 The last time I was in Seremban, there were traffic jams choking the main road in Seremban town. That’s a good sign. It means the place is busy, bustling and thriving. It means there are people flocking to live and do business there. Only 45 mins away from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, for years the lure of the big city lights of KL proved too irresistible to the young folks of Seremban, many of whom took off to the Klang Valley for better job opportunities and a more vibrant lifestyle.
But in recent times, the tide has turned somewhat. With escalating home prices and higher cost of living in the Klang Valley, there are some from the big city who are starting to move to Seremban, notably the new township of Seremban 2, in order to experience a more serene and cost-effective lifestyle.
Vastly improved accessibility to Seremban in the form of the existing North-South Highway, ELITE and LEKAS highways have made travelling to KL a breeze. Compare this with the fact that it takes the same amount of time, and even longer sometimes, to travel from Puchong to Damansara along the highly congested LDP during peak hours.
Furthermore, within the next 10 years, there will be 2 more major highways: KLIA-Seremban and Port Klang-Seremban highways which will make Seremban fully connected. It will take less than 30 mins to reach Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.
As a result, newly launched properties in Seremban and its environs including Seremban 2, are experiencing steady take-up rates. Although the bulk of the buyers are local upgraders, there is an increasing number from the Klang Valley. These are usually young families who appreciate the larger space on their landed properties for their young children to grow up in while at the same time keeping their living expenses down, noted IJM Land Berhad CEO and Managing Director Datuk Soam Heng Choon. The parents will usually work in KL and do not mind the daily commute from Seremban.
LANDED DOMINATE
Most newly launched properties in Seremban and its environs comprise of landed properties with pockets of apartments built alongside the rows of terrace houses, semi-detached and bungalows. Seremban 2, IJM Land’s flagship development in Negeri Sembilan, for example, offers a wide range from affordable apartments, terrace houses, super links, semi-detached houses to exclusive gated bungalows within 2,300 acres of freehold land.
Seremban 2 has gained a reputation for being the most progressive township in Negeri Sembilan offering modern amenities and conveniences of a city while maintaining the serenity of a country atmosphere. With the entire development over 90% completed, the population of 50,000 are scattered in 9 residential communities in a distinctive neighbourhood. They get to enjoy facilities such as ÆON Jusco shopping centre, a sports complex, a 15-acre City Lake Park and Commercial Business Parks. Seremban 2 is also home to the state government and local authorities, as well as 5 schools.
In the heart of Seremban is Mon’t Jade, a gated and guarded semi-D and bungalow development by OSK Property Holdings Berhad. According to OSK Property’s Sale & Marketing Senior Manager, Stanley SS Wong, Phase 1 comprising of 66 units of bungalows is fully sold out while Phase 2 consisting of 54 units of semi-Ds is 40% sold to date.
Phase 3 which is made up of 100 units of double-storey bungalows is expected to be launched in 2012/3 with targetted price psf starting from RM228 onwards.
Wong is confident that the take-up rate, considered gradual and steady, would improve once the construction is at a more advanced stage. “We are confident on the take-up rates for our newly-launched properties in Seremban due to the improved accessibility. Besides, our properties are very spacious compared to anything one can get in this price range in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
THE ‘APPRECIATION’ STORY
For those who have seen the potential of Seremban and bought in early, they are now reaping the benefit of their foresight. For example, a double storey terrace house in OSK’s Seremban 3, sold at RM168,000 in 2008 is worth RM220,000 today, Wong revealed.
For a double-storey bungalow in Mon’t Jade, the initial launch price was RM690,000 – RM750,000. They recently changed hands at between RM850,000 to RM1 mil. The launch price of a bungalow at Sri Carcosa, Seremban 2, was about the same as Mon’t Jade and today the price is at RM1.4 mil, Wong added.
Riding on the success of Seremban 2 is IJM Land’s latest property development - S2 Heights. Spanning over 1,500 acres of freehold land, S2 Heights is strategically situated on elevated land beside the developed Seremban 2 township. The low density neighbourhood offers single and double-storey semi-detached homes, 24’ x 75’ double-storey link homes and bungalows. S2 Heights will have generous road frontage with the main roads (entrance & exit) at 100ft wide while roads between houses are 50ft wide. A 6.6-acre linear park will be the focal point of the development.
FUTURE DEMAND
Where will future demand come from considering that the population growth in Negeri Sembilan is only at 1.84%? “People tend to move up to a better lifestyle and higher living standard, hence the demand for better quality housing is always there,” said Wong of OSK. Besides, housing demand in N.S. is based on locality and pricing of the property, the senior manager added.
To make Seremban a more sought-after location, apart from the additional highway linkages, within the Seremban town centre itself, there are new development plans along the main roads including Jalan Yam Tuan. There is reportedly also a KL-based property developer who has acquired an abandoned shopping complex on Jalan Sungai Ujong with what is believed to be proposed plans to convert it into an entertainment centre offering cineplexes and bowling alleys.
Currently, commercial growth areas are within Seremban 2, such as Biz Avenue and Uptown Avenue, both just minutes away from Jusco, as well as Senawang Taipan in Senawang, noted a source.
“In time to come, Seremban will have more highrise buildings. Under the dynamic entrepreneur leadership of Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Hassan, Seremban and even the whole of Negeri Sembilan will be progressing at a much faster pace. As it is, the MB has successfully attracted investments to the state making NS the top 5 ranked investment destination among all the states,” the OSK senior manager told us.
As someone has said, Seremban is more than just its famed siew pau and beef noodles. It is quietly coming to its own as a viable alternative to the increasingly costly and congested life in the Klang Valley.
Some ongoing developments in Seremban & their developers
- Aviva Green, Seremban 2 – IJM Land Berhad
- Bandar Sri Sendayan - Matrix Concept Group
- Bandar Warisan Puteri – Seri Pajam Development Sdn Bhd
- Kepayang Commerce Square - GUH Holdings Bhd
- Taman Jasmin Indah, Senawang, Seremban - Mega 3 Housing Sdn Bhd
- Lavender Heights, Senawang, Seremban – Bolton Berhad
- Era Baru Square - Era Baru Group
- Forest Heights - Sunrise MCL Land Sdn Bhd
- Taman Bandar Senawang Park City - Park Properties
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