Iskandar to benefit from Singapore-Malaysia relationship

Living in Johor. Another validation from Analyst. Good for us! 

Sep 12, 2011 - HomeGuru.com.my

Fund managers in Singapore see the enhanced bilateral relationships between Malaysia and the city state as the key driver of development in Iskandar Malaysia.

According to Quah He Wei, an analyst from HwangDBS Vickers Research Sdn Bhd, feedback from fund managers revealed that most of them would encourage their clients to invest in the region.

He added that the Singapore government has been asking its investors to look at Iskandar through initiatives such as Temasek Holdings’ joint venture (JV) with Khazanah Nasional Bhd to develop a “wellness township” in Nusajaya.

“About three week ago, we organised a field trip to Iskandar for the first time for more than 40 fund managers from the republic,” Quah informed the StarBiz.

He added that based on a survey, 53 percent of the fund managers approved the Iskandar’s development progress while 41 percent were neutral.

The survey also revealed that 64 percent would likely invest in Iskandar properties within the next two years and that 72 percent chose to acquire landed properties in Nusajaya, as the area canaccommodate various major projects.

Quah noted that the quality and pricing of housing properties in Nusajaya were the primary attractions.

“But Nusajaya still lacks critical mass and investors are likely to come in only in 2012, which is the tipping point with the completion of the projects,” he said.

Situated in the southernmost part of Johor, Iskandar has a total land area of 2,217 sq km. The other four flagship development zones are the Eastern Gate Development Zone, Johor Baru City Centre, Senai-Kulai and Western Gate Development Zone.