Not really true. Phase 1 was completed successfully. It involved storage of radioactive materials and other contaminated stuff into approx 85,000 drums in a completely sealed concrete bunker the size of a football field. Phase 2 which is ongoing now, involves taking out all those drums, mixing it with a specially designed compound and casting it into underground bunkers and then putting about 15 layers of specialised engineered compounds on top of this structure. Phase 1 was only a temporary holding bunker which was designed to last about 30 years. Phase 2 is the permanent containment. Its 2 different phases with different purposes. Nothing wrong with either of it.

There is no way for any development to take place in that area unless they level the whole Kledang mountain range so dont worry.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...85&sec=business

High end condo's will be hardest hit for sure. All these new launches are exorbidant prices are really crazy! Shame on these developers!

Again another report by an investor hoping to raise prices of his investment by instilling fear into people and thus pushing them to buy now. We all should start being smarter than them and be more selective in what we read. Ppl like George Soros made money from ppl like us.

There are many empty units everywhere in KL. Most are owned by ppl waiting for capital gains. If u want an example, go visit Plaza TTDI condo and see how many units are occupied. Most are already sold but currently empty waiting for capital gains.

When i purchased my property in 2009 it cost RM470K. But now it can easily fetch RM 650-680K based on similar transacted deals in the same area. Would you recommend i refinance? My current 90% loan is for 15 years so balance another 13 years.

Well rates now are the same or better. Some banks are offering up to BLR-2.4 now so its good. I wanna refinance to get more cash in hand to reinvest in another property. Dont wanna use up my current funds.

If he is a Senior Engineer with a contractor then there is only 4 reasons why he is earning that low:

1) He is too young
2) He does not know how to negotiate his package
3) He does not possess the neccessary technical skills
4) The company is a small 2 cents company

Earning RM 6500 for a Sr Engineer with a contractor is BELOW AVERAGE for sure unless he is too young. Usually consultants earn lower than those working for a contractor. How much are u getting by the way and how old are u? Btw, Gamuda can and will pay more for the right candidate. You just have to ensure that you ARE the right candidate.

The only way to get big jumps in salary is to jump companies. If you negotiate well, you can get a 20-30% salary increase with each jump. BUt jumping needs skill and you must ensure that your experience increases in tandem with your salary. Too many jumps and ull end up on the losing end as employers will not want someone who doesnt stick around long enough. If ure below 30 then i would say a jump every 2 years is good. But after 32-35 better to get into a higher position and stick around a bit longer.

Read this and ull know whats coming up for Malaysia!

http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no...malaysia-movies

ok

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Apr 7 2011, 11:30 AM

Who were the voters? If people from the property industry or developers then of course the answer will be 'price gonna increase'. Typical!

But many of those in The Edge Property section are not potential house buyers but those involved with banks and developers. Trust me. Prices may go up in some areas due to speculation and the fear that was created by these property developers.

But if we want to bring down house prices then we counter what these developers / property consultants are doing and spread news that prices are dropping and advise more people not to buy into new launches.

Just observe all these property investment talks. Ask yorself this question: What would happen if the property market crashes? How will it affect these ppl's livelihoood? Once u can answer these questions then ull know why its important for them to continously strike fear into ppl to push them into buying.

Again, im not saying that property prices isnt going up. I know it is. My own condo has appreciated almost 40% since 2009. But im also saying that prices in many areas have started to drop and it should.

Agreed 100%. Boycott new property launches and only buy subsale if there is a good deal. If not just wait till year end or early 2012. More correction is expected in the property market.

GLOBAL HOUSING MARKET SLOWS

By Lam Jian Wyn of theedgeproperty.com

Thursday, 07 April 2011 16:41

KUALA LUMPUR: Global house prices rose by a modest 2.8% in 2010 as more markets recorded negative growth in 4Q2010, according to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index 4Q 2010 results.

Price growth was led by Asia Pacific (7.5% annual growth), followed by the Middle East (5.3%) and South America (3.8%). However, about 41% of markets surveyed recorded negative growth in 4Q2010 compared with 35% of markets in 3Q and 31% in 2Q.

More European countries and markets in the US demonstrated weakness in the second half (2H) of last year after a “brief revival” in the last 12 months, observed Knight Frank’s head of residential research Liam Bailey.

“The key trend at play in the global market is the unwinding of the stimulus packages put forward in 2009 in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

“This trend is being reinforced by weaker results from Asia-Pacific, with India, Taiwan and Japan all recording negative price growth in the second half of 2010,” he said.

In 3Q2010, the house price index showed India, Taiwan and Japan declining by 1.7%, 1% and 0.8% respectively. Meanwhile, the three markets recorded an annual change of 8.9%, 7.4% and -3.6% and a six-month change of 5.6%, 2% and -1.6% respectively.

“The impact of ‘hot money’ created by quantitative easing may be dissipating, especially in Asia – where the 30%, 40%, 50% and even higher annual rates of growth, which were common in some Chinese and Indian cities a year ago, have now cooled considerably,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the fastest risers in the index were Hong Kong (20.1%), Latvia (16.9%) and Israel (16.2%). Hong Kong’s rising prices have caused the government to impose measures to curb speculative price growth, while Latvia’s market is rebounding following a 70% plunge in prices during the credit crunch. Israel is enjoying a boost from foreign investors. Malaysia recorded a minute 0.9% growth in 3Q, and saw an overall annual and six-month growth of 6.2% and 3.4% respectively.

Bailey opined that Asian markets will more likely to sidestep a crash in prices, but in many of the previously ‘hot markets’ price falls this year are a “realistic assumption”.

The ultra-low interest rates representing the last traces of the stimulus packages in the European and US markets are deemed critical to the ongoing security of the market, said Bailey.

“Across Europe and the US the lack of bank lending is likely to extend the recent period of price reversals,” he said.

I think most ppl here are talking bout capital appreciation not rental income. Rental income is always subjective. But yes if i were to buy a property now (even if its more expensive) and i have guaranteed tenancy then surely ill go for it. Even now, im looking at areas like Damansara Perdana for rental income as well.

But on the basis of capital appreciation, established & mature areas like TTDI, Bandar Utama, Bangsar, etc will always hold their prices.

Do you understand the meaning of 'hold their prices"?

Have u observed the value of property prices in TTDI, Bangsar and Bandar Utama for the past 5 years? Are u telling me the prices ure seeing now is the same as the prices 5 years ago? If this is what ure saying then you obviously have no idea about the property market in these areas.

For you info, im a TTDI resident. I bought a condo in 2009 for 471K and its current price is approx 650K. This is based on values of transacted units. Right now the going price for a double storey corner lot with land is approx RM 1 mil in TTDI. Was this the price in 2006?

So please dont tell me that prices here have not appreciated. If ure not sure then call up and ask property agents who specialise in these areas before you say my statement is flawed.

Read the following article which came out in 2008:

Investing for the long term

Remember the property boom days before the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis crippled the Malaysian property industry?

In 1993, quantity surveyor Bruce went shopping for a house and paid RM238,000 for a nicely renovated 2-storey intermediate link house in the Aminuddin area in Kuala Lumpur's Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

"There was another unit two doors away, priced at a cheaper RM220,000 but my family and I hated the way it was renovated. So, we went for the more expensive buy," says Bruce.

Buying the TTDI house was not an easy decision to make for Bruce as he had to first sell at a loss his existing house in Kepong's Taman Bukit Maluri, bought during the property market's peak before it crashed in the mid-1980s recession.

See the following link for an analysis of prices in some prime areas:
http://www.metrohomes.com/appmain/hminfo/i...=NOT/2008/00033


A painful decision then but now, with the benefit of hindsight, it turned out to be a brilliant move. "The capital appreciation of the Kepong house is nowhere near that enjoyed by the TTDI property," says Bruce, who sold the TTDI link house in 1997 for a tidy profit and upgraded to a corner unit down the same road. The current asking prices for 2-storey link houses in the Aminuddin/Burhanuddin areas range from RM590,000 to RM630,000.


Location and timing

Location is an all-important factor in property investment, as with timing, as a house price sampling by Metro Homes for the period between 1993 and May this year would attest to.

An analysis of the survey of selected popular addresses in the Kuala Luumpur-Petaling jaya areas points to the fact that while values of property in preferred locations do succumb to a downturn, they also tend to be more resilient. And once the market improves, these areas not only recover lost ground but also scale new heights.

The sampling shows that the cheapest 2-storey link house in the Aminuddin/Burhanuddin area in TTDI was sold for RM390,000 in 1997. Then the Asian financial crisis hit and values dropped 15% to RM330,000 in 1998 before slipping further to RM320,000 in 1999.

But those who had invested in the property then would be laughing all the way to the bank now. As at May this year, the cheapest 2-storey TTDI house in the Aminuddin/Burhanuddin area changed hands at RM490,000, with the most expensive unit fetching a significantly higher RM600,000.

The value uptrend for TTDI semi-detached and detached houses is more pronounced - those who had invested in these homes during the last downturn would probably have doubled their investment today.

In 1993, the cheapest semidee in the Jalan Zaaba/Leong Yew Koh area in TTDI went for RM280,000. Prices climbed steadily and by 1998, buyers paid anything from RM720,000 to RM950,000 for a unit, down from a high of RM1.18 million the year before. As at May this year, buyers paid RM1.55 million to RM1.85 million, with current asking prices ranging from RM1.35 million to RM1.8 million.

If you had bought a TTDI bungalow back in 1993, your investment would have quadrupled. A unit on Jalan Athinahapan/Taman Zaaba cost as little as RM530,000 to RM620,000 in 1993 but the same type of house was sold for a whopping RM1.4 million to RM1.6 million five years later. In 1999, prices slipped to RM1 million to RM1.5 million, but as at May this year, values had soared to RM2 million to RM2.8 million. Current asking prices range from RM2.2 million to RM2.9 million.

Metro Homes' director See Kok Loong attributes the huge capital appreciation in the semidees and detached homes to extensive renovations done to them over the years. In contrast, there's only so much an owner of an intermediate link home can do to expand or improve it.

As the sampling shows, the uptrend in price values in TTDI is not unique to this township, which is located across the road from the bustling suburban residential and commercial hubs of Bandar Utama and Mutiara Damansara.

Other popular addresses surveyed show the prices of houses in good locations experienced a downturn but then rebounded to reach new highs (see table below).
Overall, the property market enjoyed a boom before the Asian financial crisis. Prices stabilised in 1999, which, believes See, had to do with the move by national asset management company (Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Bhd) to buy up the banks' non-performing loans.

"In 2001, we saw prices rising again. In 2003, prices regained their 1997 peak levels and went beyond. In 2007, they recorded a big jump and this had to do with the real property gains tax waiver," he tells City & Country.


Prices and appreciation rates

Without doubt, prices vary not only from township to township but also from location to location within a township. For instance, the prices of 2-storey link houses in the Aminuddin/Burhanuddin area in TTDI are at a discount to the newer phases of Athinappan and Sulaiman. Likewise in the popular Bangsar enclave, the Terasek sections command a higher pre-mium than the older houses in the township.

The rate of capital appreciation differs too from township to township. According to the sampling, in Kuala Lumpur's Taman OUG, a 2-storey link home bought for RM270,000 or so in 1997 would have only fetched RM320,000, or about 18% more, as at May this year. This is a far cry from, say, Jalan Terasek in Bangsar Baru, where values almost doubled in the same period.

"In Taman OUG, the properties are old and require extensive renovations. There is also less new development in the area to raise the benchmark price," explains See.

So, is it time to buy?

There is no crystal ball but this is See's reading: If the economy were to slide, prices will dip 5% to 10%. But prices will recover quickly in mature areas such as Bandar Utama, which are supported by demand and where the basic infrastructure is already in place.

However, with lower interest rates, prices are unlikely to come down as there will be more demand, which, in turn, will push prices up, says See.

His advice: Buy if you are a long-term investor and if you see something you like. While prices may or may not dip in the near term, you may not be able to buy a home of your choice then. In the long run, prices today will ultimately be cheaper than in the future.


Still buying

While the property markets in several countries have in recent months nosedived and transaction volumes have shrunk conspicuously locally, Lee, a professional in his mid-30s, is unperturbed.

Now staying with his parents in Petaling Jaya's mature SS3 area, Lee started shopping for a home some six months ago, before the US subprime mortgage crisis exploded into a global credit meltdown. But he has not let up on his house hunting. "Now is a good time to buy…" says the enthusiastic investor, who is getting a tad disappointed because prices of properties in good locations with good accessibility seem to be holding up.

"I like SS17 in Subang Jaya for its convenience and accessibility, but the 2-storey link homes there are still going for between RM310,000 and RM350,000…" says Lee, who is familiar with SS17 because he went to Inti College which is located there.
While prospective investors like Lee are hopeful that prices will drop, sellers are not budging... for now.

http://www.metrohomes.com/appmain/hminfo/i...=NOT/2008/00033


This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Apr 8 2011, 02:02 PM

The number of developments and property launches now are much much more compared to 97. Anyway, i expect drop in prices mostly for condo's in non prime areas. Landed properties should remain good. But then again its anybody's guess as to what may happen in the future.

Another article in The Edge Malaysia which came out on 27 March 2011:

Property values along MRT line to appreciate

The value of houses located along the proposed MRT line, like those in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) and Bandar Utama, are expected to appreciate. CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Malaysia managing director Allan Soo says the house prices will rise quickly but it will also depend on how fast the MRT is built and how much traffic it carries.

“If the MRT makes life easier, I would rather take it than drive. The line is one of the better ones I’ve seen as it stretches from Sungai Buloh to Jalan Bukit Bintang to Cheras,” he says when presenting The Edge/CBRE Klang Valley Housing Property Monitor for 4Q2010.

Data for the last quarter of 2010 showed growth in property prices in almost all areas surveyed. However, the data collected and the word on the street were markedly different. “It is a surprise, to be honest,” says Allan Soo, in presenting the monitor. “The fourth quarter is usually quieter; even the agents say it is so. The data is a surprise to us. It doesn’t tally with what we know.”

Nevertheless, the positive growth is welcomed as 2011 gets underway. However, several areas showed a drop or low growth, such as 2-storey terraced houses in Jalan Datuk Sulaiman in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, which dropped 20.51% for the quarter. Soo believes that the area is facing stiff competition from surrounding areas that are guarded. “Security concerns and issues may have caused some areas in Taman Tun Dr Ismail to lose their flavour compared with guarded communities,” he says.

Two other areas that recorded low or zero growth are on the high-rise list. The first is TTDI’s The Plaza, which recorded 0.74% growth. Soo believes this could be due to the positioning of the condominium, which means some units have better views than the others.

The second is Lanai Kiara in Mont’Kiara, which experienced zero growth in the quarter. Soo says competition is drawing buyers away from Lanai Kiara due to its age — there are newer condominiums in the vicinity to choose from.

On a positive note, the 1-storey terraced houses in the monitor showed positive gains compared with the year before. Streaking to the top of the list are houses in TTDI’s Burhanuddin Helmi. The 1-storey terraced houses in the Burhanuddin Helmi area showed positive gains due to better design and location.

“TTDI is still seen as a good location and the 1-storey terraced houses are the only things to buy if you missed out on the 2-storey homes,” Soo says. “The good performance of the Burhanuddin Helmi area is due to its better design and infrastructure.”

As for 2-storey terraced houses, all of those in the monitor showed strong growth, with houses in Bandar Sri Damansara SD10 surging 39.47% in 4Q. Bandar Utama’s BU1 homes were next, growing 32.73%.

Some older high-rises, such as Bangsar’s Tivoli Villas (+19.35%), TTDI’s Kiara Park (+15.56%) and Villa Flora (+15.38%), also outshone their younger competitors.

The growth in Tivoli Villas, Bangsar, is due to limited supply in the area and a strong tenancy market. “Bangsar and Damansara Heights do not have any new supply, with the exception of One Menerung. As a result, the tenancy market is still very established and strong in comparison with others,” Soo says. “Moreover, the high-rise market in Bangsar and Damansara Heights is stable. The secondary market grows and allows older units, like those in Tivoli Villa, to go up in price. This doesn’t happen in other places.”

As for the good performance of TTDI’s Kiara Park and Villa Flora, Soo says their large land size and good location and designs trumped the competition.

In summary, all areas and property types showed some growth. Soo believes 1Q2011 will be quiet. “This quarter will be flat but things will improve from the next quarter onwards,” he says.

U still choose to believe property developers talk? Sure prices will go up over a certain percentage in future. Nobody is denying that. But why the hell are these damn developers charging much high rates psf NOW??

If prices are going up by about 10% then why the hell are the current prices of new launches higher by about 20-30%???

That's the question!