Affordability and availability in Johor’s ‘Bangsar?’

Everyone thinks highly of Bangsar as a location of choice as well as the type of residents there. Thus, the price has been increasing steadily and is definitely higher than another hotspot, Mont Kiara. Well, have you heard of “Bangsar” in Johor Bahru? According to the managing director of Casa Andaman Sdn Bhd (better known as Andaman Group), Datuk Seri Vincent Tiew, Austin Hills in Johor Bahru is the equivalent of Bangsar. Some of the reasons include the location which is just 15km away from the city centre, right next to a scenic gold course, 5km away from institutions such as Sunway College, KFCH International College and Fairview International College.
Capitalising on its strategic location and all the amenities, Andaman Group is developing a project called ARC@ Austin Hills in Taman Daya. It is their first project in Johor Bahru and the three block serviced apartment has 1,843 units and a gross development value (GDV) of RM600 million. Sizes include 650sq ft (two bedrooms), 850sq ft (three bedrooms) and 900sq ft (three bedrooms). Prices start from RM420 psf. It was launched on 31st July 2015 and will be completing in Q1 2019. Besides the institutions of learning, it is also nearby Hospital Sultan Ismail, AEON Tebrau City and Tesco Tebrau City, and the upcoming Austin Heights Water Theme Park (scheduled to open at the end of the year]. For those who are thinking of buying fresh ingredients on a daily basis, it is also near the largest morning market in Taman Daya and Taman Mount Austin.
When I was in Johor Bahru nearly twice a month for work previously, I have sung karaoke in Mount Austin. I have also had many meetings with customers within Mount Austin. There are many shops to choose from and I find the environment to be clean. Rows of shophouses are also tidy and quite busy with people. That was over 2 years ago. I think it should have improved even further. In fact I am looking forward to the upcoming waterpark as the developer is also an industry friend.
ARC@ AUstin Hills is built on a piece of 5.11 acres freehold land owned by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru. From the launch to date, the response is considered good as Tiew said that close to 40% of the available units have been taken up. In fact the price is kept at a very affordable level (20% lower) compared to the other developments nearby.  Their target market are those with an average household income of between RM5,000 to below RM10,000 and the development is perfect for those who can only afford homes below RM500,000. However, he said that at least 30 percent of ARC buyers are investors due to the apartment being just 17km from the Customs Immigration and Quarantine Complex.
Facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a jacuzzi, barbeque pits, squash courts, an outdoor sky garden and a Japanese-inspired garden with a koi pond. It also comes with a multi-tiered security system with CCTV at our perimeter fencing and card access. The residents will also be able to access Singapore TV channels and a satellite master antenna relevision point will be provided. Actually, it looks pretty complete. If the owner is working in Singapore, then perhaps he may just have to wake up much earlier to skip the potential jams going into Singapore. Oh yeah, do note that 1,843 units would not be a small number and when added with more other nearby developments, jams would start to build up. Time management is thus essential. Anyway, today if I stay in Bangsar and I start my journey only at 7pm, the jams would have already started.
I think when the development remains fairly affordable, it would attract buyers, especially Malaysians working in Singapore who may want their family staying in Malaysia to stay in a safer place too. Buying a gated and guarded may not be within that affordable category and thus high-rise would be the next best choice. Jams are just inevitable though because popular areas would always be popular. Somehow buyers are always attracting more buyers, haha. Today, even the Bangsar of Klang Valley today faces traffic jams on a daily basis. That is something everyone just have to be flexible about or buy right nearer to the working place. Happy thinking or buying.
written on 16 Sept 2015
next suggested article: Malaysia – Singapore. Not just one new bridge. Few bridges please.