Property in Johor

[Wt_know]

agree with most of your points

but i disagree on the point that jb condo is cheaper than sg hdb, hence we should/must accept the inferior quality

 

cheap is cheap for a reason

the land in msia is much much cheaper than sg

the build cost in msia is cheaper than sg

willing seller willing buyer

they must DELIVER what they PROMISE

the mentality of ... aiya cheaper than sg already ... mai hiam la ... this is unacceptable

 

if when they sell the condo to you that time ... tell you the pipe will be broken or choke

the window will be misaligned ... the floor will be uneven .... etc

will you buy?

 

however, they tell you 5-star living but comes 0-star unit, acceptable?

 

I get that remarks pretty often, trust me, I am mentally prepared to accept quality of sloppy work given I am paying less than what a 3 room flat cost. Why should I expect a SGD Million dollar quality finish?

 

It is always about aligning your expectation and reality.

 

Look at the recent Punggol and Sengkang Tiles Eruption cases. Paying 200-400k SGD does not also guarantee you quality finish.

 

For me, it is just having a roof over the head in a foreign country I choose to call home.

 

However, a couple of comments do make sense to those who intend to shift over and enjoy 1:3 exchange rate. That is if you are buying property for your own stay. You can look around slowly. 2018-2019 going to be slow for developers as based on statistics captured, There are approximately around 80k new units coming out of the pipeline. Buying sentiment is lukewarm now as there are still many uncertainties in Malaysia, Government is one of the main factors. They can never seem to make up their mind and are still so ever keen to use racism as their chips on gaining political points.

 

Having said that, looking at Singapore government recent action plans, I will not say they have well thought out plans as well. 30% increase in water tariff, proposed 9% GST, Travelling out of Singapore Airport Tariff and etc. Does not seem like our politicians are Million Dollar Package Deal nowadays as well:)

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by Wt_know

[Jasongcp]

Thanks for sharing.

 

You should rent out your hdb instead of leaving it empty.

 

Hey, don't mention it, sharing is what this forum is for right?

 

the HDB is currently housing my parents, As usual, the common worry of old folks are JB is dangerous, not familiar with road, old liao hard to make friends easily etc.. 

 

So instead of convincing them, I leave them where they are comfortable.

 

One man's meat is another man's poison.....

[Jasongcp]

agree with most of your points

but i disagree on the point that jb condo is cheaper than sg hdb, hence we should/must accept the inferior quality

 

cheap is cheap for a reason

the land in msia is much much cheaper than sg

the build cost in msia is cheaper than sg

willing seller willing buyer

they must DELIVER what they PROMISE

the mentality of ... aiya cheaper than sg already ... mai hiam la ... this is unacceptable

 

if when they sell the condo to you that time ... tell you the pipe will be broken or choke

the window will be misaligned ... the floor will be uneven .... etc

will you buy?

 

however, they tell you 5-star living but comes 0-star unit, acceptable?

 

Valid Points indeed.

 

I apologize for misunderstanding your concern.

 

I was not referring to accepting the problems you listed out but lousier material used. Like hinges or wooden door and tiles. For development defects, in contract, I will have 24 months to bring up to management. 

 

Well, I am sure you also heard about non responsive management to defects right? One thing I hate about Malaysia now despite the thousands things I love is speed to action. They are usually very laid back when it comes to work. The good thing is I am still renting a place to stay. I can wait for them to rectify the unit defects to my satisfaction before I move in. One day I not taking over the key due to defect, one day the bank is not disbursing the money to them. :)

[Showster]

Actually for reputable developers in Malaysia, the quality are often even better than SG property. Here the bulk goes into land price, the developer has little room to create excellent quality.

 

But JB problem is land abundance but work environment and culture not there. Reverse problem.

 

Here our people are better at keeping quiet perhaps.

Edited March 6, 2018 by Showster

[Jamesc]

Valid Points indeed.

 

I apologize for misunderstanding your concern.

 

I was not referring to accepting the problems you listed out but lousier material used. Like hinges or wooden door and tiles. For development defects, in contract, I will have 24 months to bring up to management.

 

Well, I am sure you also heard about non responsive management to defects right? One thing I hate about Malaysia now despite the thousands things I love is speed to action. They are usually very laid back when it comes to work. The good thing is I am still renting a place to stay. I can wait for them to rectify the unit defects to my satisfaction before I move in. One day I not taking over the key due to defect, one day the bank is not disbursing the money to them. :)

I stay in a condo by a branded developer and all the door handles and windows also not fantastic quality.

 

Maybe the Malaysian developer could actually be better.

 

[Lava]

Valid Points indeed.

 

I apologize for misunderstanding your concern.

 

I was not referring to accepting the problems you listed out but lousier material used. Like hinges or wooden door and tiles. For development defects, in contract, I will have 24 months to bring up to management. 

 

Well, I am sure you also heard about non responsive management to defects right? One thing I hate about Malaysia now despite the thousands things I love is speed to action. They are usually very laid back when it comes to work. The good thing is I am still renting a place to stay. I can wait for them to rectify the unit defects to my satisfaction before I move in. One day I not taking over the key due to defect, one day the bank is not disbursing the money to them. :)

it all depend on which developer for the project. we had 2 unit there (1 at east ledang and 1 at puteri harbour), the materials that they are using is of equivalent to our condo in sin except the flooring is tile instead of marble, other than that the switches are from Schneider, daikin aircon, Electrolux oven, toto... the lift itself and the life lobby are air conditioned (I think very few condo in sin come with aircon lobby and lift).

 

there bound to have some defect in the common area, eg., swimming pool, design of security system, gym... therefore, a strong management committee is a must to deal with the developer. in most cases, the developer will give in to improve or enhance on their initial design fault under the strong pressure from the committee.

 

do also take note that most condo purchased in Malaysia does include allocated parking lots, residents do not park their car at their own lots can be a frustrating issue to some owners.

 

the thought of buying properties in Malaysia is to provide us an alternative when retirement. we had made 1 unit into our weekend home and yet to decide for the other unit. you will be save as long as you are not a speculator as you will not be able to see immediate return investing in Malaysia property.

 

do enjoy your new home.

[Hamburger]

I get that remarks pretty often, trust me, I am mentally prepared to accept quality of sloppy work given I am paying less than what a 3 room flat cost. Why should I expect a SGD Million dollar quality finish?

 

It is always about aligning your expectation and reality.

 

Look at the recent Punggol and Sengkang Tiles Eruption cases. Paying 200-400k SGD does not also guarantee you quality finish.

 

For me, it is just having a roof over the head in a foreign country I choose to call home.

 

However, a couple of comments do make sense to those who intend to shift over and enjoy 1:3 exchange rate. That is if you are buying property for your own stay. You can look around slowly. 2018-2019 going to be slow for developers as based on statistics captured, There are approximately around 80k new units coming out of the pipeline. Buying sentiment is lukewarm now as there are still many uncertainties in Malaysia, Government is one of the main factors. They can never seem to make up their mind and are still so ever keen to use racism as their chips on gaining political points.

 

Having said that, looking at Singapore government recent action plans, I will not say they have well thought out plans as well. 30% increase in water tariff, proposed 9% GST, Travelling out of Singapore Airport Tariff and etc. Does not seem like our politicians are Million Dollar Package Deal nowadays as well:)

 

dont mind if i may ask what race you belong to? Pretty curious.

[Jasongcp]

it all depend on which developer for the project. we had 2 unit there (1 at east ledang and 1 at puteri harbour), the materials that they are using is of equivalent to our condo in sin except the flooring is tile instead of marble, other than that the switches are from Schneider, daikin aircon, Electrolux oven, toto... the lift itself and the life lobby are air conditioned (I think very few condo in sin come with aircon lobby and lift).

 

there bound to have some defect in the common area, eg., swimming pool, design of security system, gym... therefore, a strong management committee is a must to deal with the developer. in most cases, the developer will give in to improve or enhance on their initial design fault under the strong pressure from the committee.

 

do also take note that most condo purchased in Malaysia does include allocated parking lots, residents do not park their car at their own lots can be a frustrating issue to some owners.

 

the thought of buying properties in Malaysia is to provide us an alternative when retirement. we had made 1 unit into our weekend home and yet to decide for the other unit. you will be save as long as you are not a speculator as you will not be able to see immediate return investing in Malaysia property.

 

do enjoy your new home.

 

Another thing I also notice is the quality of renovation contractors in Malaysia. I also heard many horror stories related to payment made but sub-standard job done. My current neighbor is one victim of such. He trying to change his auto-gate and after 2 weeks with no gate, I started to ask him what happened, he told me his contractor ran away and change hp no!!!

 

Otherwise, we can always engage contractor to change whatever we do not like.

 

Ya looking forward to the gym and swimming pool:)

dont mind if i may ask what race you belong to? Pretty curious.

 

Chinese.... 100%

I stay in a condo by a branded developer and all the door handles and windows also not fantastic quality.

 

Maybe the Malaysian developer could actually be better.

 

 

That's really comforting to know.

 

Once a property agent in Singapore told me something which pretty much make sense. Smaller developers are trying to impress at the expense of their profit margin, so "ingredients" are better (however in Malaysia, you risked smaller developers closing down overnight and leave the project unattended).

[Acemundo]

 

 

Once a property agent in Singapore told me something which pretty much make sense. Smaller developers are trying to impress at the expense of their profit margin, so "ingredients" are better (however in Malaysia, you risked smaller developers closing down overnight and leave the project unattended).

 

this point absolutely agree.  few years back i on business trip to kl.  saw a an uncompleted building and found out from colleague that it is uncompleted because developer gone bust.  it probably hasn't happen in singapore before.

 

i had a KL project with a more reputed developer.  i find the fnnishing so so.  no major defects though.

[grandis123]

My personal opinion is buy Malaysia pty only if you want to stay there, otherwise steer clear.

 

Yah may stay clear of JB. Who to rent to? Dont think many expats there.

[Oldeagle]

First of all, I have to apologize for jumping into the assumption that no one has actually bought an unit in Johor Bahru which will then render my post redundant. (In a way, admitting that I did not read from post 1 to the end)

 

Secondly, I do apologize for the lengthy post as I feel it might be beneficial to share my personal experience.

 

I am one who have taken the plunge back in 2015. It was a casual JB weekend shopping with my wife and we were approached by a keen salesman at the KSL Property booth. After 45mins of listening to him, we made the unthinkable decision to buy a 3 bedder. Don't ask me why we made such a hasty decision, perhaps the lure of having a condo with facilities at a fraction of what my HDB costs was just too tempting at that time.

 

The ironic part is when we were departing JB coming back to Singapore, then both of us started to panic and wonder if we were too impulsive. I did my sum and assuming if I remained employed, I should be able to afford the impulsive purchase. We were kinda of leaving the divine to decide as we might not get the loan also.

 

2 weeks later, surprisingly, our loan was approved and we were asked to go down to sign the SPA (Sales and Purchase Agreement), now this is getting serious. We had a talk over dinner and decided to go ahead and do 1 stupid thing at least. So we secured the unit.

 

Destiny always has her way I reckon, several months later, suddenly my wife and my mom decided they do not see eye to eye and a storm was brewing. I also feel it is definitely tough for my wife to stay in Singapore further as she is a Malaysian with PR status in Singapore. However she is not highly educated. Therefore, it was really hard for her to secure good payment employment in Singapore. Both of us decided to go ahead to move into JB and attempt to check out lifestyle in JB before our unit TOP in 2018.

 

2 weeks later, we actually rented a terrace house and within 3 days, we actually moved into JB. Again another impulsive and decision without much thought thru. But hey, life is more interesting this way I feel.

 

I still vividly remember my first night in a terrace house doing "guard duty" as I heard far too many horror stories about JB on how people can climb over your gate and rob you at knife point plus force you to watch while they raped your wife. I was determined to stay vigilant (cannot remember I was that "garang" during NSF days even). Touchwood, nothing happened.

 

Very fast, a week of annual leave passed and I have to go back to work (in Singapore). I remembered waking up at 2am to prepare myself for work and for the next 3 days, I almost gave up every time I arrived at customs (woodlands or tuas) only to be turned off by the sheer volume of the jam.

 

Surprisingly, on the 4th days, I seems to take all this in nicely like a man, I stopped grumbling to my wife when I was home. Somehow, I look forward to Saturday and Sunday plus Public Holiday in JB. I kinda of realized that I am willing to give up my convenience for 5 days in exchange for quality lifestyle for 2 days.

 

I always shared this statement when friends asking me how is my JB life. I told them it is not meant for everybody. There are a lot of sacrifices to make and your desire to "become a Malaysian" must be strong. Then you will enjoy. One good example is how I managed to make friends within the neighborhood in my 1st month staying in JB while I yet to know my next door neighbor of 13 years in Singapore.

 

Fast forward 2.5 years, I have already gotten used to staying in JB, I still do have my HDB in Singapore which I stayed overnight if I worked too late, however I just cannot seem to sleep in HDB anymore. The entire place just seem so cold but yet noisy.

 

Most importantly, i have realized, these 2.5 years, I hardly have any true bloodied Singaporeans as neighbors, my HDB block is filled with PRC, Filippino, Indians and Ang Mo..... Apparently, I find myself happier in Malaysia with my neighbors speaking in Mandarin thick with "Lian Bang Ying" (Malaysia Accent).

You must be a rare crazy Singaporean that dare to venture out. Most of them in fact all of them that I know of are mentally jailed by their white master.

 

They can debate the idiotic policies churning out by the apathy elites and scholars on daily basis yet dare not do something about it.

 

Everyone here is just trying to grab their pie of share, those benefits from the policy are quietly enjoying the fruits, for those who refused to do so is almost certainly will be ended up on chopping board, without knowing that the knife is getting sharper and sharper as the time goes by.

 

It is not about for better life quality or greener pasture out there,  but rather to have the sense of adventurous, something that cannot be taught at school.

[Jasongcp]

You must be a rare crazy Singaporean that dare to venture out. Most of them in fact all of them that I know of are mentally jailed by their white master.

 

They can debate the idiotic policies churning out by the apathy elites and scholars on daily basis yet dare not do something about it.

 

Everyone here is just trying to grab their pie of share, those benefits from the policy are quietly enjoying the fruits, for those who refused to do so is almost certainly will be ended up on chopping board, without knowing that the knife is getting sharper and sharper as the time goes by.

 

It is not about for better life quality or greener pasture out there,  but rather to have the sense of adventurous, something that cannot be taught at school.

 

Haha, apparently almost 99.99% of my friends thought so as well. It is not so much about my decision to venture across the border but more for the time frame of decision making I took.

 

Honestly speaking, knowing my neighborhood, I see quite a number of Singaporeans who moved over for several common reasons like "Pre-Retirement Getting Used to the Culture First", "Earn SGD and Spend MYR - SHIOK!", "HDB small and Crave for Landed", "Husband working while whole family to feed, so 1:3 conversion helps" etc....

 

However, as I mentioned earlier, moving into JB is really not an easy and simple decision especially if you have kids, I know 1 Singaporean Malay Family who sold their Woodland Jumbo Flat for SGD580k, after minus here and there, they still got cash proceeding of nearly SGD150k, they down for a semi-d in one of the upper-class estate in JB. Bring their 3 kids with them into Malaysia however all still work and study in Singapore. After 6 months, they put up cheap sale for their semi-d and rent back a 5 room flat in Singapore as their lifestyle completely in a mess due to the constant travelling in and out of Singapore even on weekend for the kids school ECA.

 

For my case, I am the only one travelling in and out which makes me pretty mobile and flexibility work schedule helps as well. 

[Wt_know]

with $150K nia and want to live like king in a landed property in JB?

Edited March 7, 2018 by Wt_know

[LPPL]

Haha, apparently almost 99.99% of my friends thought so as well. It is not so much about my decision to venture across the border but more for the time frame of decision making I took.

 

Honestly speaking, knowing my neighborhood, I see quite a number of Singaporeans who moved over for several common reasons like "Pre-Retirement Getting Used to the Culture First", "Earn SGD and Spend MYR - SHIOK!", "HDB small and Crave for Landed", "Husband working while whole family to feed, so 1:3 conversion helps" etc....

 

However, as I mentioned earlier, moving into JB is really not an easy and simple decision especially if you have kids, I know 1 Singaporean Malay Family who sold their Woodland Jumbo Flat for SGD580k, after minus here and there, they still got cash proceeding of nearly SGD150k, they down for a semi-d in one of the upper-class estate in JB. Bring their 3 kids with them into Malaysia however all still work and study in Singapore. After 6 months, they put up cheap sale for their semi-d and rent back a 5 room flat in Singapore as their lifestyle completely in a mess due to the constant travelling in and out of Singapore even on weekend for the kids school ECA.

 

For my case, I am the only one travelling in and out which makes me pretty mobile and flexibility work schedule helps as well.

I wonder how much can people really save living in jb, is that really worth the trouble?

[Jamesc]

I wish more people scared to go in JB shopping, pump petrol and go massage parlour.

 

Then jam not so bad.

 

[Jasongcp]

with $150K nia and want to live like king in a landed property in JB?

 

Actually that is the common mindset of a lot of low-middle class Singaporeans. The illusion of exchange rate clouded their judgement, I am guilty of that previously as well. From a 4-digit salaried guy jumps to a 5 digits has this WOW factor, sad to say it is surreal.

 

Imagine a normal family suddenly has 450k cashand even if they are buying a 1.8million dollar semi d, they can afford the 360k downpayment with 90k spare for a bmw downpayment. All these can be achieved in Malaysia.

 

However, if your lifestyle becomes harder, then it will not be sustainable in long run. 

I wish more people scared to go in JB shopping, pump petrol and go massage parlour.

 

Then jam not so bad.

 

 

From my personal observation, many will complain how scary it is to go JB, however whenever I am going back jb on a friday evening or eve of a public holiday. I still see tons of S plate cars who are looking at spending holidays in JB.

[Jamesc]

Actually that is the common mindset of a lot of low-middle class Singaporeans. The illusion of exchange rate clouded their judgement, I am guilty of that previously as well. From a 4-digit salaried guy jumps to a 5 digits has this WOW factor, sad to say it is surreal.

 

Imagine a normal family suddenly has 450k cashand even if they are buying a 1.8million dollar semi d, they can afford the 360k downpayment with 90k spare for a bmw downpayment. All these can be achieved in Malaysia.

 

However, if your lifestyle becomes harder, then it will not be sustainable in long run.

 

 

From my personal observation, many will complain how scary it is to go JB, however whenever I am going back jb on a friday evening or eve of a public holiday. I still see tons of S plate cars who are looking at spending holidays in JB.

You are right bro.

 

When it comes to saving money suddenly not scared anymore.

 

[Showster]

Singapore property will ultimately get completed, but there may be long term issues.

 

There are developments with very much delayed TOP even in Singapore.

 

 

this point absolutely agree.  few years back i on business trip to kl.  saw a an uncompleted building and found out from colleague that it is uncompleted because developer gone bust.  it probably hasn't happen in singapore before.

 

i had a KL project with a more reputed developer.  i find the fnnishing so so.  no major defects though.