Fair enough, and lets agree to disagree.    Have to say while we have different POV, its good to be able to engage you in a civil debate without going overly emo. Good stuff. 

Anyhow when I initially entered into Zest, was planning to flip it at 280k. (such low expectations  ) Now the target moves to close 400k. Have this strange feeling that upon VP my target will be revised upwards.....AGAIN 

Which proves ur initial logic is flawed...........proximity to sity center ALONE doesnt mean much when it comes to rental and resale value.
Since Zest is yet to be completed.....pls compare a DSL in Pandan VS Kinrara prices...........n tell us if you still think Kinrara n Pandan is of the same class?
Its your personal opinion, so I prefer not to comment on that. But looking at Zest's location, commercial factor, ample carparks, promised facilities, supposedly decent landscaping & facade, am fairly confident that it would be one of the top 3 highrise of choice upon VP within the BJ, Kinrara, and Puchong vicinity, n able to command the projected rentals.

Feel free to disagree............not that it mattered anyways..... 

Covillea prospects? Should be better than Savannah.....so Savannah should be your reference bar........n think Dunbshy has accurately highlights the rental rates of Savannah for everyone's reference?

Some points on Tmn Desa........when I was eyeing that area 2-3 years back the rental rates for a 2b/3b f/f highrise there was only around 1.5k to 1.6k..........today rents r asking for approx 2k...................point here is rental have increased for the past 2 years..........in fact when I bought Zest thought rentals here should be approx 1.2k - 1.8k tops............but trends have changed with rental rates moving up everywhere (barring MK, KLCC, Bangsar) so I remain optimistic about Zest's rental prospects.........

On Savannah n Covillea, as of today both commands a premium over BK/Puchong based development............ but suspect this will change upon LRT completion......... as active commercial activities will help bridge that gap ......................... wont be surprised to see Zest getting 3k in rentals upon LRT completion......

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Added on March 4, 2011, 6:14 pm

Finally someone who can understand my POV ......... TZ has "chic" factor that is lacking within the BK/Puchong vicinity

IMHO, until SW is ready..... Zest will command highest rent psf in the whole Puchong / BK vicinity........ n not suprise to see dwellers from BJ moving into TZ especially those who doesnt require LRT..............

Before I answer your questions allow me ask you some in order to understand your perspective :

1. In your opinion, where is the commercial centerpoint of the Puchong / Kinrara / BJ area? firstly, i think classification of puchong/kinrara/bj is too broad. i'm subdividing the location respectively. not familiar with this area but if i were to guess i will guess the picc/tesco in puchong, giant in kinrara as it's the only outstanding landmark i can think of, and actually none in bj - still awating one jalil city.

2. Between SW and Covillea, which one do you think will do better in rentals when LRT materializes? SW should do slightly better than covillea when LRT is completed. SW targets business people and commercial hotspot wherelse covillea offers residential comfort. different segment

3. What do you think of Puchong's and BJ's prospect to become the next PJ? i'm thinking more in the line of puchong being more on commercial centre and BJ being the residential market. so puchong transforming into mini bangsar wherelse BJ replicating mont kiara??

4. Why should Covillea commands higher price than Savannah in rentals or subsale upon its VP as both are located in the same area? i think this is the easiest question out of the 4. covillea is newer, less dense, closer to IMU and LRT.

Mate,

Looking at your answer, one should be able to tell that u r not the average investor.  Now here's my thoughts :

1. I think IOI Mall today is the commercial landmark of the Puchong, BJ, and BK stretch. IMHO its the center of gravity  (COG) so to speak. Naturally, props located nearer to the COG stands a better chance of getting more premium in caps and rents.

2. Agree. I also like to point out that commercial vibrancy plays a big role for highrise VS its landed counterparts. Case to point, try compare all highrise within 1km radius of Tropicana City Mall. Its no coincidence that Tropics fetches the most premium when it comes to subsale and rents VS Ken 1&2, Ameera, 5 Stoned, Casa Indah 1&2, Jasmine towers etc.

3. I agree with your deduction and using your example Bangsar highrise today on average commands higher premium than those in MK.

4. Yes the NEW factor play an important role in deducting premiums, all else being equal. I wont be surprise to see Covillea fetching 3k in rentals upon VP, given Savanna today is not that far away from the 3k mark. 

As far as SW is concerned, LRT has basically guaranteed its sustainability. SW will be the one setting the bar of rents/subsale in the whole Puchong n BK (including BJ when LRT is operational). Its now a question of whether will SPS deliver an outstanding product or just an average one. In summary, Im banking on commercial vibrancy and proximity to COG to push SW, Zest to match or exceed Savanna, Covillea in the long run(2017 onwards). Whether that is achievable remains to be seen.............. its still so far away but it remains a possibility......... 

Honestly Im thinking market is quite toppish for the short term la ..... the feeling I get is the buy mode is somewhat slowly subsiding .. hope im wrong!

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Added on July 15, 2011, 9:56 pm

Diff league diff league .. and diff play as well .. direct competition shud b Z-R KR, perhaps Covillea. Parklane lets see if it turns out to be sunway mentari court of this area in the future.

hm... from the picture.. do we need another half more year to get the keys? looks like still lot to clean up

then can wait for my co. bonus to include into my house renovation budget.. haha

Hm.... Pool deck havn't start yet. At least 2 months to complete all the landscaping?

And the last photo.... looks like there's some issue with structure. I saw some rebar of the beam beneath the floor. Wonder why structure rectification started so late.

at 450k.............can anyone recommend anything that is a better than buy Zest in Puchong, BJ and BK area?

Be prepare to get 80%-85% only if you want to buy property in prime area.
Dun trust the valuer too much, it is just a guild line, depending on valuer's indicative price would jeopardize your interest in purchasing a right property.

I have a fren who is very keen to get an unit of Tmn Esplanad (BJ) superlink house since 2006, never materialize his dream to secure an unit till today (still waiting and hope that mkt will crash), he believes in valuer's price. The price has been increased fr 675K (2006) - 1.2 mil (2011). The bank's valuer always quotes 50K-70K below than the owner's asking price at any time, he is damn regret now.

In prime area, I would offer maximum 8% on top of valuation price (depend on area and type of property) . If valuer confirm RM400/sf for The Zest, I dun mind pay RM420/sf for the unit I want.
I am curious to know what is the latest valuation price for TZ? any clue?

The bank which quotes the highest will be. However even the highest is still lower than the calling price...
Valuer sleeping lah.

After looking at several psf of condos with less appealing characteristics, tz at $450k is almost a steal .. honestly. It would not be hard to transact at this price (higher 1/2 yr from now) unless the whole market psf comes down due to nationwide/worldwide factor.

If whole market goes down, nothing much anyone can do, even the american Fed .. Sierra residency was a real good buy so cannot put it down, too bad no courage to buy las time. Anyhow, if talking about market, tz will capture a wide rental market cos of d lrt convenience and yet nestled among upper-mid landed props, seldom c this type of atrribute among condos. Mayb its time to speculate on the rentals too 

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Added on August 5, 2011, 1:39 pm

U dun kaukauchan la ..  based on yr oug props i knw u fishing oni.