Posts

Showing posts from December, 2013

Nadayu 62

Image
Heh? Interesting... a new billboard advertising Nadayu 62 is up next to the MRR2 Highway but scant details; just a mobile number to "register". Went online but nothing about it on Nadayu's own website but on iProperty there is a lot of details with one intriguing disclaimer: Sorry, the new property listing you're trying to view is no longer active. This may mean that the listing that you searched for has expired or the property has been taken off our search result listing. Please have a look at other active listings that fulfill similar criteria at the bottom of this page. Hmm... why put up the billboard but pull it off iProperty? The salient features: In Nadayu Melawati - poshness!  950 square feet  Leasehold :(  Priced between 411 to 661 psf = about RM600K - which, in this day and age, is considered "reasonable" or "quite good" considering its location.  3 bedroom, 2 bathroom - standard but at 950 sq ft means that the rooms

Some political musings: Thailand

Admittedly, I love the place. I know it's not perfect but once I step foot in Thailand, I always feel so free and happy. The people are nice, even though you don't understand what they say but it sounds so nice! LOL and the food, the shopping and everything! I find the current situation there quite sad - as a neighbour, one hopes that they will resolve it ... so that I can go visit again soon! Although, it is still quite safe for tourist even now in Bangkok.. maybe not the southern provinces with the latest bomb blast. Sigh... A few years ago, my sympathies were more towards the Yellow Shirts - in fact some of my Thai friends are Yellow shirt supporters. But reading more into the situation, I am not supporting them now - they are agitating for a regressive form of government! A council, indeed?! Chosen by whom? It is almost like the ancient Roman system of choosing senators from the bonii (good men) who had to be rich enough not to require a salary from the state - hence

The Cost and Value of buying an existing property

A summary post of my thoughts and learnings from buying property and renovating - while there are tons of discussion forums, you'd have to trawl through a whole lot of (rather badly written) comments and sift through the rantings, boastings and fluff to even get a glimmer of useful information. So here goes and hope it helps: The majority of Malaysians prefer to buy brand new properties from developers. There are definitely advantages in terms of lower pricing and the satisfaction of owning something first hand. However, there are hidden costs to it too - primarily the risk of uncertainty that touches many aspects of a new development that includes: Risk of non-completion - this is the worst one, you're stuck with a loan or if you paid cash, you can't liquidate. Risk of non-compliance - I have viewed a 2nd hand property before where the owners have been cheated by their developer: the S&P states that the house dimensions were 22x60 but they only built it to 2

Feng Shui Prediction 2014

A strategic view, if you will: Lots of Fire element, hence it is an aggressive year. Very creative but also very confrontational. Economies will be vibrant in the 1st half of the year then cool down again in the 2nd half. So make hay while the sun shines. I think a lot of the worry is actually caused by the media (who need to have something to report! And doom & gloom make for sensational news) and by everyone else who have this mistaken notion that economies must *always* grow. No, they are cyclical. If you don't grasp that fact and put into your business forecasts, then you will *always* be wrong and miss targets. Banking looks set to do well (phew!) - I hope the worst of the compliance issues everywhere have been resolved after some major fines being meted out in 2013. Looking at the 24 Mountains chart and compared to the political stage here in Malaysia, we're in for ANOTHER dramatic year. This time, both the Snake (PM Najib) and the Rabbit (Opp Leader Anw