Malaysia Money Matters

Let's be a little snarky for once - really, "Astoria" .. is the developer trying to 'tumpang glamour' from the Waldorf-Astoria of New York? Did you know where the name Astoria comes from? It is from the old-money New York family, the Asters. Specifically, the erstwhile matriarch Mrs Aster was so incensed that the Waldorf hotel was built next to her mansion that she decided to move out and build her own hotel on the site called the Astoria. The two hotels later joined up and became the now famous Waldorf-Astoria. So what does this story have to do with Astoria Ampang? Nothing really, except for the penchant of Malaysian developers to choose fancy names for their condos that have NO RELEVANCE whatsoever. :) Anyway, I saw the ads and came across their show booth during the Renovation Expo at the KL Convention Centre that was held during the 3rd week of January. Only had a cursory glance and a brief conversation with their sales people - the lady was nice ...

A new development open for registration just appeared on Jln Jelatek. It looks interesting and the location is good but there are some risky aspects to consider. Details like floor plans and pricing are not available although it is said to be around RM750 psf which is considered "low" in relation to M-Suites which is about 300m away and going for RM1,200+ psf - of course there are other factors in play with regard to M-Suites. Anyway, the pros and cons of Picasso according to currently available information: Pro: Location - just off Jln Ampang, it is close to KLCC (about 3km). It has access to the Ampang Elevated Highway (the entrance to the highway is like only 30m from Picasso) and the DUKE. The Jelatek LRT station is a stones throw away. You can drive straight into the KLCC car park within 8 minutes if there is no traffic (and if you use the Smart Tag! LOL) from this property. Relative low density at 452 units - half the size of the recently launched condos aro...