Insights
| Bukit Jelutong |
| Friday, 13 January 2012 12:10 |
 Well designed homes with beautiful finishing attracts buyers in Bukit Jelutong.  Amran Ariffin, Founder and Principal of Greenbay Realty Sdn Bhd  High-rise residential units have enjoyed decent rental yields  Wide roads adorned with matured greenery, a result of good town planning. Text : Emilio Vergara A picturesque living environment and excellent accessibility are what makes this peaceful suburb a choice among homeowners here. Join Home Finder as Amran Ariffin, Founder and Principal of Greenbay Realty Sdn Bhd speaks of the trends in properties and reveals that there is more than meets the eye. More than 15 years ago, it was just a green, oil palm plantation. Since then, Bukit Jelutong has developed into a popular suburb of residential enclaves and industrial estate while retaining its natural and green milieu. The conducive living it currently projects could pretty much be attributed to the brilliant masterplan by the then Guthrie Property Holdings Bhd, under the watchful eye of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim back in the mid 1990s. Managed and developed by Sime Darby Property it now houses a good mix of residential, commercial and industrial properties all planned strategically within. Looking from a bird's eye view, Bukit Jelutong can be divided into two, the east and the west. On the east side, a large industrial area plays hosts to a myriad of high-tech, low-pollution industries with many of them being well-known corporations in the global arena. On the west, cushioned from the industrial east by matured greenery are mostly low-rise residential developments with small pockets of commercial land providing for the population of 18,000. Steadily Growing "When you are looking at investments in residential units here, it is best to consider capital appreciation rather than rental returns," says Amran, adding that while rental yields are relatively low for landed properties at only about 3.5 to 4 percent, apartments do fetch better rates at about 6 to 7 percent based on a recent deal of RM900 per month. And with the completion of a new shopping mall nearby, one can expect rental prices to further escalate. As for capital appreciation, an example would be the Serunai, a double-story link development completed in 2004 with a size of 20ft x 70ft and built-up area of 1,815 sq ft. "When it was first launched in 2002, the price was RM230,000. A recent transaction this year saw the house sold at RM460,000, double its original price within a span of 9 years," he says. Some units have even seen its price almost tripled within the last 12 years. This is true for one of the earlier developments along Jalan Mimbar. A link house of only 20ft x 65ft is now going for more than RM500,000, almost triple its original price of RM180,000. Bungalow lots here have also received similar rates if not better. "We have also seen a trend of property flipping here due to the high appreciation of about 20 to 30 percent within the time span of its launching to its completion." According to Amran, investors of industrial developments on the east side of Bukit Jelutong are really enjoying a fair share of the cake, "About 10 years ago, these industrial spaces were rented out at about RM22 per sq ft. Now you will see rates hovering at about RM120 per sq ft." He also revealed that this phenomenal rise is partly due to the establishment of the Guthrie Aerospace Park located near the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base, a development designed to cater for the aerospace industry. As for commercial developments, so far, Bukit Jelutong has only shop lots and shop-offices. Citing an example for the d'Pangkin double-story shop lots, one of the first commercial development in the area, he said that in 2006, it was selling at RM1 million. It has seen an increase of approximately 60 percent within four years, selling at RM1.6 million last year. In terms of rental price, the d'Bayu shop lots were rented out at about RM4,500 in 2009. A confident increase, now it can fetch rates of about RM5,500. There are no existing malls or office towers here which makes it a very potential development to delve into. The upcoming billion-ringgit Bukit Jelutong Commercial Center will answer that demand for more commercial developments. It will comprise of shop-offices, office suites as well as serviced apartments. Along with other new commercial developments including Space U8, Bukit Jelutong's first shopping mall, it is set to positively transform Bukit Jelutong both visually and in value. A Green Haven with Potential "The first thing you will notice when you drive around here is the beautiful designs and finishing of its houses, projecting a seemingly countryside lifestyle of its occupants." While it is easy to expect such a lifestyle for retirees, he points out that most of the residents here are high-earning professionals working in city centers such as KL, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya. "Bukit Jelutong may lack public transportation, but the numerous highways and expressways it is connected to makes travelling to these city centers fast and easy," he exclaimed. Some of the highways include the Guthrie Corridor Expressway and the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) which connects it to KL and other population centers while the Federal Highway and Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS) takes you all the way to Klang. Despite having little land left for development, this emerald of a township still presents a natural and spacious landscape. Once a place overlooked by the countless people who pass it every day via the highways it is located along, Bukit Jelutong can now stamp its mark as a green haven with an even bigger potential when its proposed commercial centers Bukit Jelutong
Serunai
d'Pangkin
Upcoming Developments
Accessibility
Public Amenities and Recreation
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