Singapore Expats

Expat commuting to work from Johor Bahru

Discuss about life in Singapore. Ask about cost of living, housing, travel, etiquette & lifestyle. Share experience & advice with Singaporeans & expat staying in Singapore.
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chako
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Post by chako » Tue, 21 Apr 2009 2:45 pm

OK, you win.

patali
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Post by patali » Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:14 pm

cool i also bought in Ledang Heights! We will be neighbours soon then. Which part of Ledang Heights are you at?
TragicallyHip wrote:Hi - I wrote this response in another forum so please forgive the "cut and paste". As such there are some points below pertaining to questions/comments people had in that other forum but still relevant to your questions I think.

To answer your questions specifically, A: yes you can get a visa to live in Malaysia and still work in Singapore and B: yes you do need to stamp your passport everytime.

==========BEGIN COPY OF MESSAGE========

I'm an expat with a family and we're building a house in Ledang Heights (right next to East Ledang). I have several friends that are doing the same (nearly all expats) and some are already living there.

When we first starting looking into it, we experienced the same negative responses that I'm reading here. You need to see through the prejudice and clutter to make a decision that works for you. My wife and I both have engineering and architecture backgrounds which helps.

Commute:
Many people don't realize that this development is 7 minutes over the Tuas link, and not north over the causeway. Most people making negative comments about the commute have only driven over on the weekends when traffic is at its worse. During the week (when you and your kids will be coming into Singapore for work and school) you can expect a commute of 35 to 50 minutes into the CBD. My kids attend the Canadian School. When the new campus is completed (near Chinese Garden) their commute will be only 25 minutes (all these times include border crossing/immigration). These are average times that I have personally experienced. The worst traffic is during weekends and holidays (Chinese New Year) and when the odd terrorist escapes from local custody (that one took me 3 hours at the border. Typical weekend traffic is about 45 minutes to an hour at the border - but this is coming from Singapore into Malaysia. Malaysia to Singapore is against the flow of traffic and faster. Remember you will live there and you don't care how long it takes for others to come into Malaysia. You'll be headed into Singapore against the traffic). No problem for someone used to a minimum 1 hour commute (or 2 hours in the snow).

Security
Again, please note there is a difference between JB (Johor Bahru) and Johor (the state). This development is not in JB. It is in a township called Nusajaya, which is the capital city of the iskandar project. These communities are gated and guarded and the entire area is not as highly populated as JB. JB (by singapore standards) has a higher crime rate. However, anyone who has lived outside of Singapore is familiar with employing some common street sense. JB is no more dangerous then any other major city in the world, and Nusajaya is "country living" by comparison. Your commute to Singapore is direct on the highway and there is no need to go down any local sideroads (if this is a concern - it's not for me).

Government and Iskandar project
It is true what one of the posters said - government changes can impact your investment. This is true anywhere in the world. Will they shut down the Iskandar project? Perhaps parts of it. The Iskandar project is huge. On a grand scale it combines several projects into one. For my investment I care only about one of those projects - Nusajaya. This is the "jewel" of Iskandar and the new government offices are almost completed. It would be foolish to kill that part of the project. Could it still happen? Perhaps but I doubt it. Just take a drive around the area and you'll be amazed by what is already built. Ask yourself this question - if the worse case scenario is that you have a beautiful home within a 1/2 hour commute of Singapore CBD and nothing else happens with that development, will you still be happy? That one was an easy one for me.

Construction Quality and cost
You get what you pay for but don't confuse total cost with Construction cost. Just because the total cost is cheaper than singapore does not mean the quality is worse. The reason things are cheap in Johor is because the land is cheap. The next variable you have to play with is the construction cost and this will vary by developer. You don't want to go cheap here or you will get some of the problems that others have posted about above. Make sure you go with a reputable developer. The only way to do this is look at existing homes. Also make sure your contract is ironclad - deadlines, materials, etc all need to be included in the specs. Be very vigilant about this. Saying floors are "hardwood" is not descriptive enough. You need to know type of wood, plank thickness and length, etc or you will end up with parquet veneer.

East Ledang is actually of good quality. I've checked it out myself. It's not top of the line (finishes, etc) but its very good value for money. We decided on a custom designed home on a larger piece of land so we are building in Ledang Heights. There you can get much bigger plots and can build your dream home. Ledang East has smaller plots and smaller homes. Still - that's a personal decision. If you like what you see then go for it. Although it's not advertised there is still plenty of land available 3rd party at Ledang Heights. It's 100% sold to other investors so the people in the office there won't bother mentioning it to you.

Can you get cheaper housing? Of course! Price is based primarily on land so it's all about location, location, location. Ledang area is prime for a very good reason. It is the closest (as the car drives) residential community to the Tuas link. It is also a beautiful sprawling gated community. Just take a drive around there to see all the amenities going up. Marina, commercial district, etc.

Schools
We'll have to wait and see. There are already some signed deals that see International Schools in the area but that's about 2 years away. For now you need to make your decision based on a commute for kids into Singapore. This commute will vary depending on school location - see above for our personal commute times.

Immigration
How do you retain your EP? PR? etc. There are lots of options to this and a bit too long to add to an already long post. But it's not a problem. You can send me a message separately and I'd be happy to talk you through it.

Final Analysis
Taking all of the above into consideration the decision was easy for us. We're moving into an 8000 sqft custom designed Balinese villa on 30,000 sqft freehold land complete with landscaping, pool and 2 dogs. Total cost less than my 1300 sqft condo in Singapore. Yes, I will be saving money and increasing quality of living

aangsc
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Re: My mum is planning to move to JB...any tips?

Post by aangsc » Thu, 14 May 2009 4:49 pm

The price is Horizon hills is not cheap by M'sia standard but that is about price of HDB.
Foreigner including Singaporean can open bank account if you get a loan from M'sia bank. Buy a car ? I think if you sign up 'second home programme' you can. If I can get enough Singaporean in Horizon Hills and Ledang, perhaps we can book the private bus everyday to Singapore ! Anyway, I have not received my keys to house. This is also going to be weekends get-away, cheap food & some shopping.

boonlaysg wrote:hi.

is your terrace in the 'gateway'. i seen the units at the 'golf' and they seem pricey for the quality they offer - ceramic flooring throughout.

also i understand the clubhouse is only free for those who bought semi-ds and above. else got to pay entrance.

aangsc..you took a 20 years loan with 10% down?..can singaporeans open a ringitt bank account?..how about buying a malaysian car in JB?..

cheers.

Flowerpoddess
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Re: My mum is planning to move to JB...any tips?

Post by Flowerpoddess » Tue, 28 Jul 2009 7:30 pm

aangsc wrote:Hi , I have also invested a property , so I think I am able to share my experience. I bought a terrace at Horizon Hills, like any ppty purchases, I think it is only possible to get 90% loan if you are having sufficient financial collateral or still have many years of income from work or biz.
Since you said your mum is interested, I guess she is not full time working, that might be a problem for loan unless one of the working children is getting it instead. I took at 20 years loan and will have to pay about S$1200 per month. So , I am quite happy even if I could fetch S$1000 to rent out my terrace when it is ready in a few months time. Mind you, outside of Horizon Hills , rental are very much lower. For me I rather pay a bit more for better security. I went in last week and could not entered the residential area that I purchase because of security. I have yet to received my key, so I am glad there is some decent security. To rent out your HDB and pay rent in Johor house is definitely possible , just how big a place you need in JB. My advise is to stick to those around 2nd link, it is safer and you can catch a bus from Bukit Indah to Jurong East bus interchange. If you are unsure , it is better to rent first, then decide whether you like the place because it is difficult to dispose in current economic conditions esp in Johor.


4hookes wrote:My mum is planning to live in JB. Either buy or rent.

Currently if my mum sells her HDB flat she will get appx $200,000 after CPF refunds.

The question is:

I read about Nusajaya and the Iskandar projects and was wondering if she could actually afford property there.

Or could she afford to rent property there?

What about other places in JB?

What about renting out our HDB flat and then go to JB and buy a property there, take a 90% bank loan (Malaysian or Singaporean Banks?)-that way we will have 2 properties with capital appreciation gains.

Advice anyone? Thanks in advance.

Hello aangsc,

I was hoping I could directly ask you something questions on renting and purchasing a property in JB. Would you happen to be a Singaporean? I can't seem to use the private feature till I gather posts.

I'll ask a couples questions here.

Okay, like you mentioned, I'd like to rent before I consider to buy and doing this on a visitors visa is rather difficult isn't it?

I don't remember how many months Singaporeans get to stay in Malaysia but I'll just go with three months, so I have to either extend my stay, which then I might get? . . . a month?

So, then I have to leave Singapore and come back in a few days, how many days is exactly a "few days"?

And, what if I want my mom has to work in Singapore and has to commute to and fro, would she be stopped at the customs with them guessing she's renting or staying illegally, I suppose?

Would anything be easier on her if the rent was on my name or does that not matter since I'm Singaporean too? Or do I even mention renting a property?

Thanks a lot.

Flowerpoddess
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Post by Flowerpoddess » Sun, 02 Aug 2009 7:51 am

Still need help, I checked it out that Singaporeans only get one month, it's starting to seem impossible to stay there six months, let alone one year. . . .

aangsc
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Post by aangsc » Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:31 am

Flowerpoddess wrote:Still need help, I checked it out that Singaporeans only get one month, it's starting to seem impossible to stay there six months, let alone one year. . . .
Sorry, I do not have answer for your questions. I wasn't planning a retirement yet as my house at Horizon Hills was for the future retirement and anyway my plan is to commute at least once a month even during retirement . Meantime if I can't rented it out , it will be used as weekends getaway. I know of quite a few Singaporean staying around Bukit Indah and working at Tuas but not sure about anyone staying longer than 1 month .

I wonder how it work for those Singaporean in JB old age home ? Don't think they need to renew visa every month. You can reach me at e-mail [email protected] for any other question.

kirkpatrich2007
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replace passport every many weeks

Post by kirkpatrich2007 » Sun, 06 Sep 2009 4:53 pm

so if get stamped every entry/ exit of border, replace passport every many weeks?

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jpatokal
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Re: replace passport every many weeks

Post by jpatokal » Mon, 07 Sep 2009 6:18 pm

kirkpatrich2007 wrote:so if get stamped every entry/ exit of border, replace passport every many weeks?
SG won't stamp you once you're resident here, but Malaysia will -- unless/until you manage to get some sort of resident status there as well.
Vaguely heretical thoughts on travel technology at Gyrovague

mjn10
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Post by mjn10 » Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:14 am

I'm a 30yo British Expat living in JB for the past 2 years... when I moved here I read a lot of comments mentioned on this and other forums about JB which made me wonder what I was getting myself into... seemed like I would be mugged every 5 minutes and would hate it! One person even advised me to get a gun!! This cannot be further from the truth... true it is not as modern or clean as Singapore (where else in the world is?!) but it has charachter and I find the people very friendly and welcoming.

With regards commliving in JB and commuting to Singapore, yes there are jams, but I have friends who commute JB to Singapore (and vice versa) everyday and you just need to time it correctly. I believe work permit wise you could go for the Malaysia My 2nd home scheme and get a gold card this way.

As for where we hang out... well there are limited options and no where near as many expats as Singapore, but there is a french restaurant called Chez Papa not too far from the causeway, a few italians and a nice Irish Bar (owned and filled with scots) in Permas Jaya, which is where most of the expats live. And if you really want a night on the time then there's always Singapore 1km away!

So if anyone is considering living in JB my advice is to give it a try and it's not as bad as people make out on these forums, as long as you are willing go with the flow and integrate yourselves with the locals... and if not, why not stay in your home country!!

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia!

Mark :D

tomozap
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Ledang Heights

Post by tomozap » Sun, 01 Nov 2009 1:58 pm

Hi Patali,

would appreciate contact details of the estate agent that would be able to assist in searching for a lot in ledang heights. rgds

EuroGuy1957
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Post by EuroGuy1957 » Mon, 30 Nov 2009 2:08 pm

I have mentioned a few times before that if rental keeps going up here I am moving to Johor, that time has come...

mjn10.... what you say is true, I think all this about high crime rate is mostly scaremongering... if you survive Sunderland for 20 years then I am sure you can survive Johor ;-). Johor has much more to offer than Singapore in terms of quality of life. Wide open countryside for a start, kind and warm people, nice food too. And it has character, and you can have chewing gum(not a deciding factor though).

Where is the best place to find a condo apartment for rent? Within easy commuting to Singapore? I am thinking of taking the train to Tanjung Pagar and back, maybe buy a car or use a bus... whatever is easiest.

Oh... for me it would be convenient to be somewhere close to the second link so that I can visit family very regular in Jurong West... maybe that rules out the train huh?

Also, any info about the "Malaysia my second home" scheme?
It would be great if we could have first hand knowledge here rather than speculation... speculation is for the local investors ;-)

fpceekay
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Post by fpceekay » Fri, 04 Dec 2009 1:11 am

Hi,

does anyone know if there is such a pass for people that commute between JB and Singapore for work .
Gettting my passport stamped everyday , I dont see that working :-)

aangsc
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Post by aangsc » Tue, 15 Dec 2009 2:32 pm

Ever consider Bukit Indah ? There is Jusco Shopping and Giant , also a bus that ply Jurong East Interchange and Bukit Indah Bus Terminal. However, I do not think there is any apartment , mostly landed. This bus uses 2nd link ; not causeway so less congestion.

EuroGuy1957 wrote:I have mentioned a few times before that if rental keeps going up here I am moving to Johor, that time has come...

mjn10.... what you say is true, I think all this about high crime rate is mostly scaremongering... if you survive Sunderland for 20 years then I am sure you can survive Johor ;-). Johor has much more to offer than Singapore in terms of quality of life. Wide open countryside for a start, kind and warm people, nice food too. And it has character, and you can have chewing gum(not a deciding factor though).

Where is the best place to find a condo apartment for rent? Within easy commuting to Singapore? I am thinking of taking the train to Tanjung Pagar and back, maybe buy a car or use a bus... whatever is easiest.

Oh... for me it would be convenient to be somewhere close to the second link so that I can visit family very regular in Jurong West... maybe that rules out the train huh?

Also, any info about the "Malaysia my second home" scheme?
It would be great if we could have first hand knowledge here rather than speculation... speculation is for the local investors ;-)

plooli
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Post by plooli » Tue, 06 Apr 2010 4:52 am

hi there, we are presently living in Germany and we would be moving to Singapore next year. We are right now thinking of buying a house in Nusajaya,East Ledang and we have so many questions. I believe that TragicallyHip has answered most of our questions but I would still like to know the following:
1. Are you driving a Singapore car or a Malaysian car? Which will make more sense? We will have to drive in and out of Singapore and Malaysia as our kid will be studying in the German International School. We are just wondering if we should participate in MM2H

2. I believe that they will be implementing a Malaysian Automated Clearance System which means that no stamping of passport as there will be a chip in passport to make travelling over the boarder easier?

3. Can you also tell me how long does it take to build your own house in Ledang Heights? We are also looking into that as another option. Please write me a personal mail if possible, thank you and looking forward to your reply.

patali wrote:cool i also bought in Ledang Heights! We will be neighbours soon then. Which part of Ledang Heights are you at?
TragicallyHip wrote:Hi - I wrote this response in another forum so please forgive the "cut and paste". As such there are some points below pertaining to questions/comments people had in that other forum but still relevant to your questions I think.

To answer your questions specifically, A: yes you can get a visa to live in Malaysia and still work in Singapore and B: yes you do need to stamp your passport everytime.

==========BEGIN COPY OF MESSAGE========

I'm an expat with a family and we're building a house in Ledang Heights (right next to East Ledang). I have several friends that are doing the same (nearly all expats) and some are already living there.

When we first starting looking into it, we experienced the same negative responses that I'm reading here. You need to see through the prejudice and clutter to make a decision that works for you. My wife and I both have engineering and architecture backgrounds which helps.

Commute:
Many people don't realize that this development is 7 minutes over the Tuas link, and not north over the causeway. Most people making negative comments about the commute have only driven over on the weekends when traffic is at its worse. During the week (when you and your kids will be coming into Singapore for work and school) you can expect a commute of 35 to 50 minutes into the CBD. My kids attend the Canadian School. When the new campus is completed (near Chinese Garden) their commute will be only 25 minutes (all these times include border crossing/immigration). These are average times that I have personally experienced. The worst traffic is during weekends and holidays (Chinese New Year) and when the odd terrorist escapes from local custody (that one took me 3 hours at the border. Typical weekend traffic is about 45 minutes to an hour at the border - but this is coming from Singapore into Malaysia. Malaysia to Singapore is against the flow of traffic and faster. Remember you will live there and you don't care how long it takes for others to come into Malaysia. You'll be headed into Singapore against the traffic). No problem for someone used to a minimum 1 hour commute (or 2 hours in the snow).

Security
Again, please note there is a difference between JB (Johor Bahru) and Johor (the state). This development is not in JB. It is in a township called Nusajaya, which is the capital city of the iskandar project. These communities are gated and guarded and the entire area is not as highly populated as JB. JB (by singapore standards) has a higher crime rate. However, anyone who has lived outside of Singapore is familiar with employing some common street sense. JB is no more dangerous then any other major city in the world, and Nusajaya is "country living" by comparison. Your commute to Singapore is direct on the highway and there is no need to go down any local sideroads (if this is a concern - it's not for me).

Government and Iskandar project
It is true what one of the posters said - government changes can impact your investment. This is true anywhere in the world. Will they shut down the Iskandar project? Perhaps parts of it. The Iskandar project is huge. On a grand scale it combines several projects into one. For my investment I care only about one of those projects - Nusajaya. This is the "jewel" of Iskandar and the new government offices are almost completed. It would be foolish to kill that part of the project. Could it still happen? Perhaps but I doubt it. Just take a drive around the area and you'll be amazed by what is already built. Ask yourself this question - if the worse case scenario is that you have a beautiful home within a 1/2 hour commute of Singapore CBD and nothing else happens with that development, will you still be happy? That one was an easy one for me.

Construction Quality and cost
You get what you pay for but don't confuse total cost with Construction cost. Just because the total cost is cheaper than singapore does not mean the quality is worse. The reason things are cheap in Johor is because the land is cheap. The next variable you have to play with is the construction cost and this will vary by developer. You don't want to go cheap here or you will get some of the problems that others have posted about above. Make sure you go with a reputable developer. The only way to do this is look at existing homes. Also make sure your contract is ironclad - deadlines, materials, etc all need to be included in the specs. Be very vigilant about this. Saying floors are "hardwood" is not descriptive enough. You need to know type of wood, plank thickness and length, etc or you will end up with parquet veneer.

East Ledang is actually of good quality. I've checked it out myself. It's not top of the line (finishes, etc) but its very good value for money. We decided on a custom designed home on a larger piece of land so we are building in Ledang Heights. There you can get much bigger plots and can build your dream home. Ledang East has smaller plots and smaller homes. Still - that's a personal decision. If you like what you see then go for it. Although it's not advertised there is still plenty of land available 3rd party at Ledang Heights. It's 100% sold to other investors so the people in the office there won't bother mentioning it to you.

Can you get cheaper housing? Of course! Price is based primarily on land so it's all about location, location, location. Ledang area is prime for a very good reason. It is the closest (as the car drives) residential community to the Tuas link. It is also a beautiful sprawling gated community. Just take a drive around there to see all the amenities going up. Marina, commercial district, etc.

Schools
We'll have to wait and see. There are already some signed deals that see International Schools in the area but that's about 2 years away. For now you need to make your decision based on a commute for kids into Singapore. This commute will vary depending on school location - see above for our personal commute times.

Immigration
How do you retain your EP? PR? etc. There are lots of options to this and a bit too long to add to an already long post. But it's not a problem. You can send me a message separately and I'd be happy to talk you through it.

Final Analysis
Taking all of the above into consideration the decision was easy for us. We're moving into an 8000 sqft custom designed Balinese villa on 30,000 sqft freehold land complete with landscaping, pool and 2 dogs. Total cost less than my 1300 sqft condo in Singapore. Yes, I will be saving money and increasing quality of living

creammocha
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Buying a property in East Ledang

Post by creammocha » Sun, 18 Apr 2010 9:44 pm

Hi Plooli, Patali & tragicallyHip,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience & thoughts. We're also looking to buy a property in the Ledang area. It's just hard to justify the amount of $$ required to buy an apartment here in Singapore.

I wanted to ask for your advice on immigration/visa. We're SG Permanent residents and have read about the Malaysia 2nd home visa. Would you know if living in MY will cause any issues in SG PR visa renewal? What country of residence do you write in immigration forms when you travel o/s?

Thanks a lot for your input!

Cheers,



quote="plooli"]hi there, we are presently living in Germany and we would be moving to Singapore next year. We are right now thinking of buying a house in Nusajaya,East Ledang and we have so many questions. I believe that TragicallyHip has answered most of our questions but I would still like to know the following:
1. Are you driving a Singapore car or a Malaysian car? Which will make more sense? We will have to drive in and out of Singapore and Malaysia as our kid will be studying in the German International School. We are just wondering if we should participate in MM2H

2. I believe that they will be implementing a Malaysian Automated Clearance System which means that no stamping of passport as there will be a chip in passport to make travelling over the boarder easier?

3. Can you also tell me how long does it take to build your own house in Ledang Heights? We are also looking into that as another option. Please write me a personal mail if possible, thank you and looking forward to your reply.

patali wrote:cool i also bought in Ledang Heights! We will be neighbours soon then. Which part of Ledang Heights are you at?
TragicallyHip wrote:Hi - I wrote this response in another forum so please forgive the "cut and paste". As such there are some points below pertaining to questions/comments people had in that other forum but still relevant to your questions I think.

To answer your questions specifically, A: yes you can get a visa to live in Malaysia and still work in Singapore and B: yes you do need to stamp your passport everytime.

==========BEGIN COPY OF MESSAGE========

I'm an expat with a family and we're building a house in Ledang Heights (right next to East Ledang). I have several friends that are doing the same (nearly all expats) and some are already living there.

When we first starting looking into it, we experienced the same negative responses that I'm reading here. You need to see through the prejudice and clutter to make a decision that works for you. My wife and I both have engineering and architecture backgrounds which helps.

Commute:
Many people don't realize that this development is 7 minutes over the Tuas link, and not north over the causeway. Most people making negative comments about the commute have only driven over on the weekends when traffic is at its worse. During the week (when you and your kids will be coming into Singapore for work and school) you can expect a commute of 35 to 50 minutes into the CBD. My kids attend the Canadian School. When the new campus is completed (near Chinese Garden) their commute will be only 25 minutes (all these times include border crossing/immigration). These are average times that I have personally experienced. The worst traffic is during weekends and holidays (Chinese New Year) and when the odd terrorist escapes from local custody (that one took me 3 hours at the border. Typical weekend traffic is about 45 minutes to an hour at the border - but this is coming from Singapore into Malaysia. Malaysia to Singapore is against the flow of traffic and faster. Remember you will live there and you don't care how long it takes for others to come into Malaysia. You'll be headed into Singapore against the traffic). No problem for someone used to a minimum 1 hour commute (or 2 hours in the snow).

Security
Again, please note there is a difference between JB (Johor Bahru) and Johor (the state). This development is not in JB. It is in a township called Nusajaya, which is the capital city of the iskandar project. These communities are gated and guarded and the entire area is not as highly populated as JB. JB (by singapore standards) has a higher crime rate. However, anyone who has lived outside of Singapore is familiar with employing some common street sense. JB is no more dangerous then any other major city in the world, and Nusajaya is "country living" by comparison. Your commute to Singapore is direct on the highway and there is no need to go down any local sideroads (if this is a concern - it's not for me).

Government and Iskandar project
It is true what one of the posters said - government changes can impact your investment. This is true anywhere in the world. Will they shut down the Iskandar project? Perhaps parts of it. The Iskandar project is huge. On a grand scale it combines several projects into one. For my investment I care only about one of those projects - Nusajaya. This is the "jewel" of Iskandar and the new government offices are almost completed. It would be foolish to kill that part of the project. Could it still happen? Perhaps but I doubt it. Just take a drive around the area and you'll be amazed by what is already built. Ask yourself this question - if the worse case scenario is that you have a beautiful home within a 1/2 hour commute of Singapore CBD and nothing else happens with that development, will you still be happy? That one was an easy one for me.

Construction Quality and cost
You get what you pay for but don't confuse total cost with Construction cost. Just because the total cost is cheaper than singapore does not mean the quality is worse. The reason things are cheap in Johor is because the land is cheap. The next variable you have to play with is the construction cost and this will vary by developer. You don't want to go cheap here or you will get some of the problems that others have posted about above. Make sure you go with a reputable developer. The only way to do this is look at existing homes. Also make sure your contract is ironclad - deadlines, materials, etc all need to be included in the specs. Be very vigilant about this. Saying floors are "hardwood" is not descriptive enough. You need to know type of wood, plank thickness and length, etc or you will end up with parquet veneer.

East Ledang is actually of good quality. I've checked it out myself. It's not top of the line (finishes, etc) but its very good value for money. We decided on a custom designed home on a larger piece of land so we are building in Ledang Heights. There you can get much bigger plots and can build your dream home. Ledang East has smaller plots and smaller homes. Still - that's a personal decision. If you like what you see then go for it. Although it's not advertised there is still plenty of land available 3rd party at Ledang Heights. It's 100% sold to other investors so the people in the office there won't bother mentioning it to you.

Can you get cheaper housing? Of course! Price is based primarily on land so it's all about location, location, location. Ledang area is prime for a very good reason. It is the closest (as the car drives) residential community to the Tuas link. It is also a beautiful sprawling gated community. Just take a drive around there to see all the amenities going up. Marina, commercial district, etc.

Schools
We'll have to wait and see. There are already some signed deals that see International Schools in the area but that's about 2 years away. For now you need to make your decision based on a commute for kids into Singapore. This commute will vary depending on school location - see above for our personal commute times.

Immigration
How do you retain your EP? PR? etc. There are lots of options to this and a bit too long to add to an already long post. But it's not a problem. You can send me a message separately and I'd be happy to talk you through it.

Final Analysis
Taking all of the above into consideration the decision was easy for us. We're moving into an 8000 sqft custom designed Balinese villa on 30,000 sqft freehold land complete with landscaping, pool and 2 dogs. Total cost less than my 1300 sqft condo in Singapore. Yes, I will be saving money and increasing quality of living
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