Berjaya Land Bhd started developing its 400-acre tract in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, back in the 1980s.

It has since launched close to 3,800 units in Bukit Jalil, and has about 23 acres of the tract left for development. There are plans for commercial and residential projects for the remaining plots of land.

The 165-acre Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Club was part of the master plan. It was completed in 1995, the same year it launched its first high-rise residential project here, the Greenfields Apartments. More recently, the developer launched its latest freehold high-end condominium project called KM1 West.

One of Bukit Jalil’s attractions for property investors is its strategic location just minutes away from Kuala Lumpur city centre and easy accessibility via numerous major highways including the Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), KL-Seremban Highway and New Pantai Expressway (NPE).

As Berjaya Land senior general manager of properties marketing Mah Siew Wan says, “Bukit Jalil is close to Technology Park Malaysia, two light rail transit stations [Sri Petaling and Bukit Jalil LRT stations] and major highways. Another LRT station is currently under construction as well. The location is great. It can be considered a city project.”

There are two large public parks in the area as well, including the 80-acre Bukit Jalil Park and Bukit Komanwel Recreational Park, she adds.

Located opposite the developer’s The Link commercial shops and next to Green Avenue Condominium, KM1 West comprises two 26-storey blocks with a total of 350 units, or seven units per floor, on a 3.7-acre tract. The 3+1 room units have built-ups ranging from 1,335 to 1,508 sq ft. KM1 West was launched in March last year and has a GDV of RM266 million.

Mah tells City & Country that the developer only released one block for sale during its launch in March. “The first block was almost sold out within the same week [over 90% sold], then we decided to release the second block, which has since seen a take-up of 50%. Each unit comes with minimum of two parking lots. We have a high number of repeat buyers and they were given priority in our new launches,” she adds.

All units have golf course views of Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Resort. Units are priced from RM696,880.

While taking a short tour of the show units, Mah points out the landing just before the main entrance and the medium-sized storeroom in each unit. The 1,400 sq ft show unit has an open concept that gives it a spacious feel. Each unit also comes with dry and wet kitchen areas.

“From Covelia onwards, our earlier condo project in Bukit Jalil, we have provided wet and dry kitchens in all condo units. In Malaysia, our type of cooking requires an outdoor wet kitchen with much better ventilation. All these little things we take into consideration. We constantly put ourselves in our buyers’ shoes and see what improvements are needed.

“Basically we look at our own concerns of living in a high-rise so when we plan, it is more like a wish list. We constantly ask ourselves what we need. Whatever the land permits us to do, we will do that. A house should not only look good, but also be practical for everyday life,” Mah says.

Everyday conveniences (although not applicable to all projects) such as practical storage space, separate entrances for guests and domestic workers, spacious bathrooms, cleverly planned space for the wet kitchen as well as well-ventilated spaces for the drying of clothes and car parks with open ventilation that result in less electricity usage are included.

“We aim to make our properties practical for everyday living — from where you park your car to how your guests would visit the unit. At the same time, we want to make the project conducive for family living,” Mah explains.

She adds that KM1 West does not just come with a typical swimming pool deck. “You can see in some developments a private swimming pool deck and that’s it. We provide that and more with sufficiently big spaces for the children to run around or to convert into a tai chi deck,” she says.

Based on completed projects in Bukit Jalil by the developer, capital appreciation for properties here has soared through the years. Another condominium by Berjaya Land known as Savanna, which was launched in 2007 for RM350,000 with three parking lots allocated per unit, was recently transacted for more than RM550,000, says an agent familiar with the area.

In Taman Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur, it has its Vasana25 project, a mixed-use development comprising 25 bungalows and link villas in Seputeh Heights. The RM157 million development, with selling prices from RM6 million and built-ups from 5,900 to 7,600 sq ft, is currently about 40% sold. Mah says the build-then-sell homes in Vasana25 were completed in April and “one has to view the homes to appreciate them”.

In Taman TAR, Ampang, the developer launched a 67-acre freehold project comprising 88 bungalows. The gated and guarded project, selling above RM300 psf, is currently 60% sold.

Meanwhile, Mah anticipates sales for KM1 West units to be completed this year, after which Berjaya Land will launch KM1 East, on a tract close to KM1 West, featuring one 178-condominium tower and 24 villas. While no further information has been disclosed, it is understood that the developer is looking at individual private lifts as one of the features for the development.

This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 892, Jan 9-15, 2012