Malaysia Real Estate

[raycsc]

Hi guys,

Any advice/opinion on the Casa Desa condo at Taman Desa?

Is it a good buy for investment?

Thanks

[Jack204]

Actually there are 2 new condo building up at that area. Which one are you refering to? the one near the Desa medical centre or the one further down where the pasar malam is?

[raycsc]

Hi,

I'm refering to the one near the medical centre, called Casa Desa condo.

I checked the site plan. It looks a bit too dense with 7 blocks and the swimming pool is very small......looks like there is not much space for common facilities...

What's your thoughts on this development?

Thanks

[Jack204]

I have been to the shown unit. Well i think it is abit pricy as they are selling on locality. Anyway in my personal opinion is i think that place is a bit high density, deisgn is only so so and too pricy. For me i would not consider that as a buy

[raycsc]

Hi Jack204,

Ya, I think I might give this a miss too....I'm just not comfortable that it is a bit too dense with little amenities space.

With that tiny swimming pool, it will be full most of the time and one can't really swim in it.....

And I really think it is a pity that there is no tennis court...I guess I will be looking for another condo with a bigger and more rectangular pool and with a tennis court will be a bonus

Thanks for your feedback

[mercuri]

[winnie the pooh]

merc tell me goose lay golden egg also i believe

[raycsc]

[m2m]

Hi my personnel opinion its not a good buy, cos wiht tis kind of price its consider too high den.. and the bal small units are facing the west. & I also noticed that if u buy a bigger unit, than u need to walk all the way passing thru carpark then only u can reach the pool. Siow right? And another its there is not balcony on the unit & the facade of the building its too low cost look...

[gast]

I don't feel comfortable looking at such huge structure sitting on a hill slope. Yeah, it looks crowded as well.

[skh333]

Just my 2 cents worth on Casa Desa in Taman Desa:

Cons:

LOOKS - not appealing unless Faber Union, the developer can do some magic with choice of colour and design.

SECURITY FEATURES - with their current price tag, is it very difficult to follow the many other condo developers in implementing added security features like access cards to lifts and floors and adequate CCTVs? For security sake, i don't think many would mind carrying around the access card eg to the pool etc or pay about RM50 for each additional card.

Bear in mind that the visitors' parking bays are also in the 5 level car park area i.e. sharing same area as the residents' parking areas. Without added security like access cards and CCTVs everywhere would mean the security guards must do very thorough screening of visitors (and we all now how thorough that's going to be).

FACILITIES - no tennis and squash court which seem to be a standard in most condos. Then again, are these facilities really fully utilised? Swimming pool is usually only packed in the initial stage of moving in. after that, it will be packed during the weekends on certain hours only. Doesn't look like the condo will be having fantastic landscaping and so forth.

MANAGEMENT - can the management company under the Faber umbrella live up to be a good management company eg. being TRANSPARENT about the amount of service charges and SINKING FUNDS collected and USED by them? will the residents be presented with true and detailed annual or 1/2 yearly financial reports on how they r UTILISING owners' money to run the condo? If the management company is hoping to be a long-term player in this industry, they must know that they have to deliver the goods well and win the hearts of owners.

DIRECTION - is there no other way to design the 7 blocks so that less units (in blocks A, B & C) are totally facing West? these units may still sell but it's not going to be fast, it's more likely to be last.


Now to be fair, the PROS:

LOCATION - One can almost find no fault in Taman Desa or Taman Danau Desa in terms of it's location. To me, they are among the best, if not the best location in Klang Valley. Elevated and centrally located between KL and PJ means that even if one were to shift job locations between KL or PJ (the two busiest and most happening cities where most are working), there is really no need to relocate to a new home. There are Bomba, Hospital, Police station and abundance of shops for everything. Pubs are of course in no short supply. The neighbourhood is also mostly middle to upper class, and being a mature township, pleasantly quiet and not much more room for unexpected and unwanted developments, something like What U See is What U Get, unlike many 'Hot' areas which is still growing and growing and growing until it's growing painful with traffic congestion and blocked views from new developments. What more, residents here are pampered by the nearby and ever popular Mid Valley Megamall.

ACCESSIBILITY - Imagine a neighbourhood which is connected by an interchange to a MAXIMUM of highways and byways (Federal, Old Klang Road, Kerinchi link to Sprint & LDP, NPE, North-South to KESAS) with MINIMAL jam, and where u have some choice between toll-paying roads or free roads?

FREEHOLD LAND - Casa Desa is Faber Union's last freehold land. Ultimately, freehold is always better than leasehold in terms of value, time factor and convenience.

CARPARK BAYS - Casa Desa offers 2 parking bays, which is really important as it means minimal congestion in and around the condo. Forget the discount of RM10K unless u really think that u will be needing only 1 parking bay your whole life. And a carpark bay cost RM15K to RM20K. so it's a no-brainer anyway.

DENSITY - 7 blocks seems like a lot, but look closer and u see that only block A and E is of higher density with 8 units/block. Anyway, they occupy slightly more than 10 floors only. The rest are ok. Two blocks are only dedicated for duplexes - one medium and one low rise. all in all, only 410 units. is that really of high density? think about it, sometimes low density means less residents leading to less participation and help in condo affairs not to mention higher cost of management, and possibly less bargaining power with developer and management.

DESIGN - units layouts are generally good and most important of all, there is allocation of A/C compressor areas outside. very important point. keeps the place looking good and the A/C working well.

SPECIFICATION - When u think about the extra car park bay and the finishing promised (beautiful 2' x 2' porcelain tiles for living/dining and laminated wood flooring for rooms), plus decorative basins for bathrooms, do u still need to plunge a whole lot more money into your unit in terms of renovation? think about it, how much do all the above cost? Of course, that's provided the developer delivers what's promised.

Conclusion: We often get swept off our feet (and pay a premium) by condos offering great this, great that, extra this, extra that. Of course those things are always nice to have but end of the day, one comes back home, watches TV, spends some time with loved ones and b4 u know it, there is no time for utilisation of all the above extras. What's important is a decent place to stay where one can travel back & forth from workplace and other landmarks with ease, instead of raising our stress levels when stuck in traffic jams which lead to bad temper on and off the road, poor health (air in car is no fresh air) and higher cost of travel (petrol & toll).
Is that real quality of life?

All in all, we are missing out on the simplest things in life - peace of mind, good health and time with friends and loved ones.

And when it comes to property, it's always LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! WITH A GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD, OF COURSE!

HAPPY HOME HUNTING!

[kvyeoh]

Wow...what a great explaination. I agree what you said. For me, i will not consider as a buy also.

[skh333]

KVYEOH, thanks for your praises, but i have a feeling perhaps u did not finish my overly long comments, or maybe somewhere along the line I confused u.

I too am confused that u totally agree with what i said (my article is actually in support of purchasing the property) and that u will also not buy the condo?

Anyway, nice to finally see someone post a reply. Have a good day ahead!

[chongkg]

I just got a unit here. I think, design wise, it's a bit lacking compared to other developers, but what clinched it for me is the location, as mentioned by skh333. It's really expensive compared to other developments but time wasted in a traffic jam is something precious that even money can't buy.

I heard that they would be relaunching the project on the 3 & 4 Feb and the showroom has been moved to the actual condo site.

When I passed by the condo, some blocks have already been painted and according to the sales person, it's at 35% completion.

[kokwei]

Looking to purchase a unit soon. Appreciate more comments here and I wonder if there are any other buyers here in this forum. Looked at the take-up rate, its very high and its like almost 60-70% sold.

Yes they are launching the show-unit at the actual site soon, but I'm not aware of the actual date. chongkg, any indication? Which unit/block did you purchase?

The progressive billing is now at 45% as per mentioned by the sales-officer.

Can anybody confirm if the developer will implement access cards to lifts for access to individual floors?

[paulwks]

Sorry, do not have many comments to make, just to let kokwei know I purchased a unit there as well.

The plus point is the travel time to work for me is very short from Taman Desa, and it is very central to all my destinations.

[chongkg]

Hi Kokwei, the show unit would be launched on the 3rd and 4th Feb from 10am till 3pm. It's official cause I just got the invitation letter today. However, from what I was previously told, if you wish to visit after those 2 days, you would have to make an appointment at the office because the site is still under construction (safety issue). Anyway you could call their office at 03-76282833 for more info.

I bought the Intermediate Type 3 in Block E, on one of the upper floors. Very few of these types left in Block E.

As for the access cards question, I did not ask that. Maybe you could do us a favour by asking that during the launch

Hi Paulwks....good to know others who have bought are here. Which unit did u buy?

[paulwks]

Thanx for the dates, chongkg. Will definitely go and have a look around. Not much to look around on the outside though, as it still looks like a building site!

I purchased in Block D, Type 7. They have already dug the pool area and to my dissapointment, it looks quite small.

But I could be wrong. Will await the final result!

[kokwei]

Hi guys!

Thanks for the replies. I will checkout the show unit this weekend (Saturday) as I'm just at Faber Heights lo (renting now)

Contemplating this place and casa desa, the catch of faber heights is that the management is superb!

Anyway will ask about the access card thingie. And paulwks, Type-7 is huge!

I dont fancy nice swimming pool and facilities anyway. Think about how many times we would use it but of course to the guests with kids around ... it's nice to have a nice and spacious pool.

[kokwei]

Hey guys,

Just paid the deposit today, and will be signing the S&P soon. Would like to know from those who purchased too, what is the clause on vacant possession delivery. The sales guy briefly mentioned that it will be 3 yrs from the date of S&P. That doesn't sound very fair to me ... as consumers will only be able to claim compensation on late delivery 3 yrs after S&P. Any comments?

Anybody bought Block-E? Let's see who are my neighbours

Checked on the access cards availability. The answer is ... NO. They are not implementing it due to cost of card issuance which is around RM50 per card, per pax, and imagine 5-6 pax in those bigger units. But these are just the developer's excuse for not implementing it. Well for those who wanted to know bout this, here's the answer!

Completion will be Sept 07, CF for move-in Dec 07, latest they forsee would be in Jan 08.

[paulwks]

What did you think of the show unit? I paid a quick visit too. dissapointed that the tv area is not bigger. Kitchen was nice. Lanai not much use, imho. will check on the s&p later and let you (kokwei) know.

[chongkg]

Hey guys. Ha ha it seems that there are only 3 of us active in this thread. Thankfully there are more buyers as indicated at the launch. Yes, I was there too to check out the place. I think built quality was quite good, from the perspective of the walls and floors being quite well done, smooth and without any visible cracks.

Kokwei, congratulations in your new purchase. I'm in E14. which floor did you buy? I was quite impressed with the Type2 shown with the extra 100sqft compared to Type3, but what the heck, all documents already signed.

As for the "3 years from S&P" thingy, that's a standard governed by housing law. Of course they can wait 3 years before handing you the keys....but I guess their accountants wouldn't be too happy cause it also means the banks won't be releasing any money to them. It's more of a re-assurance for people who sign up for a brand new project that hasn't broken ground, but at this stage where they have started to paint the exterior, it's safe to say that they would try to meet the dateline.

Too bad about the access cards. Looking at the carpark yesterday, I think it would be difficult to implement it cause there is one big carpark with multiple entries to all 5 main blocks, meaning lots of doors to secure. This does not take into account the doors from ground level etc... So I think for a project to have this type of arrangement, the condo has to be designed with it in mind, otherwise it would be very expensive to maintain.

Paulwks, you have a big unit. I think you would have more freedom to renovate and redesign the insides of your unit as long as you don't take down any supporting structures or external wall.

[Clive316]

Hi guys, i bought a unit at Block E 8th floor, Type 3. Went to the site yesterday, satisfy with the workmanship. Are they going to close the back entrance once the project completed?

[paulwks]

Thanx chongkg for that answer on the s&p. It is good to know. I was told that the back entrance we entered from is only temporary and that there will only be one entrance/exit from the front. This back entrance will only be used for emergency services. That is the info I obtained from them.

Will be purchasing an extra carpark and the indicative pricing is RM15k each.

[kokwei]

Hi paul, chong, and clive. Yes indeed we are the very few active contributors to this thread but haha I think we are all occupants of the same block. I bought Block-E, 7th floor Type 3. Clive I think I'm right below you, my unit is #2 its the corner unit. I chose that cause I was worried the sound of the lifts maybe heard from the walls.

Paul, do you mean you needed a 3rd car-park?

I would hope the back-entrance is opened coz for Block-E occupants it is quite convenient. In addition to that, the back entrance is less congested if I were to like go to the Danau Desa shops ... coz Jln Desa Utama is always busy.

I'm dropping by this weekend to hand-over my IC and have a look at the S&P before I actually sign it the following week. Just wanted sometime to look at it thoroughly. Any idea if they can give us a "copy" of it to look at it off-site?

Chong, I hope the 100sqft will not make a whole lot of difference in size. If you look at Type-2, the kitchen is open concept and Type-3 isnt ... which I prefer it that way otherwise the smell of the cook would be all over the place. But, of course, Type-2 is longer/wider by 100sqft! Living room is okay la ... the show-unit cramped it quite a bit by putting a sofa as part of the dining table. The wallpaper is nice tho ...

Agree that the flooring is nice. Another let down is the size of the washrooms. There isn't any much room for a shower-screen.