October 13, 2009
Nusa Idaman in Nusajaya — not bad at all
Last Sunday, we had the opportunity to go check out more properties in Johor, this time courtesy of UEM, which organised a Hari Raya Open House at Nusajaya Centre complete with convenient pick-up from Jurong Point (well, convenient for us, anyway, since we live nearby).
Quite a bit of effort had obviously been made. Food was plentiful — noodles, satay, lemang, rendang, desserts. They even laid on live singing. And of course there were booths displaying their various developments.
In addition to group tours providing an overview of Nusajaya, visitors could sign up to be taken to specific developments and showhouses. Just a slight criticism: They should have stationed sales staff at the show houses. Every time we had a query, we were asked to take it up with the sales and marketing staff back at Nusajaya Centre.
The developments we looked at:
View from balcony of 'Courtyard Homes' showhouse
The show house for the NUSA IDAMAN “Courtyard Homes” was shown to us as part of the general overview tour of Nusajaya. We found out later that this particular phase is virtually sold out. Still, if this is typical of homes in Nusa Idaman, I must say I find it quite attractive. The home is spacious with living, dining and kitchen having an open feel. There is also a decent-sized bedroom on the ground floor for elderly family members, or for guests. Certainly a development worth checking out for those interested in medium-cost housing (price starts RM325K from what we were told).
Courtyard Homes showhouse – internal courtyard, the unique feature here.
Courtyard Homes showhouse – bathroom [Quick note: The bathroom was interesting to me because I thought it was immediately revealing of the fact that this is a medium-cost development. Seems to me that the developer could have done a better job with tiles/fittings to give a classier feel. ]
What’s also positive about Nusa Idaman is that it is not far from amenities. There’s a large shopping mall not too far away in Bukit Indah, and I could see established shops and businesses along the road to this development.
I would still be cautious about buying though. Apparently, quite a large percentage of homes have been sold to Singaporeans. Does that mean that many of the homes will remain vacant, or come to life only on weekends? I like quiet, but will it be too quiet? Also, given the large number of homes being built in Nusajaya, it may be difficult to resell the house later on if you change your mind about staying there.
Showhouses (2 bungalows) at East Ledang
Moving to EAST LEDANG, their upscale development, bungalows start at RM 2.1 million, and twin villas start from RM 1.1 million. Definitely luxurious, though it looks to me like the homes are built very close together — small garden spaces. Best part for me were the master bedrooms which were generally large, with dressing rooms and good-sized bathrooms. Nice!
View from one of the bungalows
June 11, 2008
A peek into the life of the rich — a visit to Leisure Farm, Johor
Last weekend, I was invited to tag along on a visit to Leisure Farm, a resort-style development just across the Causeway in Johor, Malaysia.
As you enter, the guard salutes you! (Obviously, they want to make their residents feel special) And then you drive through a road lined with mansions. Feels like you’re entering an episode of the ‘Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous’.
Right now, they are marketing the Bayou Water Village, a residential plot with homes built near a river, so that was one of the first places we were taken to see. You enter through yet another secured gate. What did I say about the lifestyle of the rich?
We were taken to see the showhomes. They’re like little chalets, really, the most attractive of course being the ones facing the river. How special it would be to live in a home with a balcony that overlooks the river (see the homes under construction in the picture below).
One thing though: I was a bit taken aback to see a brownish river, which was definitely one of my sillier notions. Of course a river in this part of the world looks like that! Guess I expected them to somehow engineer a river that looks prettier. And, actually, they did make a sort of try at that, with a pristine vanishing-edge swimming pool at the clubhouse (yes, there’s a clubhouse just for the Bayou Water Village) which, from a distance, looks like it is joined to the river.
Picture: Vanishing-edge swimming pool at Bayou Water Village, Leisure Farm, Johor.
By the end of the visit, what I really liked about Leisure Farm was that they had taken care to create an ordered environment that still has a lot of natural elements, with forest areas left untouched. The quiet roads, the general cleanliness of the place, and facilities like a large stable and a golf course, combine to make it feel like an exclusive enclave, a place for the elite.
Crooked Turret 