Hi, my parents have a terrace house in KV that is worth around 600k. They like to plant things and have their own garden so I looked around and found that there are a few areas in Seremban where they sell bungalow lots for people to build their own houses. There are also some double story semi-ds that cost around 400k to 500k. The residential land costs around 200k - 300k.

I'm wondering if it is better to buy a semi-D with around 3500 sqft of land that already has a house built and just spend 50k on basic renovations or buy a 5600 sqft land and build a single story bungalow. The main reason I'm asking this is because I'm not really sure how much it would cost to build a house in Seremban. I heard people say you can build a single story bungalow for 100k, and some say you need 300k.

If they sell their house in KV, they will probably have about 550k left.

Which of the 2 do you guys think is the better option?

Parking. I’m interested to know also.

I’d choose single-storey with larger land area since there’s no stairs for old people to climb, and enough space for gardening.

It will take at least 6 months - 2 years to build a house.

It takes shorter time to buy a ready made house.

i was tell this to my clients.
the budget is on your hand. if you can afford a bungalow, then go ahead. if you only want a shed, what is the problem with it if you are happy with it?

i would say, just buy a bungalow land and built a single storey unit. Reason quite simple. They will feel old one day and tell you they are lazy to climb up the stairs and the house is too big for two old fellows.

The big garden would be their better companion. Farming, exercising, fresh air, etc.

Honestly even a RM100k can built a bungalow. So about the budget, there are just too many variables. Its really up to you how you plan to built your house from determining built up size, no of rooms and toilets, built in furniture, material of construction, smart home gadgets, architecture works, external works, etc.

I agree.

Nowadays the minimalist structure is more up-to-date, and minimalism has less angles and materials overall (flat roof, spacious design with less walls) so should be cheaper to build. Really don’t understand why most Malaysian homes still look very outdated, even the newly built ones.

RM100k can really build a bungalow? I plan to buy land and build my own bungalow as well, so I’m taking every info I can find into consideration.

I think they are mainly afraid of cost overrun if building a bungalow.

They will probably have 200k for building once they bought the land. Is that enough for a 1200ish sqft 3 room 2 bath house?

Since you mention clients, what do you work as?

Just an illustration. There are many things to consider when it comes to building structures. Land condition, layout, architecture, etc.

Assuming if everything is ideal, why not?

A contractor in all trades

What are some potential issues I should look out for when shopping for a piece of residential land to build a bungalow on?

fengshui - if you believe
surroundings - signs of natural disasters, smell, noise, neighbors, facilities, security, etc
soil condition - natural or reclaimed
utilities - especially if you cant live without line coverage
land ownership - caveat

If buy bungalow lot in G&G development, solved most of that, no?

not really

it might not suit your fengshui
maybe it has a big monsoon drain next to it with bad odour?
maybe that plot really dont have phone coverage?
maybe that land is subsale not straight from developer?

Basically need to fulfill these in a checklist also I guess.

The lands I'm looking at are in Rasah Kemayan in Seremban. Not sure if you are familiar.

It was design for people to buy an individual bungalow plots and build their own house. I read that the developer bankrupt and some of the shoplots there build halfway abandoned, and that place still not fully build up yet, probably why the price is affordable.

But I have went and checked it out with my family and we actually really like the place, very quiet, but not so quiet that you would feel afraid. I asked the agent about the utilities and they said that it shouldn't be a problem since the other houses there also have water, electricity, and phone connections. We even went and checked out the abandoned shoplots and it turns out they have been recently completed, so I guess the value of the lands there are slowly going up.

The thing that I am most concerned about is how much it would cost to flatten the land.

For example, this land

https://www.google.com/maps/@2.6962331,101....3312!8i6656

is quite uneven, so I presume it would take a bit of work to flatten it so that a building can be built.

sorry really not familiar with Seremban but your link helps.

Usually such development wont have much problems unless if your neighbor(s) had illegally dumped a lot of soil/C&D waste on your land previously when they constructing their homes but typically land clearing (cutting trees and flattening ground) doesn't cost a bomb and its very fast.

Land appreciation is important because one day you will have to sell it but since you are staying and not investing, it is not so crucial because you can wait. but land appreciation depends a lot on how fast the are grows.

Ahh I see.

I'm sorry for asking so many questions, but may I ask if you know how much does it cost per sqft for land clearing?

I heard from a property agent that it costs rm5000 to clear a 10,000 sqft land, but I'm not sure if I can believe him.

If cost savings are among your concern, I will suggest better settle for existing houses.

If you want to build yourself, there's tonnes of other costs than construction cost itself. Professional fees, land title change, premiums, submission fees, contribution fees (local council/water supply/sewerage/telekom/TNB) and many more you can and cannot think about.

Its not cost effective.

This post has been edited by msacras: May 17 2019, 10:24 PM

We will try to keep cost low by building a very small (around 1000sqft) house and with very bare furnishings.

100k a fairy basic design and materials for 3 rooms n 2 bath.

Dont forget furniture cost a lot too

Professional fees (architect/engineer/QS and so) typically take up to 10% of project cost.

And 10k is too little to get it done I will say.

This post has been edited by msacras: May 17 2019, 11:18 PM