 

[greddy88]

I just heard today of the big MNC if don't win a big tender, will have to cut the work force.. In fact many have been asked to work from home... Such incidence happened to me several times in my career.. Talk about globalization, we really LAN LAN have no choice since there is no union to protect us in Singapore. Our union is to make sure they protect the employers...

However I feel much better once I bought a place in JB.. Because I know suddenly I am on par with all the foreigners working in our country, where they will always have a place to go when something go wrong and the truth is our govt is always good at making hard division..that is to make the pragmatic decision to protect shareholders interests which you can always say they have a good brain..but no heart..

If one lose his job, firstly you might not be able to get loan, secondly you dare not make any big item investment..
Hard life for us....we are also the walking ATM for the country...

true with that. mnc have the hire/fire attitude whenever they need people/meet cost numbers.
my type of job is rather unstable. i follow my company's contact with the client. they have the deal, i work within the deal till expiry.
if we lose it, i'll have to look for others, or do internal transfer.
have seen many colleagues, superiors and subordinates gone this way.
so far i manage to survive. am working hard to keep that fragile rice-bowl..

our gahmen is well-known to have no heart. a few famous saying previously circulated over the internet:
- ship your old and sickly to batam
- see doctor/buy med in jb
- what kind of food do u need, in 3 meals hawker center or in restaurant, when asked to increase the aid for the poor
- increase gst to help the poor
etc..
have given up on them already.

agreed with the loan part too. am working out the costs and sustainability on the worst scenario..

 

[greddy88]

Just joking but we shall always look out for each other here in foreign land.. No one else would...

fully agreed with that.
look around u.. pinoys, prc and indians all tend to keep to themselves and watching out for each other in sg.
we should learn more like them too, though we should also try to assimilate in our new homes too.

 

[Aisanbo]

Anyone familiar with home exchange vacation ? like www.homeexchange.com
I think it would be wonderful to be able to retire in JB and occasionally do home exchange and live in another country to experience the world.
If we have a nice big house, more likely to find people who's willing to exchange.

Pigeon holes in Singapore ??? I doubt it's attractive enough for people to exchange with me....

Ha...now I've got something new to look forward to.

 

[wuqi256]

U got a great buy. Taman laguna is really close to coastal highway n the price can only appreciate.

Agree, it has a lot of things going for it. My neighbours are getting in on this property. A learned retired Dr friend told me to avoid some firms with a lot of government contacts though(as in too much), there is lesser recourse for one should something go wrong. This is from someone local who had bad experiences previously.

 

[wuqi256]

Bro Wuqi

I think driving in msia , its best to install in car recorder for 24hrs ....
at least has record if ppl hit u front or rear or stationary mode....
i still heartpain when i see my front bumper so big scratches lor , even i scratched my car also dun have some big injury lor ....that fellow must be an idoit to hit a parked car in a legal parking lot!!!!!!!!!

Yes, thinking of doing so. Sorry to hear about yours. :(

My car was totally stationary, i didn't realise until he banged into me and then scooted off. It was a very loud bang though. I was in a daze as first thing was asking my wife, then when she was fine. I really didn't mind the car damage thingy. It was until she reminded me someone banged into me then i started chasing the guy as we wanted to talk to the driver. Though it was a minor damage, the way he talked was totally.....

 

[wuqi256]

Bro Wuqi as a precaution do not go alone. Bring someone other than ur pregnant wife preferably male. Not sure why must go to accident place and at nite sumore. Better be safe than sorry my mantra.

The guy promised the Police he will be there but didn't turn up, everyone waited until way past 7.45pm but also never turned up. Called up the Sergeant and told him i was still waiting there but in the end no sound no picture. I had asked my wife and staff to wait in the car far away while i walked over just in case as i went alone. Never turned up.

 

[wuqi256]

Actually many people think it is not a privilege to own HDB flats which are overpriced. I would beg to differ. Sporeans are able to buy flats with subsidies for downpayment almost paid fully and for monthly instalment, many couples simply paid off using CPF which effectively cant be used in daily purchases anyway.

After 20 years or so when the flat is fully paid up, they are able to sell for a profit of $200k-$500k. When they want to retire, they can simply sell off their hdb flat for RM 1 million and retire in any part of Malaysia. If they cannot buy, they can rent for RM 1500 a month for a simple terrace. Afterall, they can choose to retire in JB for many years to come with this RM 1 million.

Malaysians are very unlucky lot. Yes, their medicine are super cheap. Their hospital stays are almost free. But as my Malaysian father always said to me, what is the point of giving me cheap medicine and cheap hospital stay??? I have NEVER stayed in a hospital in my 70 years of stay in Malaysia... And after slogging for 50 years, my Malaysian father has zero money in his EPF and only have a terrace worth about RM 150,000. He has never planned to retire as he is very independent and with only RM 150000, that is seriously not enough for him and all of his kids are working in Malaysia

I have checked out those so-called uncles who can retire at 50 year old in Malaysia. Most if not all of them have kids who are earning Singapore dollars. Or they themselves slogged as bus drivers for 20-30 years in Singapore and convert to RM to retire fully in Malaysia. The "real" Malaysians earning RM 1500 a month and still need to pay for car instalment, house instalment during their 20 years of hard work.. they cannot retire.

Now Malaysians cant stay in Singapore to work without a proper work permit. Singaporeans like me for example can stay 1 month in Malaysia without proper permits, come out and stay chop passports and return to stay in Malaysia again. I can sell my Singapore house for RM 1 million and choose to stay in Malaysia permanently if Singapore economy busted or stay in Singapore permanently if Malaysia bumiputras decide to run wild asking to bathe in Chinese blood like how their Home Minister has done a few years back on stage.

The Malaysians cannot run to Singapore if a racial war erupted and the Singapore custom will stop them from entering the country anyway .. I cant say it wont happen but it is getting very scary every day I read the news. DAP = Chinese, UMNO = Malays etc. Politics in Malaysia is really in uncharted territory and a racial war can suddenly erupt and who do you think the 95% Malays in the Malaysia Police Force or Malaysia armies will side?

Dear HH,

Not everyone is selling or renting out their HDB in order to live in Johore. After they sell, where are they supposed to stay if they find that they cannot downgrade due to HDB stipulations? Factually, HDB is supposed to be public housing but the prices are way out of reach of most young people right now. Not talking about rental flats here as there are different types for both countries. Compared that to in Malaysia where even though prices have gone up, there are still various options. Of course, quality, etc varies but public housing or low cost housing are still about 100k for single storey and for apartments, really even cheaper.

There are some sandwiched class who can neither get a HDB loan nor enjoy some of the grants, bringing this up since you said your father did not use his medical entitlement. Its rare for one who can do without it for so long, while i do congratulate your dad on his health and may this long continue, it may not apply to the majority of people who need it one time or another. Not everyone is as healthy/hardy.

Lets just say a lot of SG dads have less than what your dad has. There are more than a few people i know who are living from hand to mouth in Singapore and some cannot even find jobs. My relative has 2 sons and they have been jobless for the last 6 months. The local jobmarket in Malaysia is very well protected as compared.

Many locals i spoke to do not share your dad's enthusiasm for work though and these include my staff. I have more than a few staff, some even single mothers who specifically requested part time work so that they can spend more time with their kids.

Not all Malaysians who work in Singapore are working menial or bus driver jobs, lets not belittle them as there are more than a few who do well in SG. Quite a few of them have even managed to buy HDBs (at unsubsidized prices like you point out) and even private housing. Hard earned savings can be wiped out in an amazing instance during ill health or during times of prolonged/chronic illnesses. Where their people have medical coverage, those in SG needs to depend on their own savings/cpf(medisave/shield) to cover. Who can they turn to in times of need?

I would beg to differ on this statement:
"Now Malaysians cant stay in Singapore to work without a proper work permit. Singaporeans like me for example can stay 1 month in Malaysia without proper permits, come out and stay chop passports and return to stay in Malaysia again. I can sell my Singapore house for RM 1 million and choose to stay in Malaysia permanently if Singapore economy busted or stay in Singapore permanently if Malaysia bumiputras decide to run wild asking to bathe in Chinese blood like how their Home Minister has done a few years back on stage."

Singapore and Malaysia have a reciprocal agreement where they can each stay 30 days on tourist visa since you are mentioning your own example where you are staying in Malaysia for 30 days. For social visit, there are even extension possible.

http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=180

Your above statement stated for work though, the same goes for Singaporeans if they wish to work in Malaysia. Malaysians can both stay as visitors and work plus now Singapore also have a reciprocal MACS like system (E-IACS in its latest iteration) for them.

http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/passes-visas/Pages/eiacs.aspx

Local firms in Malaysia need to fulfill many stringent regulations in order to even be considered to employ foreigners even like from Singapore.

Malaysians who have PR cannot stay in Singapore permanently should there really be a blood bath? There are lots of people here who have houses and HDB in Singapore, if they cannot stay in Singapore permanently, please help to redefine the concept of HDB ownership as well as the term Permanent Residence for everyone.

There were race riots in Singapore in 1950, 1964 and 1969. Things have since changed, these days people have houses and cars. There are more things for everyone to lose than just rioting and burning when some of the companies, store, houses and vehicles are their own. Can you point us to proof or government policy to show that Singapore custom will stop Malaysians from Johore entering Singapore if KL/Selangor erupts in riots?

Even if customs were to stop people at the causeway, there are lots of common areas between both countries where people can cross easily by boat and even swimming. Do they shoot civilians from another country (and not at war) who are seeking asylum?