Category Archives: condos

Construction Status of Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy In JB

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Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy are located right next to each other near KSL Mall and Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru CBD. Here are a few photos of the progress so far. The Setia Sky 88 site had nothing going on for months but lately has had some activity.

view of Twin Galaxy and Setia Sky 88 sites as of Feb 2014

KSL mall and resort is partially visible on the upper left, Plaza Pelangi is just off the screen on the right.

See our post from February 2013 on the Construction Progress for Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy, one year ago.

Photo of Twin Galaxy progress as of Feb 2014-closeup

Twin Galaxy has been making quick progress.

Twin Galaxy has been nearly continuously busy and is rising quickly.

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Aster Court Condos: Rent 1,800 to 2,200 MYR per month

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Aster Court condos offer a good location and good prices. They sit on top of a few shops but unfortunately the shops are not very busy and some are not rented. But the location is quite close to KSL Mall, Plaza Pelangi (and all the good food near there), Hotel New York etc.. It is also very close to where Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy are under construction.

photo of Aster Court condos

Aster Court condos in Johor Bahru by John.

The condo has a pool and security but has a bit less in the way of amenities than most other condos considered by expats.

Current rental options include:

  • 1,150 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished, RM 2,000
  • 890 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished, RM 1,800
  • 1,050 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished, RM 2,100
  • 1,000 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished, RM 2,180

Aster Court condos are listed for sale at around 500,000 MYR.

See our overview of Aster Court condos.

As always, expats should remember most agents in Johor Bahru merely show you properties they (or their company sometimes) have been paid by the owners to show. Seeing multiple units, even at the same condo, often requires appointments with multiple agents.

Other condos in downtown JB: Orchid View Condos Rentals – 2,500 to 3,000 MYR a month – D’esplanade Residence @ KSL Mall – Wadihana Condo: RM 2,000 to RM 2,500 per month

Indah Samudra Condo Rentals: 2,800 – 3,500

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See our overview page for the Indah Samudra Condominium; it is located right next to the Thistle Hotel.

photo of Indah Samudra Condo and Thistle Hotel

Available rental options right now, include:

  • 1,350 sf, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3rd floor, RM 3,500 month
  • 2,433 sf, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, corner unit, RM 2,900 month
  • 1,350 sf, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, RM 3,100 month
  • 1,250 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, RM 2,800 month

Related: Indah Samudra and Lagenda Tasek Condos for Rent: RM 2,000 – RM 3,500/month – Datin Halima and Sri Mulia Condos from RM 1,600 – RM 3,000 per Month – Sky Executive Suites @ Bukit Indah, Rent 2,000 to 4,500 MYR a Month

Orchid View Condos Rentals – 2,500 to 3,000 MYR a month

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Orchid View Condominium is walking distance to CIQ (but it is very awkward to walk as the area was not designed with walking in mind), right next to downtown JB. It is pretty crazy to have designed the area to be so difficult to walk in given it is right downtown next to CIQ – this is exactly where designing a walkable city is most important. The situation at Orchid View shows that there is much more work needed to improve the urban design of downtown JB. See our overview of the Orchid View Condos.

photo of Orchid View Condominium

Orchid View Condo, Johor Bahru

The condo offers typical features of the 24 hour gated and guarded condos in Johor Bahru: covered parking, gymnasium, jogging track, playground and swimming pool.

Current listings:

  • 2,800 MYR per month; 1,500 square feet; 3+1 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully furnished, corner unit.
  • 3,000 MYR per month; 1,500 square feet; 3+1 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully furnished, corner unit.
  • 3,000 MYR per month; 1,500 square feet; 3+1 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully furnished, corner unit, facing South (to Singapore).
  • 2,500 MYR per month; 1,500 square feet; 2? bedrooms (I think the listing has this wrong, but maybe it is right), fully furnished, corner unit.
  • 2,500 MYR per month; 1,500 square feet; 3+1 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, unfurnished, corner unit.

I would expect you can bargin down the price a bit, there is a surplus of condo rental units in JB. Remember many units are never even listed online.

Related: Wadihana Condo Rentals: RM 2,000 to RM 2,500 per month – Straits View Condos Rentals RM 2,500/m to RM 4,000/month – Sky Executive Suites @ Bukit Indah, Rent 2,000 to 4,500 MYR a Month

Blue Infinity Luxury Condos

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Artist conception of planned Blue Infinity condos.

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).

Related: Setia Sky 88 – Paragon Residences – Iskandar Housing Investment Considerations – Horizon Hills Housing Estate

Construction Progress for Setia Sky 88 and Twin Galaxy

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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

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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

Good Johor Real Estate Fair at City Square Mall This Weekend

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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

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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.

Related: D’esplanade Residence @ KSL Mall – Setia Sky 88 Condos – Investment Considerations When Looking At Iskandar Housing Purchases

D’esplanade Residence @ KSL Mall

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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.

KSL Mall, Hotel and Condo Complex

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.

Related: Setia Sky 88 condos – Wadihana Condo – Condos in Johor Bahru, Malaysia