Interesting Posts from Inc.com

10 Things to Know About Commercial Real Estate Appraisal
http://www.inc.com/guides/201105/10-things-about-commercial-real-estate-appraisal.html

How to Pick a Site for Your Business
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20091001/how-to-pick-a-site-for-your-business.html

Think Twice About Buying Commercial Real Estate
http://www.inc.com/think-twice-about-buying-commercial-real-estate.html

Jalan Bukit Bintang & fahrenheit 88 (formerly KL Plaza)

Origin of my surname character

PETALING JAYA: Developers and property consultants have urged the Government to commission extensive and in-depth feasibility and market studies on the proposed 100-storey Warisan Merdeka to gauge its cost-benefit and potential impact on the property market before proceeding with the project.Construction of the skyscraper, which is part of the RM5bil mega project within the enclave of Merdeka Stadium and Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, will start next year and is expected to be completed in 2015.

Disclosing the project in his Budget 2011 speech last Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the two stadiums would be retained as national heritage buildings.Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia (Rehda) deputy president Datuk FD Iskandar Mohamed Mansor said the plan for the potentially high-impact commercial development must take into consideration demand and supply of office space in the capital city.He said such a massive project should be approached with caution and proper feasibility studies before proceeding.

“Kuala Lumpur already has a focal point – the Petronas Twin Towers – and the question is whether it is necessary to have another one. Moreover, there is enough office space in the city. Additional space from the Warisan Merdeka and other projects, including the RM26bil Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD), may result in an oversupply of commercial property space,” Iskandar said.Official figures from the National Property Information Centre show that occupancy rates of office space in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor averaged around 80%.

What is more important at this point is for a holistic and comprehensive public transport system for Greater Kuala Lumpur that will integrate the proposed mass rapid transit project to the feeder transport network, including the buses and taxis, that also needs to be improved. It is one of the basic imperatives for KL to achieve world-class city status,” he added.Amphil Corp Sdn Bhd chief executive officer PK Poh said the iconic projects planned by the Government were intended to fulfill national imperatives “to serve a bigger and higher purpose,” and should not therefore be looked upon as a pure property play.

Poh said the implementation and timing of the project would have a serious impact on the local property market in terms of the allocation of resources and the effect on current and future vacancy rates in the capital city.“As such, it would be good if such super mega projects be demand-driven as well, in addition to fulfilling the national agenda.“Based on what I observe overseas (including the Shanghai Financial Centre, Canary Wharf and Burj Khalifa), super mega projects there needed to go through at least one recessionary cycle.“Our own Petronas Twin Towers were in fact completed in the teeth of such a recession. Therefore, the timing of, and preparation for, when the project should take off is of utmost importance, and requires truly extensive and in-depth studies,” Poh said.

He also pointed out that projects such as Warisan Merdeka and the KLIFD could straddle the property cycle.“There is a real danger of these projects ‘crowding out’ other developers’ projects when the construction of this and other iconic projects starts. Prices of materials will tend to rise, thus making projects more expensive for all concerned.”Property consultancy CB Richard Ellis Sdn Bhd executive director Paul Khong said a proper market and feasibility study should be professionally undertaken to determine the right mix of development, the commercial viability of the entire project, the future demand for the products offered within the project and also the theme of development which should really be featured around the heritage elements of Merdeka Stadium.

Responding to questions on the project yesterday, Najib stressed the Government did not instruct Permodalan Nasional Bhd to construct Warisan Merdeka and that it was the company’s board of directors that had wanted to embark on the project.He said the construction work on the project would generate many economic activities.“The area will be a business centre for both the bumiputra and non-bumiputra alike. It can be one of Malaysia’s attraction that will generate and bring profit. This project is not a waste,” he stressed.

By The Star

Big projects eye foreign tenants

The Matrade Centre and Warisan Merdeka, two large property projects worth a combined RM20 billion, will include offices that will be marketed to multinational companies (MNCs).

"The two projects will have office towers with full-fledged upmarket facilities, even better than the Petronas Twin Towers," Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said.

The RM15 billion Matrade Centre will be built by the Naza group. It will include an exhibition centre, residences, offices, a mall and a hotel, spanning 26ha, under a privatisation deal with the government. The 10-year project will be launched next month.

Warisan Merdeka, located within the enclave of Merdeka Stadium and Stadium Negara, will have a 100-storey tower. The project, which will start next year and be completed in 2015, is an initiative by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB).Little else is known about the project.

Raja Nong Chik said PNB has done its homework to ensure the project will be viable.However, PNB will have to address the issue of limited road access as the project is located in a densely occupied area."The project is a good move by PNB, which is looking at various avenues to invest. But they must ensure that the tower is taken up as the money is coming from them.They are answerable to their shareholders."PNB also has to ensure that the building is attractive so that investors don't go to Singapore, Vietnam and India. We will lose then," he said.Raja Nong Chik was speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after opening the 2nd International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2010.He also said that the ministry aims to launch Invest KL by early next year. It will work with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) to encourage MNCs to set up shop here.

The minister expressed confidence that the government would achieve its target of having 200 new MNCs by 2020. Currently, there are 1,800 MNCs in the country."While the number is small as compared with Shanghai, which has 16,000 MNCs, and (against the) 4,000 in Singapore, we hope to surpass 2,000 in 10 years."Invest KL will target MNCs worldwide, especially from the Middle East, China and India.

By Business Times

Mobile Advertising Interview: Christian Cadeo, Admob Asia Pacific

Christian is no stranger to mobile advertising working with AdMob, one of the world’s largest mobile advertising network, who recently published its quarterly Southeast Asian Mobile Metrics Report:. Mobile traffic in Malaysia increased to 161.4 million in the first quarter of this year…
Mobile is touted as the key driver for Social Media. In Malaysia, Maxis has announced its intention to be an integrated player, side-stepping jargon like triple play and quad play, insisting instead on a holistic ambition with data, voice, entertainment and more… what sort of opportunities do these present to marketers?

With such an approach, more consumers will jump on to the mobile bandwagon, mainly due to the entertainment offerings by mobile operators. The number of adopters will also keep growing as more interesting content becomes available – improved data plans, smartphones, rich mobile content – which media and mobile phone companies are creating. This is still in the early stages, but is growing very fast.
What this means for marketers is, they can better reach their customers through the use of richer content, targeting a wider range of consumers without losing the ability to cater individual messages for each one. There is neither compromise of content nor reach.

What about Social Networking on mobile?

According to ComScore, 77.5% of the web population in Malaysia can be reached by FaceBook. According to FaceBook, about one fourth of the people using the social media platform regularly access FB on their mobiles. Given these metrics, it would be only a matter of time before brands start developing content specifically for social networks, further encouraging more people to get online on social networking sites using their mobiles.

Mobile provides the ability to target by site, phone model, demographics and location, all of which are key to advertisers…

By serving highly interactive ads, a marketer can build interest for the brand. Surveys can also be done on mobile platforms. These give marketers a better understanding of what the consumer which would, in turn, result in better quality ads.
AdMob serves ads which link to mobile pages. These pages bring another dimension to just standard banner ads, offering more comprehensive content that engage customers and ensure better click-through. An understanding of the lives and needs of the target customer and being able to connect with them emotionally is key to building the relationship.

Tell us about services like Lovegety in Japan which contain social-media elements allowing users to broadcast their live locations to a network of potential profile matches, alerting them when a matchmaking possibility is nearby…

Location-based social media, such as a Lovegety and Foursquare, open up opportunities for both consumer and marketer. Consumers get to access information of actual places as they visit these places and, this allows marketers to leave information in a cloud, i.e. advertisements.

Privacy issues and permission-based marketing remain an issue for mobile. What is the latest update on this concern?

There will always be an argument over these two issues, but without insightful consumer information, consumers will probably only get ads that either make no sense or incite no interest from them.
The ability to track consumer decisions may be deemed as an invasion of privacy, due to the use of private information to predict consumer choices. Trust is an important factor in consumers accepting content and we can build this by giving them more relevant information.

Source: http://www.adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5954&catid=1&Itemid=5

GPacket e-Updates: P1 Gets US$100mil & SK Telecom's Expertise

Chinese Vegetarian (Loh Hon Zhai)

Yummy yummy; check out the recipe here: http://chowtimes.com/2006/08/05/chinese-vegetarian-dish-loh-hon-zhai/

Smart Investment in Property Seminar 2010

This is the 8th series of the Smart Investment in Property Seminar. Participants will learn the real estate investment principles and avoid costly mistakes that were normally suffered by inexperienced homebuyers and investors, and consequently to be guided to a pleasant and successful real estate business from the Seminar.

The Seminar’s theme this year is “Malaysia Properties: Bubble or Boom?” Many Malaysian property experts are confident that Malaysia properties will continue to grow strong with little or no disruption in the property prices in view that major cities has depleting lands area for development or no oversupply of new properties. Further, due to 2008 economic crisis, many developers have been holding new launches of their projects, therefore existing Malaysia property projects are still at a premium rate. Nevertheless, some of the prime residential areas in Klang Valley with high-end/ luxury residential units completed in recent years are not fully occupied. If with more new units coming into market, will this create property bubble for Malaysia’s property market?

The Smart Investment in Property Seminar (VIII) 2011 will be held on:
· Date : 24 July 2010 (Saturday)
· Time : 9.00am to 5.00pm
· Venue : Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

The Early Bird registration before 24 June 2010 is only RM228 per person inclusive of lunch, tea-breaks, seminar materials and certificate. Please note that registration is on a first-come first-served basis. A programme cum registration form is enclosed.


Download Registration Form
Source: http://www.fiabci.com.my

More photos for Sekeping Tenggiri

Source: http://www.starproperty.my/PropertyGuide/Living/2851/0/0

Pre-transformation


Post-Transformation