PROPCAFE Review: Revisit Adora Courtyard Terrace @ Desa Parkcity

Desa Parkcity’s recent success of Park Regent and Park Place has testified its popularity among investors and own-stayers in this difficult property cycle. You all should know the reason well because we have covered it in many of our previous reviews. Anyway, if you want us to summarise in a sentence, it has to be “location, amenities, unique product offering, fantastic execution of masterplan and most importantly community living lifestyle.

Pricing Driver ~ Intangible Value: Community and Social Status

The critical factors above have created the intangible values of Desa Parkcity, which are “Community and Social Status”. It helps to attract more affluent owners to join the community and lift the property value to next uncharted territory every year. We still observed the incremental value in landed property here during 2020 Yup, the value that many of you will never agree with, if you are solely value it based on product comparison with other developments or township.

“Location, Location, Location” – No Longer Sufficient in Affluent Market

Why these buyers willing to pay RM4-5mils for DPC condominium (Park Regent) or terrace house (Mansions)? Every financially strong developer can build a nice looking property, greenery or beautify park, and grand common area in their township, but “quality community”. To get this, developer needs to know exactly what the affluent market needs and their expectation. So, location, location, location no longer sufficient. Please read our previous reviews to know more why Desa Parkcity can transform the bad perception of Kepong to be one of the most popular townships for affluent market in Malaysia.

Adora Courtyard Terrace Balinese Wall

Why Not Landed?

Let’s move to the main topic here – WHY NOT look for a more bargain landed property in Desa Parkcity, if you are willing to folk out more than RM1.5 million for a three room condominium here:

Northshore Gardens – 1948sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.75mil (RM900psf); 2452sf (4+1 room) ~ RM2.1-2.3mil (~RM900psf)

One Central Park – 1700sf – 1797sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.75mil to RM2mil (~RM1100psf); 1377sf (3 room) ~ RM1.55mil (~RM1125sf)

Westside Three – 1927sf (3+2 room) ~RM1.8mil (~RM930sf); 1788sf (3+2 room) ~ RM1.6mil (~RM900sf); 1540sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.4 – 1.55mil (~RM900-1000psf);

Westside Two – 1680-1777sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.45 – 1.7mil (~RM900psf)

Westside One – 1701 – 1819sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.45 -1.55mil (~RM850sf)

Breezeway – 1637sf -1808 (3+1 room) ~ RM1.75 – 1.9mil (~RM1000sf)

Nadia Parkfront – 1572sf (3+1 room) ~ RM1.3mil (~RM820psf)

Park Place – 1335sf (3-bedroom) ~ RM1.2mil up (RM900psf up)

Park Regent – 2626sf (3+1 room) ~ RM 2.8 – 3.2mil (~RM1200psf); 2960sf (3+1 Room) ~RM3.25-3.4mil; 4511-4832sf (4+1 room) ~RM4.41 – 5.4mil

Let’s focus on a proper 3 rooms and above condominium here as PROPCAFE do not believe the long term viability condominium with 2 or less rooms in a family oriented environment like Desa Parkcity. The prices for 3 beds condominium here are rather steep. Unless you do not mind to own a relatively old condominium like Nadia or Westside one, a reasonable family size property is already fetching about rm1.5mil and above. It prompted us to think WHY NOT the small landed property in Desa Parkcity? Have the market missing something here?  There are no more lands for new landed properties in Desa Parkcity!

Adora Entrance Statement

The Unconventional Adora Courtyard Terrace

This episode, we revisit Adora Courtyard Terrace house in Desa Parkcity. One of the earliest batches of Gated and Guarded development in Desa Parkcity. Adora is sitting at the west part of Desa Parkcity and it has the benefit of easy accessibility since it is located right after the first round about of Desa Parkcity after the main entrance. Due to its great location, you can always enjoy the park and walk to The Waterfront from Adora.

Courtyard Garden in Adora

Desa Parkcity Master Plan

Four Clusters And 92 Exclusive Units in 5.7 Acre Land

The developer was brave enough to introduce this unique mediterranean conceptual Courtyard Living in 2003/04. A total of 92 units are sharing the courtyard gardens in four different courtyard clusters.

Adora Common Area

With the size of only 5.7 acre land, it is one of the smallest developments in Desa Parkcity which translate to 16 units per acre (see full table of unit per acre in whole Desa Parkcity in our South Brooks review
here
).

Adora Courtyard Clusters

Facing and Noise?

The most ideal units will be the inner facing units from each of the cluster. The second best will be the south and west cluster that are facing the West Park (which designated as future school development). The West and North clusters that facing the border are currently still not expose much to the noise as the outer ring road of Desa Parkcity is still closed. Once it is opened, it will be the alternate road for public and residents to access. Of course, that’s for future. Anyway, if you are concern about the noise, the worst will be the one that are similar facing as the guardhouse i.e. toward No 2a Persiaran Residen.  Having said that, it is still the inner road, so it should be bearable because the main entrance will be blocked after 11pm.

Adora Site Layout

Relatively Small and Unconventional Living

The 3-storey houses in Adora are relatively small which are mostly 1800sf-1900sf (Type B and C), except for Type A which is the corner unit (2500sf). It moved away the conventional car porch with the replacement of carpark bay(s) for each unit (covered and some uncovered).

Adora Courtyard Features

Private Gardens and Outdoor Courtyard Design

This arrangement allows the unit to have nice courtyard garden in front of the main entrance. This will increase the interaction of neighbours 😊 because you need to walk back your unit everyday rather than just park your at your carporch and go straight to your house. The downside is you need to walk quite a bit similar to living in condominium if the carpark is unfortunately allocated further from your unit.

Adora Residential Parking Bays

Open garden or Private Garden?

Each unit (except the apartment type – 1st and second floor) comes with a garden right outside the living room. These units that facing the outer perimeter are having an open garden (see below) whilst the private garden are for inner facing units (or inner road in Adora) which attach with the Balinese designed feature wall. The latter is having the advantage to allow the living room area to be opened up all the time without compromising the privacy of the owners.

Adora Balinese Feature Wall

Adora Garden

Courtyard Clusters and Walkable Environment

The architect has put in a lot ideas to deliver the Mediterranean concept and adopted the natural bricks and steps to separate the zone in Adora.

There are plenty of pathway for residents to walk around and interact with neighbours.

Adora Common Pathway

Adora Resident Walkway

Passage to Swimming Pool

Resort Oriented Pool Area

The best view in Adora has to be for the units surrounding the resort oriented swimming pool area. The lightings, greenery, tropical plants and trees, and multiple step levels across this area makes up the resort ambience in Adora. It is no surprise that plenty of expatriates are living here, thanks to its resort atmosphere in Adora.

Swimming Pool of Adora

Swimming Pool of Adora

Other Facilities

The multipurpose hall is located right besides the pool which is perfect for gathering and parties. There is also sauna facility in the common toilet area and allocated management office.

Adora Common Area

Sauna in Common Toilet/Shower Area

Signature Bougainvillea in Adora

It seems bougainvillea is the signature plants in Adora which can be seen surrounding the car porch roof and pool area. Beautiful! However, we are pretty pretty sure the landscapers are having the hard time to trim and maintain it (avoid the damage of the roof),

Layout of Adora Courtyard Terrace

Type A – 4 Bedrooms + 1 Utility

Type A is the corner and biggest unit in Adora with the built-up size of 2509sf. This is the most popular units because it is the only type that comes with 4 bedrooms (+1 Utility) in Adora. This corner unit also the only type built with the width of 24ft, which is rather rare in Desa Parkcity. You can the search around landed properties in Desa Parkcity and you will know. The market price of type A is around RM2.2-2.5mil now and rental range of RM5-7k. You may wonder why only small extra land for this corner unit. Yup, in Adora courtyard garden environment, most of the lands are designated for common gardens instead. The downside of Desa Parkcity landed house is the length of the unit. For this unit, the length of the house is only 37.8ft.  Two carpark bays are given. If you have more cars then you may have to rent it (limited bays for rent) or skip this.

Type B – 3 Bedroom + 1 Study

This is the smaller corner unit with 3-bedroom and a study area. The built-up is only about 1900sf and it is 2ft narrower than Type A with 18ft in one half and 20ft in another. However, it is slightly longer (2ft) and generally most lands at the side than Type A. The negative part is, you need a strong knee to climb up and down if you intend to take up the master bedroom which allocated at the second floor. There is no utility room, it means limited storage space for this unit (under the staircase). Similarly, two carpark bays are given. Market price is around RM1.8 – 1.9m with rental around RM5k.

Type C – 3-bedroom

This is the intermediate unit with BU 1800sf. Compare to type B, it is about 100sf smaller and only comes with 18ft width in the house. However, its length (40ft) is longer than both type A and B. The developer only provided one car park lot to each owner but owner could opt for additional carpark during the launch. Therefore, you may find that some units of Type C only have one carpark and no doubt it is harder to sell in subsale (of course lower price). Again, big master bedroom but strong knee needed. Pricing now is hovering around RM1.7-1.8mil and market rental range of RM4-5k.

Type D – Apartment – 2-Bedroom

There are 12 apartment units in Adora (refer to blue dots in the Adora Site Layout above). The size is about 1100sf (with 2 bedrooms) and ground unit comes with a private garden which is the most popular unit unsurprisingly. Not many owners can stand to climb staircase everyday (multiple times), not to say with bagges/groceries :(. Yup, you need to walk additional 20 steps to reach 1st floor and another 20 to 2nd floor. Imagine you are carrying the groceries and heavy stuffs. No joke and I would say it is only for the single, couple or small families who have stronger arms and legs :). Remember, only one carpark given to owners. The price for higher floor is about RM900k and ground floor with private garden will be higher level of RM1.1-1.2mil.

What We Like?

In short, with the marginal price difference between Adora and condominium in Desa Parkcity, landed property like Adora should still be very attractive. PROPCAFE needs to be fair and honest here. If you like resort feel development (not modern design) with plenty of greenery, trees and plants, Adora is certainly at top of the list.

Residential Terrace – Mediterranean + Balinese Theme

The facade is rather dated especially if you are only looking at the house itself or seeing it from outside of Adora. Once you entered Adora, you will notice the facade blends well with the balinese/Mediterranean concept.

Courtyard Garden

You can walk around Adora and will realise the environment is indeed very neat (without clothes/”flag” drying scenes except the outer facing units without balinese feature door). The courtyard gardens are safe for young children to room around as it is not accessible by vehicles at all.

Courtyard Garden Cluster

The landscape (plenty of trees and plants) are well designed by the famous Seksan which bring in the unique selling point for Adora. Unlike standard terrace house, the non-standard inter-linkages between courtyard clusters (like a maze!) makes the place more interesting and less boring. The joy from children running/cycling around and residents to chill (walking back home everyday) like holiday in a resort is simply priceless!

Courtyard Fronting

Beautiful But Expensive to Build and Maintain

We have to say, we don’t see any other development like this in Malaysia (except certain part of Adiva), kudos to developer (heard from sources that Perdana Parkcity didn’t make much money from this development due to low number of units with complex structure and non-standardised landscape design with different ground levels (not flat land).

Courtyard Passage

What’s Our Concern?

Terrace House Without Car Porch

Let’s talk about the con side of this development. Firstly, the car park lot. Not all units come with two car park bays (you must verify when you see lower price tag in the advertisement). The distance to the carpark can be very annoying especially when it rains. We counted about 200 steps for us to reach from the unit we visited to its carpark lot. So, please check out and try to get the unit with close proximity with your carpark bays. Yes, some carpark lots are not covered. So, be aware.

Adora Driveway and Parking Lots

Pretty Stuff  Always Hard to Maintain

Seksan, no doubt, is a brilliant landscape architect, but you have to accept that their designs are not easy to maintain. We observed that some of the trees could be too near to the units and the roots may potentially go into the house and cause issue in future. Based on our source, management office of Adora has been actively managing this with periodic tree trimming and cutting to maintain the landscape. Needless to say, it is costly.

Greenery Passage

Adora Courtyard Garden

Relatively High Maintenance Fees

The maintenance fee is rather high in term of RMpsf (per unit share) compares to other developments in Desa Parkcity. This is due to its low number of unit (92 units). Without economy of scale, the maintenance cost issue will continue in Adora in future years which means maintenance fees may rise faster than other development in DPC. Plenty of hard jobs ahead for the management committee here.

Adora Guardhouse

Pricing

Adora courtyard terrace is now asking for RM1000psf. The smallest intermediate units (1808sf 3room) are asking around RM1.7-1.8mil and small corner 1900sf type (3-room) is asking around RM1.8-1.9mil. The largest 4+1 units are the limited in Adora is commanding the highest pricing of RM2.3 – 2.5mil. In fact, the price has been increasing since the pandemic. Surprisingly, the tough condition doesn’t apply in Desa Parkcity landed properties. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has made home more important than ever. If you are interested on the landed properties of Adora, try to catch the level of RM1.6-1.7mil (smallest units) which we strongly believe there are still sellers there for the price in this range.

What’s next?

Don’t worry, the best is yet to come. We will continue to revisit the old landed properties in Desa Parkcity as we see there is still plenty of value there to catch up given the sky rocket price in condominium here. Stay tuned with us, see you in ADIVA (the Award Winning Project)!

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PROPCAFE Review: Rica Residence Sentul @ Jalan Ipoh by Fajarbaru

Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah formerly known as Jalan Ipoh is one the oldest route linking Kuala Lumpur to North KL such as Kepong, Batu Caves and Selayang. Despite sharing the rich history and demographic like his cousin Old Klang Road, Jalan Ipoh had been overlooked for developments. Developers such as UOA, MRCB, Binastra, Exsim etc have been developing pockets of land along OKR however it has been found wanting until now where Yuk Tung is developing one block consists of 311 units on 1.04acre at Jalan Kasipillay off Jalan Ipoh and OCR is developing two towers consist of 363 units (link of PROCAFE review
https://propcafe.net/the-pano/
) with GDV of RM200m. There is another piece of land adjacent to Court28 where there will be another 2 towers of 386 units. UOA expect to launch their first phase of 28acre next to Taman Bamboo next year. The pace of development in Jalan Ipoh has been picking up.

Looking at the supply side, it has been fairly limited despite the strategic location of Jalan Ipoh which is just 5km away from KLCC and with Duta Link, just a breeze drive away to KL Sentral, Hartamas and Duta.

With this, Fajarbaru has come with a new launch called Rica Residence Sentul with GDV of RM270m.

Developer Background

Listed in Bursa Malaysia in, Fajarbaru their principal activities are civil works, building construction and turnkey contractor. However similarly to other contractors, they have ventured to develop their own projects. All their residential seems to be parked under Rica Residence brand where currently they are developing a 160 units Rica Residence in Pulau Melaka and a project called Gardenhill in Melbourne. They expect to launch their 475 units Rica Residence Kinrara in Puchong with GDV of RM400m somewhere in second half of 2017. In their latest new, Fajarbaru just acquired another piece of land measured 0.17acre near Flagstaff Gardens, Melbourne for A25m (
http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/12/05/new-growth-avenue-down-under-for-fajarbaru/
)

Fajarbaru’s financial performance seems to be mixed where they were making small losses in 2015 despite the incremental revenues from RM181m in 2011 to RM387m in 2015. Fajarbaru current market capitalization is RM200m, considered as mid cap company.

Fajarbaru Performance Analysis

Location, Accessibility and Amenities

Back to the Rica Residence Sentul, if you are familiar with Sentul area, The  Sentul Cinema is a landmark building and in the glory time, it was meeting point for Sentulians to catch a movie. In fact during the premier of Kabali, the cinema was still attract sizable crowds.

In 2011 Fajarbaru has acquired the Sentul Cinema together with adjacent empty plot of land measuring 2.3 acre held under Geran 5441. Lot 76 for RM23.6million cash (
http://cdn1.i3investor.com/my/files/dfgs88n/2011/08/09/1452364905-1211672318.pdf
) .

The location Of Rica Residence Sentul

Current condition of the site

In general, Rica Residence Sentul is located approximately

5km away from KLCC

7km away from KL Sentral

3km away from KL General Hospital

7km away from Mont Kiara

Rica Residence Sentul is easily accessible via the following

From KLCC depending on traffic can use Jalan Tun Razak or Jalan Kuching to enter Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah or Jalan Sentul.

From Duta, Mont Kiara and Hartamas, just use the Duta Link bypassing the traffic jam at Segambut roundabout and Jalan Kuching. From Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah turning into Jalan Kovil Hilir

From KL Sentral, after Jalan Mahameru take the Sentul Link and U-turn in front Saffron to Jalan Perhentian

Similarly to ingress, just use the reverse flow to travel to the KL Sentral, Mont Kiara, KLCC etc. For example just use the Sentul Link and KL Sentral just 5-10 minute drive away.

The Accessibility of Rica Residence Sentul

Jalan Ipoh despite the heavier traffic flow nowadays, is excellent for network and connectivity and for regulars, there are many permutation and options to reach to their destination.

There are no shortage of amenities in Jalan Ipoh where supermarket, eateries, hospital, school are adequately serving the needs of the residents here.

Overview of Development and Façade

The 2.31acre freehold Rica Residence Sentul consists of 473 units in 2 blocks of 39 and 33storeys. These two blocks form a ‘T’ shape and share a common core of 5+1 lifts. The ground consists of lobby, management office, retail lots. Followed by 7 floors of carpark. The facilities deck is on level 8 and 34
th
. Typical floors start from level 9-39 with limited garden units on level 8.

Configuration of Rica Residence Sentul

How the density and lifts ratio penned out. Check out the table below for comparison of new launches in Jalan Ipoh

Development

Land Size

Total Units

Density

No of Lift

Units/ lift

Rica Residence Sentul

2.31

473

205units/acre

5+1

95units/acre

Court28

1.04

311

299units/acre

3+1

104units/acre

Pano

1.8

363

202units/acre

4+1

91units/acre

*Units/lift not include the +1, cargo lift

From the table above, nothing much in between Rica Residence Sentul and Pano however Court28 has the highest density and lift utilization between all of them.

The façade is quite conservative and to break the monotonous façade, landscaped gardens on every 3 floors. However there are few major landscaped gardens which located on level 16,26 and 34
th
 floor. The units on these premium levels cost more and dearer by RM16K.

Façade of Rica Residence Sentul

View, Orientation and Layout

One of the selling point of Rica Residence Sentul is the view surrounding the development where most units will enjoy unobstructed views. In general buyers can choose either

Majestic KLPAC/ Sentul Park (North – East or West-North)

KLCC View (East-North)

Bukit Tunku/ Jalan Ipoh (West-South)

View and Orientation of Rica Residence Sentul

The developer has used drone and capture the breath-taking view around Rica Residence Sentul and for the privilege of the PROPCAFE readers, we share the video in this review.

https://propcafe.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Rica-Sentul-Aerial-View.mp4

 The video view surrounding Rica Residence Sentul

It is mind blowing more than 20 floor of different layouts in Rica Residence Sentul which essential variance of

Type A (1, 1+1 and 2 bedrooms)

Type B (2, 2+1 and 3 bedrooms) and

Type C (2+1 and 3 bedrooms)

Each facing has different layout and size. For example if you are interested in the smallest type A1@657sqft, only KLPAC view which also comes with partial west sun.

Floor and Unit Layout of Rica Residence Sentul

In PROPCAFE’s opinion, the best unit will be type B4. If you choose low floors, the owners will enjoy the pool view and for those high floors, with KLCC and KL Tower view. Type B4 also shielded from west sun. Type B4 layout is practical with proportion size of squarish 2 bedrooms fitted in less than 900sqft. And best part is type B4 comes with 2 carparks. If you choose the corner unit, the 2
nd
 bedroom will enjoy unobstructed view.

For family who prefer to taichow or Asian style cooking, type B5 is worthy to be mentioned. The kitchen is inside a room where door can be closed when the chef is doing Asian style cooking to avoid the smoke permeate through the whole house. Being the corner unit, the kitchen has own window.

Obviously for investors and budget conscious buyers, type A1 is the best choice. Not only the unit is facing the majestic view of KLPAC, the layout is practical with 2 bedrooms and balcony fitted within 657sqft. The only downside is only one bathroom and the unit is partially facing west sun.

If buyers are looking for option to rent out separately or plan to earn some rental income while live in one of the units, the dual keys type C1 and C2.

PROPCAFE like the idea of variety of unit layouts which cater to different needs of buyers. Besides, it will reduce the competition upon VP as different tenants/ buyers will have different requirements. Therefore as investor, the competition is not only about pricing, level and view but the layouts as well. For example if subsale buyers are looking for most affordable 2 bedrooms, there are only 58 out of 473 units (12%) of type A1 with majestic Sentul Park as choice. And if buyers insist of high floor, another half of the supply will be out of equation.

USPs

The biggest USP is the KVMRT2 project linking Sungai Buloh and Cyberjaya where the nearest underground station is Sentul West which is just 150m away from Rica Residence Sentul. The bulk of the contracts have been awarded with land acquisition is ongoing. In fact if you drive around KL and Jalan Ipoh, you can see many MRT activities are ongoing and land are hoarded up. For example area such as Binjai, Behind Ampang Park, General Hospital, Titiwangsa, Sentul West etc there are a lot of activities are ongoing.

With the MRT2, major destination such as KLCC, TRX, Bandar Malaysia, Cyberjaya are just minutes away without get caught in traffic jam. In global trend, the public transport is the de facto mode of transportation. It will be interesting to see the impact of KVMRT1 Sungai Buloh-Kajang. With the completion of KVMRT2 in middle of 2022, it will be no longer for Rica Residence Sentul owners to wait for the completion.

Rica Residence Sentul is also surrounded and close proximity within upcoming development such as TamanSari, KL Metropolis and biggest of all, the rejuvenation of Sentul East and West by SentulRaya (A former JV company owned by KTM and YTLLand). Launched in 2004, suffice to say the rejuvenation has been pretty slow with completion of The Maple in Sentul West and 4 condominium in Sentul East. However the latest new YTL Land will acquired the remaining 30% stake of SentulRaya from KTM (link:
http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/11/30/ytl-land-to-buy-remaining-30-stake-in-sentul-raya/
). It will be interesting to see whether what is the future plan of YTL Land and how aggressive SentulRaya develop Sentul East and West given it is one of the last big parcel of land remaining in Kuala Lumpur.

Facilities

The normal facilities such as lap pool, gym, sauna, function room however worth to mention is the landscaped garden on every floor as well as glass viewing deck on the 34
th
 floor. To be honest, PROPCAFE is not sure whether having glass viewing deck is good idea from perspective of safety, monitoring and maintenance. You need constant monitoring and maintenance to ensure the safety of residents enjoying the facilities. All these constant monitoring and maintenance cost a lot of money. And I wonder what JMB will do when they find out cracks on the glass. Hm….

Pricing

After the rebate the net price is about RM600psf +/-. The premium for every floor increase is RM1k where for premium level where landscaped garden located, the premium is dearer by RM16k. The smart buyers have snapped level 17 and 27 because they do not need to pay the premium however still able to enjoy the double volume landscaped garden as well as lower density of their level.

Other matter

At this moment, developer yet to secure APDL due to appeal of Extension of Time (EOT) which expected to be obtained by end of December and SPA signing from mid-January.2017 onwards. PROPCAFE was told most likely developer will obtain EOT to complete the construction in 48months.

The maintenance fee inclusive the sinking fund is expected to be RM0.31 therefore for type A1 the fee is expected to be RM200 which is affordable for young couple or family with one kid.

Type A only comes with 1 carpark where else selective type B and all type C will come with 2 carparks. If 2 carparks are necessary in your purchasing decision, consult the SA as for the layout and facing that come with 2 carparks.

Worth to mention is laminated timber flooring will be provided in bedrooms which is more cosy and suitable material for bedroom. Many developers are installing porcelain tiles which is cheaper however easier to maintain in bedroom. Porcelain tiles feel cold and slippery especially in the morning.

Summary

Sentul is not short of new launches especially near the Kampung Batu Muda where it is expected 5-6k units from UOA, SkyAwani, Maxim etc will flood the market in next 3-4years. However these development is not within walking distance to MRT station. In PROPCAFE’s opinion, given the close proximity of Rica Residence Sentul to KL City and walking distance to Underground MRT station, Rica Residence Sentul is not Apple to Apple comparison with these projects. With 80% of the units are sub 1000sqft, most of the units are priced slightly below RM400K to RM600K. Given the close proximity to city and future MRT station, It seems Rica Residence Sentul is consciously priced in current property market sentiment.

Happy Investing Folks!

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PROPCAFE™ Review: Sky Suites @ KLCC By Monoland

Prologue – Sky Suites @ KLCC

For followers that have been following PROPCAFE review, you would realize by now PROPCAFE follow closely launches by Monoland. From the time Monoland launched Vipod way back in 2010 followed by SOHO Suites and to last launch in 2014, Vortex (where they completed the 58 storey building in record time 26months from SPA) almost all their projects were sold out without much advertisements and promotion and fanfare. Their modus operandi is always the same, no frill deal without any rebates or discount, unit allocation without the privilege to choose units, pay the full 10% downpayment with SPA signing on the spot without the hanky panky stickers’ game. In some other developments, the buyers just pay the booking fee and drag the SPA signing with many excuses. PROPCAFE members has experience dragged the SPA signing for close to 9months before officially signed it. Not with Monoland.

In exchange with all the no frill deal, you get a property within prime KLCC area with price significantly below the current market price. In fact, Monoland is a disruptor in KLCC where they make it affordable for investors to buy property in KLCC.

With this, PROPCAFE welcome you to read Monoland’s latest launches. Sky Suites @ KLCC.

Location

The old rule about property investment is location X 3 and for KLCC….. The location almost cannot get better any than Sky Suites @ KLCC…. Sky Suites @ KLCC’ 2.5 acres freehold land formerly belongs to Lim Foo Yong estate where the old 7 storey flats located. In fact, you can watch the process of the demolishing the flats (and the fascinating information such as view and orientation) from the YouTube link below. If you buy Sky Suites @ KLCC above 52 storeys (higher than Menara TA3 & 4), you can expect majestic PETRONAS Twin Tower view (From minute 2.40 onwards)

The development is with frontage of vibrant Jalan P Ramlee and a shame that developer didn’t take advantage of the frontage to build retails along and rather developer has tuck the retail lot at inner side of the development with Idaman facing. However on other note, developer has position a 42 storey hotel.

Aerial View of the location

Surrounded by prominent landmark such as One KL (famous with 99pools and 98 apartment tag), Beach Club and of course PETRONAS Twin Tower, Sky Suites @ KLCC is prominent on your left when you are turning to Jalan P Ramlee from Jalan Sultan Ismail. In fact in future it will be one the landmark in this area with Marina Bay Sands look alike façade.

Another Aerial View showing Sky Suites @ KLCC gracing KLCC Skyline

Accessibilities

KLCC can be nightmare especially you are caught in one of the notorious jam. For example the trip from Marc Residence to Pavilion can take you 30-45m during peak hour (no joke)! Some with one way road and it can take long drive just to reach home. Classic example is St. Mary Residence. How about Sky Suites @ KLCC? For the ingress if you are coming from Jalan Sultan Ismail, it is pretty straightforward just turn left to Jalan P Ramlee and after the Beach Club just turn into Jalan Law Yew Swee where the access is shared with Menara TA, Idaman Residences and Parkview Residence. If you are coming from KLCC or Jalan Ampang Side, the 1.5km driving will take you a detour to Jalan Pinang and Perak and finally join back to P Ramlee.

Ingress to Sky Suites@KLCC

However the interesting part is the egress.  Literally from Sky Suites @ KLCC you can reach every direction with breeze. For example using the short cut across the Menara Prudential you can enter Jalan Sultan Ismail and from that point you can make U-turn at P-Ramlee T-Junction or go straight if you want to go to Bukit Bintang or Jalan Raja Chulan. Changkat Perak is a great lane for short cut that allow you to use Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Pinang

Egress from Sky Suites@KLCC

Masterplan

Have you seen the latest YouTube sensation the PPAP song? Yes the Pineapple Pen Apple Song. Nothing to do with Sky Suites @ KLCC aside that when you have Vortex and Marina Bay Sands and voila you have Sky Suites @ KLCC

Vortex + Marina Bay Sands = Sky Suites @ KLCC

In many years, the developers has churning out a very safe façade (whether actual or artist impression wise). Monoland has been pretty bold with Vortex’s artist impression however the final delivery especially the spiral impact is not as bold as what PROPCAFE wished it to be. Still it is decent attempt especially Monoland able to come out the practical layout for each unit. For those who have been following architectural around the world, we have twisted tower (Cayan Tower) in Dubai that twisted 90 degree, the abandoned Spire Chicago, The Shard at London and many other iconic architectural that has become the landmark of the city.

Some Iconic Landmark around the world

For past few years, the end products has been pretty “safe and boring”. Most of the time the building is just fully cladded. For example the completed Berjaya’s Ritz Carlton and Banyan Tree. Some of the better thought façade such 8Conlay however these projects cost from RM2700psf onwards, a hefty sum by any measure. Location is very important factor in buying decision however an iconic façade it will stir the human’s desire to own a piece of action. Classic example would be Capers and Fennels at Sentul East. Despite located in location that many consider as “undesirable”, YTL managed to fully sold Capers due to its iconic façade and reputation of the developer.

Some of the new high rises in KLCC

Sky Suites @ KLCC will not be the iconic landmark of KLCC but author believe it is bold attempt by developer to make KLCC landscape more colourful rather than another development churn out from the mill. Consist of 3 residential blocks of 65 storeys and 1 block of 45 storeys hotel sit on 2.5 acre of freehold land, Sky Suites @ KLCC will have close to 1,000 residential of studio, 2bedrooms, 2+1bedrooms and 3 bedrooms.

The Façade and Configuration

As usual with past project, Monoland use plenty of glasses to clad the whole building. To break the monotonous glass effect, some levels will have protrusion so that it is not so boring. The icing of the cake of course the rooftop facilities on 61-62 storeys that overlooking majestic PETRONAS Twin Tower, a magnet especially countdown during New Year Eve.

The vision and Design of Sky Suites @ KLCC

The idea from developer is to deliver a development with rooftop as focus point. The unit is efficiently designed to minimize any space wastage.

Unit Layout and Direction

Monoland signature in each of their development is their practical and efficient layout without much of space wastage. The bedroom is not oversized designed and able to fit in wardrobe, king size bed, side and dressing tables with space for walk around. The living, dining and kitchen space is adequate and comfortable for KLCity living. In the past project such as Vipod and Quadro, quality standalone bathtub is provided however from SOHO Suites onward, only standing shower with rain shower stand is provided.  Certain expats such as Japanese need the bath tub.

In general, the three blocks are identical with 6 units/floor. The size ranges from 550sqft to 890sqft with 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. The 1 bedroom is odd units and not opened for sales. In general there are 6 type of layouts.

Unit Layouts from
http://www.skysuites-klcc.com/floorplan.html

Type D, E, F and G are facing outer where else type A, B and C are facing the inner with type A & C and D & F are identical. Unlike Vortex where the living and dining is a V shape, the layout in Sky Suites @ KLCC is much better and squarish. All bedrooms enjoy window, sufficient size for either double and single bed or wardrobe. Adequate space for furniture placement in living, dining and kitchen. In author’s view, type B1 is probably the best layout with kitchen and study area are tucked away for privacy. Essentially type B1 is the better layout version of Vortex!

Developer has improvise from the past project and provide dual keys provision for type A3&4, C3&4, D, F and G. For buyers who buy for own stay and would like to rent out extra room, or investors who want to increase yield by rent out separately, this dual key feature is addition feature. However PROPCAFE was told that for the studio, the pantry provision (water supply and outlet), power point etc. is not provided and therefore it is addition renovation cost if buyers decided to install a pantry in the unit.

Most of the perception that Sky Suites @ KLCC is surrounded by Skyscrapers and without much views especially with first phase where Monoland only launched until 40
th
 storeys. The 2
nd
 phase of higher floors will be launched later stage with higher premium. This is understandable as the buildings surrounded Sky Suites @ KLCC ranging from 34 to 41 storeys.  The photos below illustrate most facings will blocked by Parkview, Idaman, Menara TA One and Menara Prestige.

View and Orientation

However if look closely, there pocket of open space even with the lower floors. For example for some smart investors who explored the site has visited Menara TA One and found out that Unit type G@ Block B and Type D@Block A may look into gap between Parkview and Idaman. And these are one of the cheapest prices psf wise in whole Sky Suites @ KLCC.

Some units are with unobstructed view

However the best value in PROPCAFE’s opinion will be type D and E in block C. The reason being as follow

Smallest 2 and 3 bedrooms in Sky Suites @ KLCC

Type D with dual key feature

Currently unobstructed view

Not the most expensive PSF despite the clear view

However for those who emphasize of overlooking iconic KL Tower, unit E and F in Block A should able to get glimpse of it with small premium. However do note that these units are overlooking the pubs which may be noisy during the night.

Obviously the safest views would be the units with inner facing and you will not get any surprise from some of the still empty land around Sky Suites @ KLCC. Most of the building already built and for some buyers, they will rather pay extra premium for certainty.

Facilities

The star of the development no question is the rooftop facilities at 61 and 62 storey of the development will be the envy of the KL Lites. Overlooking the majestic PETRONAS Twin Tower and partial KL Park, it will attraction especially countdown during New Year Eve.

Courtesy of GEO – The expected PETRONAS Twin Tower majestic view

Similar concept to Vipod, Quadro and Vortex, the entrance to the rooftop facilities are based on membership and pay as you use. There are pro and con. The Pro is the maintenance and up keeping of the facilities do not form part of the maintenance and sinking fund therefore keeping the fee affordable. However in the same time, the parcel belongs to the developer and even owners need to pay the membership in order to gain access and use the facilities such as infinite 25m pool, gym, sauna, bar etc.

Facilities Floor – Perspective 1

Facilities Floor – Perspective 2

Facilities Floor – Perspective 3

For those who been to Vipod, expect to have similar level of landscape, gym equipment and pool as per Vipod and Quadro.

Rooftop Facilities in Vipod and Quadro Residences overlooking majestic PETRONAS Twin Tower

For the reason known to them, the finishes for the past development has been pretty similar. Where if you are not informed you probably think that the pool for both are the same condo! Similar finishes of the glasses cladded wall at lobby can be observed and similar design probably would be applied in Sky Suites @ KLCC as well.

Interesting, it seems that the health spa and sauna occupy the whole floor under the rooftop acroos the 3 residential blocks…

Finishes

Again no surprise of the material selection where the bathroom fittings digital lockset, kitchen cabinets, white goods are pretty consistent with past project.

The expected finishes

The finishes provided by Monoland is pretty decent and good stuffs. Marble flooring on dining and living area, solid timber flooring on the bedrooms, digital lockset on main door, Grohe and Duravit brand for the bathroom fittings, Teka Hood, Hob and Microwave Oven and Daikin Aircon. However Vortex buyers were quite disappointed when found the partition wall is made by dry wall and ceiling height is significantly lower than their past projects. For Sky Suites @ KLCC, the good news is the ceiling height will be slightly higher than Sky Suites @ KLCC however still not as high as their past projects. Most likely the dry wall again will be used as partition wall in Sky Suites @ KLCC.

Actual finishes of the past project

Prices

The property market has been pretty soft for past two years with all the tightening measures by BNM and Malaysia has one of the highest household/GDP in Asia making consumers are hesitating spending on big ticket such as property. In the past when Monoland launch the project, it is usually sold without much of the advertisement and fanfare. How about Sky Suites @ KLCC? The modus operandi is similar where past purchasers were called up to be offered unit without much option to choose unit. Once buyer agree, they will be given few days grace period to sign the SPA with full 10% +10% deposit payable to the developer. The reason of 20% because developer has started physical work since early of the last year and has billed the 2a. The completion of the works below the ground including the piling and foundation.

Construction progress as per September.2016

How about the price? The unit is priced as low as RM1050psf (yes, you read it right) for the units with facing Idaman directly. Those with better facing such facing Kl Tower and BSN as well as inner facing (with P Ramlee ) are slightly more expensive, psf wise. Every floor is increased by approximately RM3K, a reasonable increase in KLCC area. Majority of the units are offered below RM1m inclusive the 3 bedrooms making Sky Suites @ KLCC one (if not the most affordable) 3 bedrooms in KLCC. A quick search in Iproperty has yield no result of any 3bedrooms priced below RM1m unless you are willing to venture to area such as Setiawangsa, Chowkit and Titiwangsa.

http://www.iproperty.com.my/property/searchresult.aspx?t=S&gpt=AR&st=KL&ct=KLCC&k=&pt=&mp=&xp=1000000&mbr=&xbr=&mbu=&xbu=&lo=&wp=&wv=&wa=&ht=&au=&ft=&sby=&pg=2

Branded Residences has gain popularity and table below with extracted from Focus Malaysia illustrate the pricing of these developments. Sky Suites @ KLCC is definitely not on par with these branded residences however the pricing gap is simply too wide to be ignored. Branded Residences might appealing to haute buyers however for property that priced 50% cheaper for example compared to Banyan Tree and W Residences, it is no wonder that Sky Suites @ KLCC immediately appealing to investors and buyers alike who are looking into buying KLCC properties despite the current soft property market.

Prices of Branded Residences in KLCC: Source from VPC Alliance

For general KLCC property prices, readers can refer to link
http://PROPCAFE.net/zoning-of-klcc-properties-zone-1-and-zone-2-where-and-what-to-investbuy/

Where PROPCAFE has painstaking list all the properties located within KLCC Zone 1 & 2 with information on the finger tips. Sky Suites @ KLCC is undeniable located in Prime Zone 1 of KLCC.

Summary

By any standard, a unit in Sky Suites @ KLCC is not affordable as the minimum price is fromRM720K onwards to more than RM1m for high floor 3 bedrooms. However an interest finding from Iproperty where you couldn’t find single advertisement for 3bedroom priced below RM1m in whole KLCC. Whether it is supply or demand issue, the purchasers shall find out upon the Sky Suites @ KLCC VP-ed. Also there are many upcoming development such as Star Residences, Ceylonz, Cecil Chao Centre, Eaton, Stonor, 8Kiapeng etc. that majority of the units are one or two bedrooms. It will be interesting to see the dynamism of supply versus demand of KLCC property market in next 3 years.

Also with Monoland despite a million dollar property purchase, there is not much of customer service and sometimes the buyers feel that the developer take them for granted due to superior location with attractive prices. Over the years, the customer relationship has improves however there are still area where improvisation for example the execution and delivery of the project where sometimes it’s delivered in rush despite the SPA contractual deadline is still far away. Also the mystery of Monoland can escape without giving carpark to residential units… Hm….

Anyway the past buyers are relative happy with the capital gain for the past projects and happily repeat the purchase in Sky Suites @ KLCC due to superior location and layout, attractive psf and low absolute price and with concept of overall development. However with almost 1K units of residential, it will take time for the market to digest all the units at one go.

Happy Investing folks!

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PROPCAFE™ Review: South Brooks @ Desa Parkcity By Perdana Parkcity

Desa Parkcity
 is always regarded as the most successful story in township development in Klang Valley, opps, should have said Malaysia. Not just its fantastic concept that started 15 years ago, it created enormous capital appreciation for the early birds who believed in developer’s delivery on this so called “Cina Man Land – Kepong”. There are not many would imagine this piece of land could now become one of the most classy and expensive places in Klang Valley where rich and famous paid millions to own the terrace or linked houses here.

What so great about Desa ParkCity? Outsiders or keyboard hero may claim it is due to successful branding. However, for those who have been Desa Parkcity, they would agree that it is about the entire living lifestyle and it is the “One” for family. Some even said that it is like living oversea! The secured environment (gated and guarded in each individual parcel, auxiliary police at the entrance and station in other parts of public facilities), beautiful landscape, well maintained parks (Central Park, West Park, Dog Park) & Central Lake, walkable environment (residents and visitors comfortably walk/cycle around the township), jogging and cycling  paths/lanes, dog friendly facilities, vibrant commercial element at Waterfront (and its new and beautiful European conceptual retail space at Arcadia) and much civilised society make it perfect for families. Sometimes, whether it is the best livable environment is not about the house itself but the demographic of the residents!

True enough, you just cannot find any other township in Malaysia in similar standard, especially if one try to consider the location factor. PROPCAFE can surely tell you that, based on all the factors above and our experiences on visiting so many developments in Malaysia, NONE, there is No Second Desa Parkcity in West Malaysia! Don’t listen to other developer’s sales talk :P.

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No matter what, location is still the key!

There are many other reputable developers, like Eco World or SP Setia, which are capable enough to deliver similar township. However, why is Desa ParkCity still “unbeatable”?

Location x 3! Desa ParkCity is located toward the end of Kepong (or Manjalara) which is now called Kuala Lumpur West. It is bordering with famous Petaling Jaya and Sungai Buloh which easily links to all major highways:

Penchala Link (7.5 km, 10 mins distance) – Connect you with Taman Tun, Mont Kiara, D’sara Height, Bangsar, Duta and KL City.

New Duke 2 (3 km, 7mins distance) – Bring you to Jalan Tun Razak, Ampang and KL City.

NKVE (7km 17 mins) – Link you with Petaling Jaya North, Shah Alam, Setia Alam, Klang.

LDP (3.6km, 5 mins) – Get you through Petaling Jaya, D’Sara Perdana, Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara, SS2, Kelana Jaya, Bandar Sunway and all the way to Puchong. Within 10km, you have so many choices of mall to hang around – Ikano Ikea, Curve, One Utama, Giza, Paradigm, Starling, Glo, Tropicana City, and etc.

Distance to – KLCC = 15km (30mins); – IKEA – 5km (11mins) – One Utama = 7km (13mins); – Sri Hartamas – 10km (13mins); TTDI Market – 8km (9mins).

Not convinced? Alternatively, if you still want to reconfirm your gut feel on the location, you may simply do a google map search. Based on the normal laptop screen size, you can easily see your neighbor townships. Map won’t lie! Just look at the map and circle out every one that you are familiar. Why? It means you know the places and at the same time make sure you like most of circles! See the map below! Do I like it? Yes, I do! It covers most the areas that I like to hang out and it is surrounding by all established places from mid to high end posh places. Over the last 10 years, you can see the younger generation group and expatriates moved over to Desa Parkcity from the expat enclaves like Mont Kiara, Petaling Jaya, Bangsar, Sri Hartamas, D’sara Height, Kota Damansara, Bandar Utama and etc for them to enjoy the greenery and safer environment. If not because of its location, Desa Parkcity would not prosper in such a short time. Now you would know the reason why Desa Parkcity always so well received other than just its well maintained landscape and parks.

Let’s talk about this
South Brooks .
It is  located in the 473 acre Desa ParkCity township. To many Gen Y and Millennials, it is  the most sought address in Kuala Lumpur –
“Desa ParkCity – The Best Place To Live In Kuala Lumpur, Indisputable”.
To them, D’sara Hright, Hartamas, TTDI etc are just so old and out  as it no longer can fulfill their lifestyle requirements.

All this while, many buyers who intended to purchase here was stopped by either its high price or inferior layout. The combination above also the killer sometimes, for example, when one thought that they can afford it, his affordable price of a million may only get him a 1+1 or 2 bedrooms apartment at Desa Parkcity. For those who tried their hunt at Desa ParkCity before surely would understand what I meant. The good news is, when the economy is running at the slower pace, good deal would come! There is always opportunity to get a good deal and Desa ParkCity is no exception. Parkcity Perdana has re-configured its usual layout to make it slightly smaller for its 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms apartments compares to its previous projects and turns it to be more affordable and yet more rooms!

South Brooks will host two 40-storey towers with total of 920 units under 7.16 acres land. Each floor will be served by 3+1 lifts. Each unit will come with at least two carpark bays (most of it will be tandem carpark lots) and the biggest unit type is entitled with additional carpark.  Unfortunately, like other condominiums in Desa Parkcity, the carpark podium is still detach from the residential block due to its nature of quarry land here (too costly to build basement carpark and take ages to complete it).

South Brooks is designed by South Korean architect – Samoo Architect & Engineer which you can see the other “add-on” factors from previous projects. For example, the lobby is more private& not externally exposed (not direcly facing the project entrance) and extensive facilities available at both above carpark podium & ground floor will help to diverse the potential crowds. It is worth to mention the unconventional facilities like open Jacuzzi, sunken lounge, and grape vine trellies are there for families to treasure their times at South Brooks.

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The pool design may not be everyone’s cup of tea but let’s see how the developer and architect come out the magic on the Copenhagen/Toarmina shapes pool design. In fact, compare to common rectagle shape, the cost for odd shape pool design especially for such large pool size would be more expensive to build. Anyway, it could be a real surprise in the end (or else developer won’t keep using the pool design to feature in its billboard everywhere!) and one thing you do not need to worry is their delivery of landscape and its facilities. Always, it will be impressive.

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South Brooks will be the first condominium in Desa Parkcity to have sky garden at the top for each tower to inspire the panoramic view of the spectacular landscape in Desa Parkcity.

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Scaled Model

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Don’t get too excited on South Brooks, let’s PROPCAFE highlights few facts you need to accept before you put your money down to this property.

Well, no place is perfect when comes to project specific especially you want a relatively cheaper priced property in luxury market! South Brooks is no exception! It is give and take. The key is, is the “discount (relatively cheaper than other DPC properties)” acceptable given the negative facts here?

High Density. This is the fact for South Brooks. 920 units from two towers at 7.16 acres land. This translates to 128 units per acres. Let’s do a relative value analysis here with other existing condominiums in Desa Parkcity.

Parcel (Landed)

Land Size (Acre)

Total Unit

Unit/Acre

Price*

Safa

13.73

171

12

~955psf

South Lake

23.6

291

12

~807-1108psf

Nadia

16.96

165+246(Condo)

24

~653-728psf(c)/ ~738-924psf

Adiva

10.9

160

15

~834-962psf

Adora

5.6

92

16

~824-918psf

Zenia

14.3

200

14

~650-978psf

Ridgewood

3.83

30

8

~846psf

Davina

8.99

47

5

–

Amelia

14.14

136

16

~909-994psf

Casaman

21.2

147

6.9

~713-985psf

Breezeway

7.3

76+129 (condo)

29

~789-868psf (c)/ ~825-1031psf

Mansion

19.6

127

6.5

–

The above table is for your information only as it is clearly unfair to compare with landed properties in Desa Parkcity. Let’s look into highrises in Desa Parkcity. South Brooks is the highest density project in Desa Parkcity, It ranges from 15% to 40% higher than other existing condos. Well, having said that,  it is not too far away from the last launched of Westside Three project. Even compare to the newly vacant possessed luxury project – One Central Park, it fares not too badly and bear in mind that One Central Park units are transacted at least or near to RM1kpsf recently.

Parcel – Condo

Land Size (Acre)

Total Unit

Unit/Acre vs. South Brooks

Price*

North Shore

3

274

91 vs. 0.71x

~773-1092psf

Westside One

4.23

338

80 vs. 0.625x

~719-866psf

Westside Two

4.27

338

79 vs. 0.62x

~693-828psf

One Centre Park

4.1

359

88 vs. 0.69x

~862-954psf

Westside Three

4.27

469

110 vs. 0.86x

~Avg 720psf**

South Brooks

7.16

920

128

*Prices are obtained from Brickz.my and other public portals. ** Launching price.

What else can the table above helps us? Well, if you want to directly link density to compensate the pricing, then should South Brooks priced, for instance, around 29% cheaper than North Shore? Or 14% cheaper than Westside Three? If it does, would it make you better? 🙂 Of course, there is always other different factors to consider and the math is not that direct in real life. However, it would help you at least to put some “fair discount” in your head when you pick the unit.

Having said that, with the trend of smaller unit offering in the market, is the unit per acre calculation still make sense for comparison purpose? Let’s say a project has 200 units and all are 3 bedrooms unit compares to a project has 400 units studios in the same 2 acres land. Would it be fair to say the project with 400 studios (20 units per acre) are higher density than 200 units of 3 bedrooms apartment (10 units per acre)? We can confirm that the population of the 3 bedrooms dominated condominium has higher traffic and residents compares to the studio type apartment. With the assumption of 1-2 person per room. Should we then use the total number of rooms per acre as the indicator for density going forward? By doing so, isn’t it fairer to the project with studio/one/two bedrooms when come to density comparison? That should be another point that we should consider when come to density comparison in this evolving property market in future.

Next is the location of South Brooks in Desa Parkcity. It is probably one of the least ideal location in Desa Parkcity. South Brooks is right besides NKVE highway, one of the busiest highway (day and night) in Malaysia and it has the shortest distance from highway compare to all existing projects in Desa Parkcity. The good thing is, the level of highway is much higher than South Brooks. With noise always traveling up, those  low floor units that facing carpark podium or low floor should have lesser impact to noise pollution. There is a hill shading some part of Tower 2 (see below) which give more “shield” to certain units.

The project also sits almost at the borderline and outer zone of Desa Parkcity which will be neighboring with another high density PPA1M project – Sofiya. The project is set to build and sell for civil servants (updated: observed from the ballot day and also video from developer, the crowds are majority chinese. Friend of mine who is the teacher informed us that many of her “teacher” friends were  there. So, it is good sign and many should be relief on their concern. The responses were apparently not good to Muslim civil servant due to the extremely dog friendly environment in DPC). Latest information – 561 units @ 850sf  for 3 bedroom from the 51-storey building that come with 10 years moratorium. It is for the civil servant who earns RM10k and below and the developer claimed that the highrise is not designed for low cost but will be built with RM500k worth quality houses there though it will be sold at RM300k. The facade from the notice board at the site verified that. It doesn’t look bad at all. Also another good news is, South Brooks residents do not need to drive pass PPA1M project as Sofiya will be tucked in the end of Desa Parkcity, bordering with Sunway SPK residential enclave (see location map earlier).

While having church besides may not be an issue for some buyers, some may have some reservation on the land gazetted for future surau which is right in front South Brooks (besides Zenia). Together with highway, the “noise” pollution might be a concern here in future. With big mosques already exist in Bandar Manjalara and Sri Damansara, surau is unlikely to be built in Desa Parkcity in near future, especially with the consideration of demographic here. Perhaps it will be the last one to develop after all projects in Desa Parkcity? Having said that, if you let me choose permanent noise either from main road/highway etc vs. surau/mosque, i will pick the later. There are many luxury projects e.g. those near Damansara Heights or Kampung Baru, and so far there is little impact on its property values. Sometimes, it is just the psychological barrier to get through. However, if the demand of this part of DPC is low, then the excuse based on this factor could be quite damaging as owner has little bargain on this. Well, would South Brooks face this issue? At least, not for now, especially with its lowest absolute price in Desa ParkCity.

Orientation and Layout! What is the best value buy?

To invest in South Brooks, it is not about getting the best price but the best value. Price often is not equal to value. So, is cheapest price unit the best invest-able unit? For ownstay, what sort of orientations should you avoid?

South Brooks has quite a few bad facings which buyers need to know. However, everyone has different tolerance level and this section should help many buyers to decide as it will show all the positive (+) and negative (-) of the views and concerns together with the pricing premium for each layout. With this, buyer would know how to do their own intrinsic valuation to evaluate the best value unit. No right or wrong though.

View – South Brooks comes with Central Park, West Park, KL City and Country Height D’sara (NKVE) view. There is a catch, due to the similar “peace” logo design of the building, it has more than just four directions to analyse. Needless to say, the worst has to be the “highway” view. Although Central Park view look good as of now, it could be partial blocked by opposite future development at the current Waterfront’s car park area and another condo parcel infront of South Lake. So basically there are many uncertainties to this park view and it may only leave you “little” park and “pond” view in future. KL City view (for Tower 2 especially) if your unit is high enough, based on existing view, it may see two small “Jagung” but this also comes with NKVE view and noise as well. West Park view is probably the safest and the best for South Brooks. Although the park is meant for future government school, you  may notice there is another plot of land besides Breezeway also slated for future government school development. So, would the government eventually or forcefully take away such beautiful park? No one know, but I would bet the school to be built at the other site first. With the fronting view of Zenia and Adora, you have less tall buildings infront of you too. Life is not so simple though, in property, the bad and good are not for you to say No sometimes  but to know how much “discount” and “premium” works. West Park view should be a BBB If the premium or discount make sense.

Now we come to an interesting part, kindly refer to the “artificial neural network (ANN)” analysis when you continue to read this section. Of course it is not the maths model – ANN! Just for the fun of it and hope you don’t confuse after seeing it. 🙂

Central Park Aerial View

Country Damansara Height/ NKVE Aerial View

West Park View

KL City/ NKVE View

With the above aerial views and all positives/negatives in your mind, it will be easier for you to absorb the pricing differential below. 🙂

Type A1

A1-h & A1 Type (2Bedrooms 2Bathroom)

– A1-h & A1 are the cheapest units in South Brooks project.

– With the size of 876sf, you really have to say the layout is well optimized. Definitely better than other existing condos in Desa Parkcity which 9xxsf can only give you 1 or 1+1 apartment units, and most of the times the layout for 2 bedrooms is only available for the size of around 1200sf up. But, this is the only type that doesn’t come with yard.

Low floor – below Level 8 – Face Carpark Podium (Developer sell the idea of vertical garden to mitigate the issue. See below photo of existing DPC condo carpark podium). Tower 1 unit also will expose to open visitor carpark scene. Tower 2 units will “kena” the high traffic for both drop-off area and access to the entrance of Carpark podium.

The mid/high floor – Face NKVE highway and High Tension Cable (Ok, HTC is quite far though). Bear in mind, noise pollution is always travel up. High doesn’t mean you can avoid the noise and could be totally opposite.

Yes, it is relatively cheap in Desa Parkcity. While PROPCAFE would agree that it has not much downside for low floor units, in term of pricing, the capital appreciate is yet to be proven as such podium view may or may not be acceptable for expatriate tenants in Desa Parkcity. For ownstay, the positive part is that it is the easiest entry point for you to stay at this address and enjoy the quality of product delivered by this famous developer. Forget about the view, stay at home and put down the curtain. 🙂 Those who “die die” want to buy podium facing units, Tower 2 units has wider road compares to Tower 1’s and drop-off round about and landscape nearby surely better than the bare open visitor parking bay. Not just Tower 2 has pocket of green in-front the podium and it is cheaper than Tower 1 (need to bear the traffic/noise though, that’s why it is cheaper).

Type A2

Central Park View A2-a Type (2Bedrooms 2Bathroom)- Tower 1; A2a-h Type West Park View-Tower 2

West Park View A2 Type (2Bedrooms 2 Bathroom) – Tower 1; A2-h KL City View Tower 2

Type A2, it is slightly bigger (1001sf) with the same 2B2B configuration. What you get more is the yard, bigger balcony and kitchen space, walk-in wardrobe area for master bedroom.

In term of facing, Tower 1’s A2 type will either face West Park or Central Park (for Tower 2 – Central Park/KL View). To be precise, A2 type will be facing the building Westside Three. Just be aware, no direct West Park view for you and also you will get some west sun in the evening.

Those low floor units that facing Central Park has the extra South Brook’s meadow park view which could be quite a nice view. With near to RM60k premium more than west park, one need to know whether it is justified. Well, it can very individual though. Go with your budget and don’t hope to get much premium from your tenant or subsales buyers in future as high floor’s view to Central Park could be well below your expectation inreality due to the future developments that will be blocked the so called lake view (see photo above). For the units with KL City view, bear in mind the partial highway view!

Type B1

Central Park View B1-h Type (2Bedrooms 2Bathroom +1Study)- Tower 1; B1-h Type West Park View-Tower 1

West Park View B1 Type (2Bedrooms 2 Bathroom) – Tower 2; B1-h KL City View Tower 2

Type B1 comes with 1093sf built-up and it is  the largest 2 bedrooms unit in South Brooks. Well, it attached with additional small study area but it certainly doesn’t hold the competitive advantage to other two bedrooms type when comes to rental and subsales market. However, if it is meant to be ownstay for small family, it will be a much comfortable two bedrooms apartments to stay.

For high floor, again, would an approximately RM50-60k premium worth to pay for central park view? Your call. Low floor Tower 1 would enjoy the quiet green pocket in front whilst central park view unit will surely treasure the big meadow park scene there.

Type B2

B2 – Tower 2 – NKVE View – 3 Bedrooms and 2 Bathroom; B2-H

The only type B that comes with 3 bedrooms. The pricing looks tremendously attractive. Oh, come on, how could you get 3 bedrooms for this price in Desa Parkcity? But, there is a catch that you need to know. The cheap B2-h is the nearest point to highway and has the small hill at the side (for those low unit).

Low floor is facing again the carpark podium and expose to the noise of traffic from drop-off area and entrance of carpark podium. B2-h type, those above carpark podium will expose NKVE noise in both balcony and master bedroom. Nearest to highway in the entire project.

Best value unit in this type would be those low floor shielded by carpark podium i.e. B2 which is still much better than B2-h (not sure why it is priced higher). The rest, be prepared the F1 circuit’s noise, day and night. NKVE is no joke.

So B2-h is probably the worst unit in South Brooks. But x 3, those who really need a 3 bedrooms with affordable pricing, this is a gem to them. Just tint your windows/ sliding doors and again put the curtain down and on your aircond! :).

Type C

Tower 1 – C1-h (Central Park View); C1 (West Park View); C1a (NKVE view); C1a-h (NKVE View)

Tower 2 – C2 (West Park View); C2-h (KL View + NKVE view

We now focus on the second smallest three bedrooms type C1 unit (other than the type B2). For those who are not Formula One fans,  this slightly bigger size of 1283sf is offering an additional bedroom, extra balcony in master bedroom, and bigger kitchen space for island to be included (compare to A2 and B1 types). You may choose either West Park/Central Park view/KL City cum NKVE view).

The best value West Park facing unit would ve those low floor units. The lower floor has the quiet green pocket and good thay the noise from NKVE (very far though) will be blocked by the PPA1M project. High floor units will enjoy the unobstructed view of West Park.

Central Park view with additional premium of about RM70k vs West Park is probably overpriced. However, this premium will help you to avoid the west evening sun in your two bedrooms and “temporary” enjoy the park and lake view. If you don’t mind the noise of NKVE, there is also C1a type in tower 2 which comes with lower price but it faces the podium or NKVE/facilities and it is one of the nearest units to NKVE highway.

Type D

Tower 1 – D1a  (West Park View); D1 (Cenral Park View).

Tower 2 – D1h (West a Park View); D1a-h (Central Park View)

Lastly, we come to the most luxury and biggest unit – Type D (1537sf) in South Brook, this 3 bedrooms unit offers additional study area and much larger space of living hall with powder. If space is what you want and you have a million buck budget, it is the perfect unit for you. Hardly you see the big unit sold out so easily and it reflects the buyer demographic here is so strong that they appreciate space and view. Other than type D1a and D1-h which will get the evening west sun, no much comment on the view of type D as it is the best unit in entire South Brooks.

Freebies

Final Verdict

This time round, Perdana Parkcity has improved significantly on its layout design compares to previous projects. The size is optimised, practical and airy with natural light. Nothing much you can criticize given its size. If you really want to pick on it, then it will be no wet kitchen. So, thumbs up to South Brooks!

South Brooks is priced at the lowest in current projects in Desa Parkcity! You will never buy Desa Parkcity product if you still use Sentul (eg. recent RM550-650psf in YTL’s Fennels) or other places to compare with Desa Parkcity without recognising the premium attached to Desa Parkcity. This round, it is like Prada selling at Coach’s price. It is no way to get the two or three bedrooms apartment at this price in current subsales market in Desa Parkcity. You just need to look at the search results on the Desa Parkcity Highrise units in the market (RM800-900k for two bedrooms and 1.3-1.4mil for 3 bedrooms with bigger unit) and transacted price (refer the table earlier).

Certainly, South Brooks will be the one to beat in rental market in future. The expatriate pool is expected to grow given more choices of affordable 3 bedrooms. The current rental pricing or market value of 3 bedrooms type is way out of affordable range. The safest, for sure, is the Type A1, it will be the most affordable and easiest entry point to Desa Parkcity. However, two bedrooms the most is for young and small family living and also unlike mass market, Desa Parkcity tenants or subsales market buyers could be rather fussy (at least based on current demographic). So, it is not about whether to buy or not, it is more on which unit to buy, ya the right one! Anyway, no one has the crystal ball. So, let’s wait for another 4 years! No matter what, South Brooks provides the best opportunity for many, who loves Desa Parkcity’s address and environment, to call it Home. It is definitely a buy call here. Yes, it is Now or Never!

Happy Hunting! Let’s revisit Desa Parkcity in the next launch!

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PROPCAFE™ Review: The Suite Starz @ KL South By CMMC

Kuchai Lama is a place that is known for its vibrant buzz with high concentration of the commercial shoplots. Some of the famous restaurants that can be found in Kuchai Lama are Meng Kee Char Siew, Tangkak beef noodles, Fish Head noodles and plenty of well hidden old establishments. Ask the foodies and they will recommend countless of places. Alongside OUG, Happy Garden, Lian Hoe Garden etc, these are considered as “Old Gold Mines”.

Big scale development in Kuchai Lama started with Dynasty Garden by Akisama and those buyers who bought a 3 bedders apartment in 2005 just for RM150-180K. The same unit currently asking for more than RM500K, tripled the initial developer price. Since then, many other developments have been launched such as Arte Kuchai Lama, G Residence, Dynasty series commercial centre and more recently luxury condos such as Le Yuen, Seringin, The Leafz, The Riyang and etc. All these developments mushroomed due to the demand of local population, strategic location, conveniences of amenities and accessibilities and proximity to KL city. The newcomer in Kuchai Lama is The Suite Starz @ KL South by CMMC Sdn Bhd.

The Suite Starz @ KL South

Location

The Suite Starz @ KL South is neighbouring Salak South and south of Desa Petaling and Kuchai Lama. If we look closer we would term The Suite Starz @ KL South is located at the fringe of Kuchai Lama and sandwiched in between Salak South and Seri Petaling.

Suites Starz Location

Amenities

The Suite Starz @ KL South has no lack of conveniences and amenities, however it seems all necessities are within short drive away. In short, it is not a pedestrian friendly and any residents will require form of transport for commuting.

Schools:  SJK (C) La Salle, SJK (C) Salak South, SJK (C) Choong Wen, SMK Sri Sentosa, International MedicUniversity

Shopping needs:  NSK Kuchai Lama, Endah Parade, AEON, Plaza Salak Park, Giant, Mid Valley Megamall The Mines Shopping Centre, Pavillion Bukit Jalil (up and coming)

Highways: Sg Besi Highway, KL Seremban Highway, KESAS Highway, MEX Highway, Bukit Jalil Highway, Salak South Highway

Public Transportation: LRT Terminal Bersepadu Selatan

Other places of interest: National Stadium Bukit Jalil,  Technology Park Bukit Jalil, Bukit Jalil Golf Club

Façade development and aspiration

We in PROPCAFE would like to consider ourselves as intern in Property Market and we always explore and engage with salesperson and developer about their project not just about the project brief, investable development and location but anything under the sun and moon. Sometimes… when we have friendly salesperson or developer, we can have good few hours of chat and in the case with The Suite Starz @ KL South, they have been kind enough to entertain our unorthodox questions and exchange of some banter. Stunted (or more like amused) with our question with regards the aspiration of façade, the developer has been kind to share the architect’s development sketches before translated into the artist impression.

Suite Starz @ KL South Architect Inspiration

With any project, the first task performed by architect is to perform a site visit. A site visit is very important for architect to observe site condition, contour, site restriction, accessibility, views etc. Prior the development started, the architect needs to aware of site and authority restriction and requirement. In The Suite Starz @ KL South, due to close proximity with RMAF, there is building height control by aviation department that limit the height to 25storeys. The developer is also required to surrender reserve land on both end for the future highway widening of KL-Seremban and Besraya highways. Building setback line is required for internal road and to keep minimum distance between the neighbouring buildings. This explains a smallish land < 1 acre is less valuable as after deducting the building setback line and land that is surrendered for future road expansion, there is not much developer can do on the leftover space.

For more privacy of the residents, rather than staying with monotonous single block design with one lobby to serve entire residents, the developer has opted for two 25 storey blocks of A and B with dedicated lobby and drop off area. Both blocks are joined with common corridor. For added security, access door is installed in between to monitor the movement.

To break the monotonous facade that associated with single block design even with current trend of glassy and modern façade, the architect has included varying element such as vertical stainless steel bar to break the monotonous façade.

Suite Starz Facade

Taking advantage of the majestic KL skyline view, the architect has converted the whole 25
th
 floor to rooftop facilities. Complete with array of facilities which will be covered later part of the review; the Arcadian deck is approximately 18,850sqft. In any development the highest floor is usually reserved as penthouse and typically it command the highest premium due to higher privacy, security and view. Assuming that the penthouse can command RM700psf, the developer has foregone approximately RM13.2million sales that potentially can go into their bottom line.

Suite Starz @ KL South Arcadian Deck

Expected 270°aerial view from Arcadian Deck (25
th
 floor)

Finally, with the magic touch of graphic designer, they transformed the architect’s vision into what we can see today as artist impression and developer construct a scaled model with show units to assist those with less imaginary mind.

Suite Starz Facade Artist Impression to Scale Model

In PROPCAFE we live, breath and talk property. We are bunch of property aficionados.  There is always something to be learnt every day.

Masterplan

Situated on approximate 2 acre of commercial freehold land, The Suite Starz @ KL South consists of 346 units distributed in both blocks.  The unit distribution is as followed

Type

Size, sqft

Configuration

Total Unit

% composition

Twin Suites

900-920

2 + 1 bedrooms

130

37.5%

Dual Keys

1200

3 bedrooms

171

49.5%

Duplex

1523

3 bedrooms

45

13%

The lower ground to 5
th
 floor is occupied with lobby, mail room and carpark lots where the units start from level 6 until level 24. The highest floor@25
th
 floor is reserved myriad of facilities for the enjoyment of the residents.

Suite Starz Artist Impression at Ground and Guardhouse

Layout, Orientation and View

Tower A comprises of twin suites and duplex where all units with Sungai Besi facing are twin suites where else all the duplex units are with KL City skyline facing. The corners are twin suites. Tower B only comprises dual keys unit.

Suite Starz Floor Plan

The strangest layout is the twin suites where the yard is accessible via the bathroom for twin suites. A strange design.

Among the layouts, dual keys caught the attention of PROPCAFE.

What we like about dual keys layout?

The master suite is true-blue dual keys unit with its own pantry, bathroom and separate electricity and water meter from the main unit.

Ample storage space and nook and cranny space. For example a makeup table space next to master bathroom.

Expansive balcony.

SMD concept where each unit is only sharing one wall. This allows more window on dining and living as well as huge window on the master suite.

All bedrooms are sized proportional and generously.

What we do not like the dual keys layout?

The living and dining space seem compromised to accommodate the concept of dual keys as well as generous bedroom size. However the kitchen open concept and widows at kitchen and living and expansive balcony will open up the space.

The laminated flooring on the master suite’s pantry area. Require higher maintenance and any water dripping and splash should be wipe soonest.

The yard is quite far away from the dry kitchen

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The units with KL City skyline should enjoy unobstructed view at time being. However units which facing Sungai Besi the view will blocked by neighbour development, The Central Residences by Yuk Tung Land.

Suite Starz Majestic KL View

The Suite Starz Landspace Layout Podium

Arcadian Deck @ 25
th
 floor

The STAR attraction (no pun intended) of this development is the rooftop facilities. The tag is Get High at Starz especially if you are entertaining guests; you no longer need to do it in home. You can book Gastro Lounge and call in caterer or celebrity chef to whip up storm in the designer kitchen and impress your guests with amazing KL City skyline view. Imagine dining and throwing party basking under the KL skyline light and the view.

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Facilities at Arcadian Deck@25th floor

After the dinner, you can bring your guests to the Hammock Garden and Neptune Infinity Pool where you can socialize while enjoying the KL skyline view or under the Star light, away from noises at ground floor.

For families they are not forgotten. There is Nova Fitness Gym for healthy lifestyle. For some family moment, you can bring your kids to the kid pool or playroom or book the AV room for the whole family to watch a movie in cozy setup without disturbing your neighbors.

There is a reading loft for residents who need “quiet time” with their books.

Furnishing and special features

Apparently there are myriad of rebates and freebies thrown in by developer such as Air-Con, Water heater, Renovation rebate and VIP Card to the prospect buyers. Please check with the developer for the latest offer.

This is in line with the developer’s concept for The Suite Starz @ KL South where they determine to create a quality common space at rooftop with myriad of facilities for residents and their guests to enjoy and socialize.

The Interior Design exudes vibrancy and modern lifestyle where contemporary setting is used. The wall art and furniture exudes youth and this probably bodes well with the target market which is young demographic that will appreciate the offerings by this development.

Show unit for Dual Keys

However if buyers require a fully furnished package, there are 18 units of fully furnished duplex unit on the highest two floors.

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What else differentiate the development versus other? For start, developer has provided a car park storage for each unit. Yes! If you are condo dweller, you will know the hassle of moving your belongings from your car be it golf set, grocery bags, umbrellas, spare shoes etc from your car to your house. The carpark storage is 2’W X 1.5’D X 6’H which sufficiently big to put most of the above mentioned stuffs.

To encourage healthy lifestyle, developer will provide bicycles for residents’ usage. There is no indication of design but to compliment the whole development concept, maybe wall mounted rack to mount the bicycle can be provided. The developer can look into providing battery driven bicycle.

Suite Starz Carpark Storage Box

Another special feature despite the commercial title land, the developer has decided not include retail at the ground floor despite the potential higher GDV. This will allow traffic control, better security for the residents. Sometimes if retails are empty or tenant mix is not desirable, it can bring detrimental effect to whole development.

Aptly put by the developer, The Suite Starz @ KL South is a lifestyle development that provides an ineffable privacy of urban high-rise living with its sleek, flexible units compliment by luxurious rooftop facilities. The Suite Starz @ KL South provides an idyllic home setting for people are looking for a dynamic and holistic lifestyle that closes to the KL city. Keeping within similar price range for that area, home buyers can enjoy a high-quality, distinctive residential living lifestyle with rooftop facilities.

Accessibility and Infrastructure & Future Infrastructure

Suite Starz Accessibility

The Suite Starz @ KL South is flanked by 2 of the busiest highway in Klang Valley, Sg Besi Highway and KL Seremban Highway. If you are traveling town or coming back from town, needless to say, these 2 highways will be main arteries to The Suite Starz @ KL South.

Alternatively you may also access to The Suite Starz @ KL South via Kuchai Lama through Old Klang Road. If you are coming from Shah Alam to The Suite Starz @ KL South you may opt to use KESAS Highway then passing through Sri Petaling or Kuchai Lama.

We see the drawbacks having Sg Besi and KL Seremban Highway as the main access to The Suite Starz @ KL South. Sg Besi and KL Seremban Highway highways are 2 main mainly accesses for south Klang Valley busy traffic is pretty much a given factor.

Getting in from KL town no problem and to KL you need make U-turn along Sg Besi Highway. You can go try yourself with Waze as it is only 250m away from the development.

Despite the site is near to amenities but one has to drive. Somehow this gives us the feel of near to everywhere but it is also feels like out of nowhere.

The Suite Starz @ KL South

Infrastructure & Future Infrastructure

Highways

Aside main access via Sg Besi Highway, The Suite Starz @ KL South is linked to KL Seremban Highway, KESAS Highway, MEX Highway, Bukit Jalil Highway, Salak South Highway, plenty of options travel options, even easier when you have WAZE apps in your smartphone.

Public Transportation

If you are thinking of public transportation in terms of a bus stop right in front of The Suite Starz @ KL South doorstep or 50m away to the MRT station (which has its other own set of issues if it is THAT close), then you will be solely disappointed. However, from a convenience point of view, The Suite Starz @ KL South is in fact not very far from one of the busiest regional express bus/train hub of KL South, as Terminal Bersepadu Selatan at Bandar Tasik Selatan (TBS-BTS) is about 3.5 km away.

Future Infrastructure

KVMRT LINE2 Station 23 Kuchai Lama & 24 Taman Naga Emas

This part of town in Southern Klang Valley has been in the buzz lately with the inclusion of couple of KVMRT Line 2 stations. We expect The Suite Starz @ KL South to stand to gain. KLMRT Line 2 route map was finalized in October 2015, and presently the construction of the KVMRT Line 2 is ongoing and to completed in second quarter 2022.

It is interesting to know that that MRT Line 2 Station 23 Kuchai Lama and Station 24 Taman Naga Emas are located within 3KM and 1.5KM from The Suite Starz @ KL South. Yes, it is arguable again that it is not a walkable distance and back to the argument the Suite Starz @ KL South is really neither here and there.

High Speed Rail at Bandar Malaysia South (Integrated with KVMRT Station 22)

Notwithstanding the 2 stations of KVMRT Line 2, another up and coming mega infrastructure that is coming to this part of the town would be the HSR. In case you do not know what HSR is, The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail is an alternative mode of public transport travel between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

It will connect 5 cities in Malaysia to Singapore, connecting Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat & Nusajaya following a coastal route. It will also provide safe, efficient and optimal transportation and will be the solution for heavy congestion in this areas.The economic and social benefits derived from the agglomeration of 2 metropolises bring about a huge development potential. The geographical concentration of clusters of businesses and employees will result in an enlarged pool of specialist skills, labour and talent.

HSR is integrated into KLMRT Line 2 Station 22 at Bandar Malaysia South, a mere 2 mrt stops away from Station 24 Taman Naga Emas.

Game Changer, Lifestyle changing enabler

These 2 major infrastructures will be the game changer not just for The Suite Starz@ KL South but KL South as a whole hugely benefiting Salak South, Kuchai Lama, Sri Petaling, Taman Naga Emas folks.

This is a lifestyle changing infrastructure will enable folks at The Suite Starz @ KL South to enjoy seamless connectivity to various destinations in Klang Valley, Southern region of Malaysia as well to Singapore.

Imagine the convenience of just hopping on near MRT train station for school, workplace and vacations! Away from jam and unpredictable travel time, in exchange for more to spend quality time with love ones or other favourite activities, this indeed will change your lifestyle.

Investment analysis

So this is for investment or own stay? Before we go into this, let’s apply Sun Tzu’s The Art of War theory, know yourself and know your
enemy
 ‘nearby developments’.

Suite Starz @ KL South Price Comparison

Product differentiation

If we look at the surrounding development, there are plenty of new supplies coming into this part of town. Majority of nearby developments in this vicinity are dishing out practical and good family size 3-bedder units ranging from 1200-1400sqft.  In our opinion, this is the right type of products especially for upgraders and young families.

But however coming in from investment point of view, the product has to stand, and The Suite Starz @ KL South provides certain differentiation among above developments, that offer good family sized units ranging from, dual-key units (3-bedders), duplexes (3-bedders) and twin suites (2-bedders).

Price comparison

If we were to compare nearby newly launched properties, The Suite Starz @ KL South is priced within the expected range average at 600-620psf. With current buyer’s market, PROPCAFE think the pricing is quite ambitious where many newly launches are priced even lower than few year ago launches.

The Investment Game Plan

Capital gain and rental yield play has always been the core considerations for property investors. We don’t have the crystal ball to tell all but if you heard Ho Chin Soon mantra “follow the infrastructure”, all the major infrastructure such as HSR, KVMRT2 and Bandar Malaysia are coming to KL South and all these will be turn out to be booster or game changer for The Suite Starz @ KL South

However the downside of these catalysts is the timeline of completion for these infrastructures expected to happen beyond 2022 and that is provided there is no delay in completion!

Other matter

Maintenance fee inclusive the sinking fund is expected to be RM0.33psf. 3 lifts are serving each block with total of 6 blocks.

There are in total 570 carpark lots for residents and 55 visitor lots. For the smallest size twin suites, 1 carpark is provided  for intermediate unit and tandem parking for corner units. For the larger sizes dual keys and duplex units minimum of 2 carparks are provided. If you buy dual keys at high floor (>22th floor), 1 single and 1 tandem lots (total 3 carpark lots) will be provided.

Typical security controls are via access card for car and residents at guardhouse, carpark and lobby access and access door between block.

It is worth to note that across the Besraya highway there is a small Muslim cemetery. However it is not expected any of the units in The Star @ KL South will have a view on it due to its site orientation. The only unit which is unit. No. 12@ Tower A will have small angle of view on the newly expanded Muslim cemetery.

 Suite Starz @ KL South Face Malay Cemetary

WHAT WE SAY:

Ideal for own stay that comes with golden exit key

If you considering yourself a local in within this KL South zone, it would be a pretty ideal proposition. This is simply a new lifestyle that existing development cannot offer, with modern sky deck facilities, proximity to town, amenities within reach, mega infrastructures are heading this way, this part of the town which was sort of ‘neglected’ previously, now is slowly getting notice can only get better!

The Suite Starz @ KL South has some distinctive catalysts are definitely coming post 3-5 years post occupation with the completion of some key infrastructures. However it maybe long wait for all these catalyst to come online before you can reap the fruit…

Happy Buying and Investing!

From,

Intern of PROPCAFE

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