Q1: You are the first to develop a luxury condo in Ipoh. Why? What were your reasons for doing so?
First, why Ipoh?
Ipoh is the best vacation and retirement location in Malaysia, equivalent the best in the
world, but with much more value.
Ipoh has amazing qualities that have been largely overlooked. There are so many advantages of Ipoh, that I shall summarize in point form to save space.
1. It is between 2 greatest cities in Malaysia, KL and Penang.
2. Location is amazing – a convenient 2 hours to both KL and Penang Island.
3. Infrastructure is superb.
• All weather highway.
• Double track electric train (ETS) that connects 7 times a day to KL and will soon be connected to Singapore and Thailand.
• Airport that flies twice a day to Singapore and envisaged to fly to Jakarta, Medan, Hong Kong, South China and elsewhere.
• Wi-fi and Internet connectivity.
4. Amenities •
Great schools, Music, Orchestras, Hospitals, Golf Courses, Shopping Centres etc.
5. Food • Excellent and reasonably priced array of food, all kinds for all races.
6. Tremendous untapped potential for the city.
7. Excellent golf courses.
8. Numerous unspoiled recreational attractions.
9. Unbeatable vacation and retirement location.
10. Unbelievably low prices of properties in Ipoh.
Second, why luxury condo?
There are 5 compelling reasons:
1.
Luxury condo
The current luxury condos are not luxury enough, especially for wealthy foreigners and I might add, even for KL. We were a higher standard of condos in Ipoh to attract the wealthy to Ipoh and we have just done this.
2.
Desirable lifestyle for Ipohreans
The rich in Ipoh has a mindset about life’s progression from a one storey home to two storey home to a semi D and to a bungalow house. The super rich would build their own bungalows. The problem comes when their children grow up and leave them for greater achievements in KL and overseas. The rich have no need for a large bungalow house but they cannot downgrade due to “loss of face”. We provide them with an alternative lifestyle that is in fact much more desirable and suitable, without any loss of face. The facilities are lavish and the rich and famous do not need to leave their home for a game of tennis, jogging, swimming, food etc.
3.
Mobility
Related to the lifestyle mentioned above, is the all important issue of security.
Security is the primary issue especially for this category of people and we provide the very best of security of any development in the State.
Our residents can just lock up their units for months and be with their children or friends overseas without any worry of breaches of security of their belongings.
4.
A perfect vacation home or retirement home (for both Malaysians and foreigners)
The attractiveness of Ipoh has hitherto not been promoted sufficiently. If one knows about this best-kept-but-obvious “secret”, one would look for a second home in Ipoh. To us the attractiveness of Ipoh as a vacation or retirement home surpasses that of all Malaysia.
5.
Eco living at its best
The site at the Haven is just at the fringe of a great 280 million years old virgin forest. We preserve and maintain the site without blasting any rock or cutting down any tree. We added modern elements of preservation, that of harvesting renewable energy sources of wind, water and sun in order to preserve the earth meaningfully. Plants and animal life proliferate at the site.
Although we are living with nature, shops are at our doorstep (just outside the guard house) and McDonalds and Giant Supermarket are just 2 minutes from the site. I do not think there is another site like this anywhere else in the world. We describe it as eco living at its best because we have installed most of the luxury furnishings and facilities for a modern lifestyle into this development.
Q2: Describe The Haven’s attractive features. What are its Unique Selling Points?
The unique selling points (USPs) will take numerous pages. However we will list the major USPs here in summary:
1. A development right in nature, yet in the city. It is only within 10-15 minutes from the city centre, railway station, bus terminals, airport, shopping centres, etc.
2. It is eco-living at its best, located at fringe of unspoilt virgin forest.
3. It is the first luxury condo with complete array of facilities in Ipoh.
4. We have more amenities and facilities than any development we know in Malaysia. We list these below:
Services
• Premier Hotel Management
• Concierge
• Shuttle Service
• Launderette
• Room & Housekeeping
Others
• High Speed Lifts
• Centralised ASTRO connection
• Male & Female Changing Rooms
5. 4 acre pristine flowing lake.
6. By the rare limestone hills, only found in Guilin, Halong Bay, Phuket and here. (probably the only condo development in the world by these hills).
7. A unique 280 million years old outcrop as the centre piece.
8. Location
• Great Hub for KL, Penang, Sitiawan, Cameron Highland, Belum Forest, Thailand
• Excellent medical facilities, 5 major hospitals
• Excellent roads and rails - North South Expressway, Electric Train Service (ETS)
- Soon to be connected to Singapore and Thailand. And later through Thailand to China and Europe
• Sultan Azlan Shah International Airport Ipoh upgrading to complete 2012
9. 5-star quality development:
• 800 metres Landscaped driveway
• Raised Ground
• It is a split level building ceiling 10’ high
• Designated air-cond. (Compressor ledges and air-cond. copper piping provided)
• 4 elevators (including 1 hidden service lift)
• 600 x 600 “rectified” nano finished 4th generation tile (Prices much higher than normal Chinese tiles)
• 4 piece luxury bathroom
• 8 ft high solid door
• Hotel-style rooms with high wide windows
• 6 ft high powder coated 1.3mm aluminium windows
• Powder coated 1.5mm 2 wheel sliding door
• 304 stainless steel railing for balcony
• Side flow floor gully / traps
• Shell water proofing paint
• Renewable energy - solar panel and rainwater harvesting
• Landscape, jogging track, lake and gardens
10. Others
• Authentic fine dining restaurant located besides the lakeside
• Exclusive Shuttle Services - To Airport, railway station, hospitals
11. Main Contractors and Consultants
• 5-star builders - Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) & Bina Puri Holdings
• 5-star consultants MLA Landscape Architects
• Managed by Best Western International under its premier status
• Operator’s guarantee of 6% p.a. return for 3 years and 7% for the next 2 years
Q3: We understand you have won numerous awards. What are they and what were the
reasons for the awards.
We have won 5 awards so far, but did not have time to take the last one from Oxford U.K due to time constraints. The 4 awards are:
1. Arch of Europe Award (Gold Category), Frankfurt, Germany
2. The Diamond Eye Award, Geneva, Switzerland
3. SC Cheah Choice Awards by NST Property Times -Best Resort Condo
4. SC Cheah Choice Awards by NST Property Times -Best Perak Developer
The citation of Best Resort Condo and Best Perak Developer is enclosed. In particular please see the many firsts we have achieved for Malaysia and for Perak.
New Straits Times,
Best Resort Condominium
(page 9),
23 September 2011
New Straits Times,
Best Perak Developer
(page 8),
23 September 2011
Q4: Why is The Haven a good investment proposition?
It is the opportune time to invest in The Haven. 4 solid reasons on why the price will appreciate:
1. Ipoh is in the catch up phase. Property prices in the world could move by leads and lags (i.e. some move fast, others slow, but the slow ones often catch up). We see this phenomenon in action now with Ipoh, catching up with KL city, Penang, Melaka and other parts of Malaysia.
2. Recognition of condo living merits, gradually becoming a trendsetter of Ipohreans.
3. Equalization of condo resort prices with other parts of the country.
4. Upside potential when completed. This almost always happens when the development is a substantial one and when the market is not speculative as is the case of The Haven in Ipoh. Based on the above, and on the fact that the world’s property scene is very volatile, we are of the opinion that The Haven is the best defensive investment opportunity available for property incentives today.
Q5: What is the GDV and expected yields from sales/rentals for this project?
GDV RM280+ millions
Rentals > 6% p.a.
You can opt for a BWI rental guarantee of 6% for 3 years + 7% for next 2 years
Q6: Where can interested buyers find more information on The Haven?
Show Gallery at the Site:
The Haven Show Gallery Ipoh, Perak GPS Coordination
WGS84 Longitude
E 101°9'43.2"
WGS84 Latitude
N 4°38'14.2"
Office Address:
No.6A Jalan Medan Ipoh 3, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Q7: Does The Haven Sdn. Bhd. have any other projects in the pipeline?
We do not take on more than what we can handle. So far we undertake one project at a time to ensure that it is completed well. We do have lots of proposals. We will not be committing until we are nearly complete on this development.
Q8: I was told that you have completed 2 extraordinary projects before The Haven? Please elaborate on these?
The first in Malaysia is Permai Lake View Apartments, which consist of 576 low cost apartments. The market now realized its extraordinary quality, 5 years after its completion. No low cost apartment in Malaysia comes close in terms of planning and quality. You will need to visit it to appreciate the quality. We enclosed a few photographs to give you a preview. The maintenance is good and we have a balance of sinking and maintenance funds of over RM500,000, quite a feat for any development of this kind in Malaysia.
Our second project is 175 units of terrace houses in Subang II in Selangor, This comes with auto-gate, water filter, high ceiling, hotel-style bedroom, 600x600 polished tiles, underground cabling and drains, and we first marketed them from RM 270,000 a unit. Today they are demanded at RM540,000 double the original price, just 2 years after certificate of fitness (CF) was issued.
Again, we enclose a few photographs of the development. Photographs were taken one year after completion.
Q9: What is another unique feature of The Haven?
The Haven is one of very few condominium developments in Malaysia, and possibly the very first in Perak, to come with international conference and banquet facilities to cater to its residents and guests. A well planned and thoughtfully designed reception hall, with the state-of –the-art facilities, ample parking, and five-star hotel standard accommodation make The Haven an ideal venue for conferences, weddings and other celebrations in Ipoh.
Event planners and bridal couples will find The Haven an “out of this world” and unique wedding destination that is the perfect setting for a truly unforgettable and magical wedding.
The Haven provides the perfect balance between city and nature, where one can “get away from it all” yet be in the city, or on the North-South highway, within five minutes.
Q10: Do your facilities cater to the needs of the aged and disabled?
Every care and consideration, as well as thoughtful planning, has gone into the design and implementation of our facilities. Not only does The Haven meet the exacting demands and high expectations of today’s discerning generation, we have also built with the various categories as mentioned above, in mind. Ramps are built wherever possible in public areas to enable wheelchair access. We use anti-slip tiles in bathrooms and pool/slippery areas to prevent accidents.
Q11: How will your partnership with Best Western International (BWI) help promote a “brand name” for The Haven? How will it benefit the owner/investor?
We are proud and privileged to have BWI as our partner and be designated as its first Premier status eco-resort in Asia. As the world’s largest hotel chain with a long history of success and unrivalled experience in locating and managing hotels around the world, The Haven is in outstanding hands. This partnership will go a long way towards creating a reputation and brand name for The Haven as a trusted investment, backed by an international brand.
Furthermore, our owners and residents can draw on BWI’s vast international database to seek potential tenants, for their unit/s. So confident is BWI Sdn. Bhd. in the potential Ipoh and the uniqueness of The Haven as a tourist/conference/wedding destination, that it is prepared to offer a 6% p.a. rental guarantee to investors for the first three years, and 7% p.a. for a further two years, with option to extend for another five years.
We understand that people not only want an ideal living place that meets all their lifestyle needs, they also want to make wise investment decisions, when buying property. With the rental guarantee by BWI and the host of privileges. The Haven is a sound investment decision, as it promises good capital appreciation and investment returns.
