Horizon Hills Terrace and Link Houses to Rent

Posted on May 3, 2013 by John

Horizon Hills a gated and guarded housing community in Nusajaya (part of Iskandar) that is very popular with expats – learn more about the Horizon Hills housing estate. The housing estate offers bungalows, link houses and condos. Horizon Hills has its own golf course.

photo of Horizon Hill link house

Terrace/Link houses for rent now Horizon Hills, Iskandar, Johor:

RM 2,700; 1,845 square feet built-up; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully furnished.
RM 3,600; 2,300 square feet built-up; 4+1 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, end unit, “almost fully furnished.”
RM 3,000; 2,100 square feet built-up; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, partially furnished.
RM 2,000; 1,845 square feet built-up; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, unfurnished.

Bungalow and cluster homes will cost more but there are many of those options available also.

Blue Infinity Luxury Condos

Posted on April 24, 2013 by John

Artist conception of planned Blue Infinity condos.

Blue Infinity is planning to provide a new level of luxury in Johor Bahru including condo with small pools and two level condos. Their floor plans show the layouts of the options which range from 1,300 square feet to 4,400 square feet.

Blue Infinity will be located between Permas Jaya and Pasir Gudang which is a bit out of the way today. I expect they figure a 3rd link in the east is likely which could make this location more appealing than it is now. Even so, the new highway makes this location reasonably close to the causeway.

The development will also include bungalows.

I don’t see any pricing or timing details available yet. I would expect these will likely be the most expensive condos in Johor Bahru (until someone else tops these).

Construction Progress for Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy

Posted on February 18, 2013 by John

photo of digging the Setia Sky foundation

Setia Sky construction begins as they prepare the site.

I took these photos over 3 months ago but it looks pretty much the same today. They have seemed busy the whole time with people working and trucks going in and out. My guess is they are digging out to work on the foundation and that really doesn’t give you much to look at as a casual observer.

photo of the Setia Sky site with New York Hotel in background

Setia Sky site (on the left behind the walls) with New York Hotel in background.

Twin Galaxy will be on the right of this photo (closer to the road with the New York Hotel than Setia Sky 88 is).

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Sky Executive Suites @ Bukit Indah, Rent 2,000 to 4,500 MYR a Month

Posted on January 20, 2013 by John

The Sky Executive Suites @ Bukit Indah, by Setia, is also known as The Sky. Two 25-story towers hold 364 units with built-up areas ranging from 751 – 2,778 square feet.

Rents range from 2,000 MYR/month to 4,500 MYR/month. Purchase prices range from 450,000 to 800,000 MYR (for 1,516 square feet which is about 500 MYR per square foot).

Current listings offer rentals for delivery approximately March to May 2013:

RM 2,000/month – 1 + 1 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 826 square feet.
RM 2,800/month – 2 + 1 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 1,168 square feet.
RM 2,200/month – high floor, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 751 square feet.
RM 2,000/month – 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 751 square feet.

Or you can rent one of the penthouses (south facing) for 8,000 MYR per month which offers: 4 + 1 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms in 2,778 square feet.

Walking distance to Tesco, Giant and Jusco. Hotels nearby include Pariss Hotel, Euro Rich Hotel and Granada Hotel. Approximately 20 minutes to JB city center.

Facilities at The Sky include gated access with 24 hour guards, swimming pool with wading pool, barbecue area, covered parking, gymnasium, jacuzzi, tennis court, sauna and nursery.

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Address: 15 Jalan Indah, Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru, Johor, 81200

Corruption Perception Rankings; Singapore #5, Malaysia #54, Italy #72

Posted on December 18, 2012 by John

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The 2012 rankings:

1 – Denmark
1 – Finland
1 – New Zealand
4 – Sweden
5 – Singapore
13 – Germany
14 – Hong Kong
17 – Japan
19 – USA
45 – South Korea
46 – Brunei
54 – Malaysia
64 – Ghana
69 – Brazil
72 – Italy
80 – China
88 – Thailand
94 – Greece
94 – India
105 – Philippines
118 – Indonesia
123 – Vietnam
133 – Russia
157 – Cambodia
160 – Laos
172 – Myanmar

Johor Premium Outlets

Posted on December 10, 2012 by John

Fountain and Burberry Store at Johor Premium Outlets

Johor Premium Outlets were built up quite a bit prior to opening in late 2011. In general those visiting the mall have been disappointed. The shopping mall is not aimed at me, but I visited and I can see why people are less than impressed. It is a nicely laid out complex with several high end outlets.

Covered open area at Johor Premium Outlets

Stores include: Adidas, Armani, Body Shop, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gap, Guess, Lacoste, Levi’s, Michael Kors, Nike, Oroton, Polo Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tumi.

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Good Johor Real Estate Fair at City Square Mall This Weekend

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John

I was in City Square mall and they have quite a good real estate fair going on (Friday, today, through Sunday). City Square mall is still under renovation but quite a bit of the renovated space is now open with new places, many more quick dining choices than I remember.

The real estate fair is by far the best I have seen. Quite a large number of Johor developments represented – I would guess over 25. It is amazing how many housing units will be delivered from 2014 – 2016. That is mainly high rise condo (as the lead time for the bungalows and link-houses is usually not that long. I still am worried about 3 things: traffic in JB (given all new housing units – as well as attractions for Singapore visitors), backups between JB and Singapore and the surplus of housing unit to office space being constructed. We will have to see how those issues play out.

I am also a bit concerned at so many units being delivered with, I believe, very large leverage currently (people not having to put hardly anything down on these units under development. That is a risky recipe historically. But there are many good indications about Johor economically looking forward so maybe it will work out.

But for those interested in real estate in Johor state this is quite a good fair to visit. I picked up some news in my visit:
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Twin Galaxy Condos in the CBD

Posted on October 26, 2012 by John

Twin Galaxy started construction in late 2012. As with all new condos in Johor Bahru recently the developers are aiming for the high end of the market. Twin Galaxy’s 2 towers will be 35 stories. The development includes integrated shops and restaurants along with recreation areas for residents (pools, game rooms, library, kid’s play room).

The location is nice, next to Hotel Selesa and across the street from, the also under construction, Setia Sky 88 condos and near the New York Hotel.

Plaza Penagi is just 4 blocks away. KSL Mall is 1 km away.

Condo options include: studio (560 square feet) – this has to be aimed at the Singapore market, 2-bedroom (936 square feet), 3-bedroom (1163 sf), 4-bedrrom (1701 sf) and Penthouse with private garden. They offer to attach a “studio” to the 2 or 3 bedroom which adds 560 square feet (they make that into the master bedroom).

The CIQ and causeway are 5-10 minutes (2 km) away assuming any sensible driving and traffic load. It is a bit worrisome what will happen to the traffic flows with all the high rises being build in a close area, but this is a worry for the whole area.

I can’t find any details on the delivery time frame on their website. I don’t understand how such basic information is left off.

D’esplanade Residence @ KSL Mall

Posted on September 8, 2012 by John

The D’esplanade Residence condos at KSL mall in downtown Johor Bahru should be ready soon (I would guess in late 2012 or early 2013). The official site has little no sales information but does have some floor plans.

I believe the closest tower is the hotel, the tower on the left has offices and the back tower is the condos. I took the photo last month.

The condos sit atop the KSL Mall and next to the KSL hotel.

Units for sale include:

RM 879,000; 1,465 square feet; 11th floor; 3 bedrooms; 3 baths.
RM 980,000; 1,700 square feet; 3 + 1 bedrooms; 2 bathrooms, swimming pool view.
RM 1,124,000; 8th floor; 1,874 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3 baths

Price per square foot on units is close to RM 600.

The hotel is already open. They seem to like calling it an “integrated resort” – as far as I can tell that just means it has a spa attached to it. I have seen rates from RM 200-300. The closet tower is the hotel, I think.

Setia Sky 88

Posted on August 28, 2012 by John

Setia Sky 88 is a new condo just getting set for construction to start. I haven’t seen when delivery of units is anticipated for, but one article says completed in 4 years. I find it hard to understand how they are going to take so long, but since the website fails to have any information at all I guess the best current guess is for delivery in 2016. I still find that so slow that I can’t believe they will really take that long but until I get updated information that is the only date with some evidence backing it up. As with all new condos planned for the CBD of Johor Bahru recently the developers are aiming for high priced units.

The location is nice, across the street from the New York Hotel. There is another highrise condo being built right next to the Setia Sky 88 (across the street – between the Sky 88 and Hotel Selesa), which is also just in the beginning stages of construction.

I would imagine the car washes that line part of the street now will be replaced with more upscale retail shops, but we will see.

Plaza Penagi is just 4 blocks away and the wonderful Chez Papa (French cuisine) is just 6 blocks away. KSL Mall is within 2 km. The KSL condos are getting close to being completed (also very high prices on these).

I am not really sure why they have to exaggerate (saying the CIQ is 2 minutes away), the causeway is 5-10 minutes away assuming any sensible driving and traffic load, in my opinion.

I think the nearest existing condo would be the Wadihana Condo which is likely between 1 and 2 km away.

Johor Bahru Real Estate

Housing and Living in Johor Bahru, Malaysia – Focused on Expats