House in JB

[Tianmo]

 

Anyone here bought or thinking of buying a house in JB?

 

 

[Timex1441]

u juz finished reading Sunday Times, izzit?

(there was a feature on s'poreans moving to JB)

[Tianmo]

u juz finished reading Sunday Times, izzit?

(there was a feature on s'poreans moving to JB)

 

 

you are one smart person!!!

 

But been thinking about this for a while already. A friend bought a hse at horizon hills and go in to stay every weekends, has been telling us a bout it. another one stay in bukit indah and come to work everyday.

 

Been to their JB hse, so shoik!!!

[Csnewbie]

but move to JB cannot cum back work in SG isn't it.

[Pisces69]

Anyone here bought or thinking of buying a house in JB?

 

Hahaha We go n check out some homes in Iskandar region while the others r bonking chickens in JB.

 

Setia has many homes there. I think those in yesterdays papers r too damm ex. We go look for those with better value for money.

 

If they advertise in SG papers, then ty aim Sillyporeans n the prices sure

 

We go Johor n look at those that the Msians r looking at. Better valus for money lah.

 

[Tianmo]

but move to JB cannot cum back work in SG isn't it.

 

 

i think can leh, stay thereonly, not become their citizen lah

[Pisces69]

but move to JB cannot cum back work in SG isn't it.

 

Where u get your info from ah? P8P propaganda magazines issit? Hahaha

 

Ty scared now more n more pple thinking of moving to Msia cos once u try the place, SG is like Once more pple leave, they cannot us n wil make less $.

 

Ty try to those PRC N India pple sure wil kenna in the @ss. Then become Poke Ass People.

 

 

 

[Csnewbie]

i think can leh, stay thereonly, not become their citizen lah

 

there might be loopholes....eg do business... [bounce2]

[Pisces69]

i think can leh, stay thereonly, not become their citizen lah

 

Dont listen to him lah. His info all wrong.

 

[Tianmo]

Hahaha We go n check out some homes in Iskandar region while the others r bonking chickens in JB.

 

Setia has many homes there. I think those in yesterdays papers r too damm ex. We go look for those with better value for money.

 

If they advertise in SG papers, then ty aim Sillyporeans n the prices sure

 

We go Johor n look at those that the Msians r looking at. Better valus for money lah.

 

 

But the new rule is foreigners can only buy hse of value rm500,000 and above, unless your wife is malaysia, we can only buy the higher price hse.

 

But the hse at horizon hill is real good leh.

 

Ok lah, we go see hse when they are live firing.

[Pisces69]

there might be loopholes....eg do business... [bounce2]

 

No need any loopholes lah.

 

[Park88]

Homes away from home

 

27 March 2011

Straits Times

Home to educator Denyse Tessensohn had always been Singapore. But two years ago, after agonising over it, her family uprooted from their five-room Zion Road flat to settle in Johor, Malaysia, instead.

 

Her younger son, Mikhil, 25, an aspiring music therapist, had a place to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

 

But when they worked out the sums, the family found that they could not afford Mikhil's overseas education if they continued to live in Singapore.

 

Two years on, they have since found the move not as painful as they had expected.

 

Ms Tessensohn, 60, and her husband Steve Hogan, 62, refer to their 9,000 sq ft home as a 'modest bungalow'.

 

Spacious as it is compared to their former HDB flat, it is the second smallest home in the Ledang Heights estate in Nusajaya, west of Johor Baru city.

 

For the $400,000 price tag, they have four bedrooms, a garden, parking space and membership in the estate's clubhouse which has a pool, gym and restaurant.

 

'Our living cost is much lower; utilities are a quarter of what we used to pay,' Ms Tessensohn said. 'It's quiet, there's space, good air. It's affordable and there's very good food.'

 

The couple commute to work in Singapore five days a week. Mr Hogan is an artist and teacher.

 

Moving to Johor

 

More Singaporean families have gone to live in and commute from Johor. They are attracted to its up-and-coming residential cities such as Nusajaya, where big houses and a quality lifestyle can be had on middle-class incomes.

 

Take the figures at East Ledang and Horizon Hills, two estates in Nusajaya where expatriates make up half of the residents. Of the foreigners, 80 per cent are Singaporean.

 

Not all is rosy though. Most of the foreigners - including the Singaporeans - interviewed by The Sunday Times, admitted that their homes had been broken into at least once.

 

Most of the Singaporeans declined to be photographed, concerned that they might be discriminated against by their fellow countrymen for - in the words of one - 'semi-quitting' their homeland.

 

Nusajaya

 

From the sky, Nusajaya resembles a city in progress. Patches of construction areas and swathes of virgin greenery make up the bulk of the 9,308ha landscape.

 

There is access to the highways bound for Johor Baru city or the Tuas checkpoint, both 20 minutes' ride away. Nusajaya is said to be on the way to becoming one of the most sought-after residential cities in Johor.

 

It is part of the Iskandar Malaysia project to develop Johor into an economic powerhouse. The area, including regions such as Johor Baru city, Senai and Pontian, is three times the size of Singapore.

 

In Nusajaya itself, various hubs are in the pipeline. There is EduCity, a 242ha collection of brand-name colleges and research centres, including Britain's Newcastle University and Singapore's MDIS. Newcastle's medical college will be ready there by this year.

 

Its integrated theme park, Legoland Malaysia, is due to be completed by next year. A transport hub has also been planned for the area, with a coastal highway due to be ready by next year.

 

Residential enclaves - like Ms Tessensohn's estate - have already sprung up. Each estate touts itself grander than the next. Nusajaya's Horizon Hills, for example, features an 18-hole award-winning golf course at residents' doorsteps.

 

Despite the premium pricing for houses in Nusajaya - starting from RM700,000 (S$292,000) for terrace units with about 5,000 sq ft in built-up space - they are popular with Singaporeans, who make up half the clientele.

 

Technology consultant Wu Qi (not his real name), is one of them. His semi-detached house cost him less than RM800,000 when he bought it two years ago. It takes him about an hour to travel to his office in Singapore's Central Business District each workday.

 

But the 34-year-old said: 'It is worth it. I enjoy the fresh air, the space and the freedom. It's not really about the travelling cost but whether it makes long-term sense.'

 

The lower cost of living was also a draw for Mr Steven Wong, 40, who has a weekend home in Setia Indah. The manufacturing firm manager estimates that food items in Malaysia are two to three times cheaper, thanks to the currency conversion.

 

'Living here is so much cheaper,' he said. 'The money saved can go towards my retirement. If I still live in Singapore, I won't be able to retire in comfort.'

 

Security issues

 

The expanses of land in both developed residential projects and uncompleted ones can lead to security issues, though.

 

At East Ledang, tall 'anti-climb' fences enclose entire residential developments, while guards patrol 24/7 within and closed-circuit television cameras scan the perimeters for intruders.

 

Meanwhile, the Johor police has been combating the perception that crime is a serious issue in the area.

 

Last year, the authorities arrested 3,286 suspects for break-ins that include property and vehicle thefts.

 

Local media said the crime rate dipped by 22 per cent after the authorities stepped up patrols and crime prevention campaigns. The Malaysian government has also allocated RM140 million to build a district police headquarters for Nusajaya.

 

Still, many residents take no chances when it comes to personal safety.

 

Ms Tessensohn said her house was broken into three times in two years after she moved in.

 

'We now have razor wire, grilles and dogs. Alarms are about to be installed,' she said. 'The guards had been slack. Now a RM5 million safety fence has been installed. We feel a lot safer.'

 

Mr Wu, too, said residents look for ways to cope.

 

'Crime is everywhere, be it in Johor Baru or Singapore. The key is to have some common sense and not be flashy. Keep a low profile. Never display your wealth,' he said.

 

Fitting in

 

Australian writer Kaz Augustin, 45, spent two years in Singapore before she moved to Johor Baru with her husband and two children in 2008.

 

Recreation for the family includes visiting the Ledang Heights estate's clubhouse and restaurants. They also take walks in the park in the estate, or enjoy the nearby lake in their motorised speedboat.

 

Bukit Indah, which is about 10 minutes away by car for the Augustins, has supermarket chains such as Jusco and Tesco, and shops. But there are some things in Singapore that are hard to beat.

 

'I miss the libraries there. There is no library close to us to take the children to,' said Mrs Augustin.

 

Residents there are awaiting the completion of Legoland and Puteri Harbour, a waterfront development. Till then, they spend their free time around the usual places in their gated communities, and however far their cars can take them out of Nusajaya.

 

Life in Johor can be slower in other ways, too. Ms Tessensohn said the Internet connection at her home is 'laggy', as are many services there.

 

'It can take a huge amount of time to get something done,' she said.

 

Mr Wong spends more time waiting for the waiters in restaurants to serve him than he does in Singapore, but he has learnt to take things easy. 'You must remember you're not in Singapore,' he said.

 

But he does see some pluses in the faster pace in Singapore.

 

'Rushing for time may not be such a bad thing, at least when it comes to work. It means we get our work done faster so we have more time for other things,' he said.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Peace of mind - at a price

 

'We now have razor wire, grilles and dogs. Alarms are about to be installed...The guards had been slack. Now they are on the ball and a RM5 million safety fence has been installed. We feel a lot safer.'

 

SINGAPOREAN DENYSE TESSENSOHN, whose Ledang Heights home in Nusajaya has been burgled three times in the two years since she moved in

 

Keeping a low profile

 

'Crime is everywhere, be it in Johor Baru or Singapore...The key is to have some common sense and not be flashy. Keep a low profile. Never display your wealth.'

 

SINGAPOREAN TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT WU QI, who owns a semi-detached house in Nusajaya

 

 

[Tianmo]

there might be loopholes....eg do business... [bounce2]

 

 

I got friends doing this leh, no need to do business, just buy and stay, come to work every morning, go back every night.

[Pisces69]

But the new rule is foreigners can only buy hse of value rm500,000 and above, unless your wife is malaysia, we can only buy the higher price hse.

 

But the hse at horizon hill is real good leh.

 

Ok lah, we go see hse when they are live firing.

 

Hello bro. RM500K is only abt S$200K. Or buy apartment also can. Buy in another name by proxy but hv all the transfer papers signed into yr name just in case. Lawyers can help. Or find a young mei mei n marry her in Johor n register house under her.

 

There is more than 1 way to skin a cat.

 

[Jp66]

But the new rule is foreigners can only buy hse of value rm500,000 and above, unless your wife is malaysia, we can only buy the higher price hse.

Male sillyporean should seriously consider marrying malaysian girl

[Csnewbie]

I once got a Sprean fren who owned 2 houses n a Fiat in JB.

 

He was only a school canteen stall holder in SG.

 

But he hardly could cope.

[Pklim82]

Anyone here bought or thinking of buying a house in JB?

 

 

actually bro~ i stay in bukit indah~ my wifey msian lol~ but mine is a cheap 1 story terrence.. too poor to afford big big one leh

if u pass by next time we can go get kopi

[Tianmo]

actually bro~ i stay in bukit indah~ my wifey msian lol~ but mine is a cheap 1 story terrence.. too poor to afford big big one leh

if u pass by next time we can go get kopi

 

 

bro, which part bukit indah huh?

 

Bukit indah very big leh....................

 

maybe next week going to tesco, if not the week after, will go have lunch at sutra mall, than stock up at tesco and dinner at hock sheng seafood rest.

 

will PM you when I going, maybe can lunch or dine together!!!