Expats in S'pore buying Johor homes

Some expatriates working in Singapore have moved to live in Johor's Nusajaya area, attracted by lower prices of homes and the extra space there.

They have bought houses to live in and commute to work in Singapore. Many plan to continue working in Singapore for the long haul, but say they moved because their housing allowances were reduced or cut altogether.

Developers and property agents said expatriates began moving to Johor from about five years ago, but the completion of houses and recent opening of international schools in the Iskandar Educity project has raised interest markedly.

UEM Land, the major developer in the area for projects including East Ledang and Horizon Hills, said about half of the buyers for its properties are foreigners, including Singaporeans.

For instance, at the waterfront condominium Imperia at Puteri Harbour, more than half of the buyers are foreigners. Of them, 34 per cent are Singaporeans while 37 per cent are other nationalities, including Japanese and Britons.

Mr David Bochsler, 40, director of sales and marketing of Exhale, which designs and builds homes in Nusajaya, moved his family to a villa there while maintaining an office in Singapore.

"With projects such as Marlborough College, Legoland, Pinewood Studios, and hospitals and universities completed or nearing completion, there is not the same level of risk associated with investing," he said.

Property agents such as Mr Jerry Lim, 51, from Aldini Real Estate Agency, began seeing a trend two years ago, even before the schools in Iskandar Educity opened. "Since then, there has been no looking back," he said.

Popular projects in Nusajaya are Horizon Hills, Leisure Farm Resort and Ledang Heights where rentals are between RM8,000 (S$3,200) and RM20,000 a month and bungalows sell for between RM2 million and RM7 million.

Project manager Geert Hulst, 47, and his wife Rochelle, 44, lived in Singapore for 21/2 years until 2009 before moving to a bungalow in Ledang Heights with their two children.

They wanted a home with more space and a garden, but found that it would cost too much in Singapore.

"Malaysia offered an affordable alternative," said Mrs Hulst, who is from Australia.

Theirfive-bedroom bungalow comes with a garden, pool and pond and is five times the size of the three-bedroom condominium apartment they had in Singapore.

"When we first moved in, we were the 10th expat family from Singapore in the estate. Now there are easily more than 100 expat families in the area," said Mrs Hulst.

Mr Hulst, who is from Holland, makes a daily 45-minute commute to his office in the Keppel area. Their children Eloise, eight, and Alexander, six, were commuting to Singapore for school until Marlborough College in Iskandar Educity opened last month.

Singapore is just a short commute away if they miss the theatre, nightlife and shopping, said Mrs Hulst. "We have no plans to move back to our home countries," she added.

IT director Jean-Paul Lassale and his wife Kirsten Lassale, both 39, lived in Singapore with their family for three years before moving to Nusajaya two years ago for the lower housing costs and additional space for their children, aged six and seven.

Mr Lassale commutes to Singapore's Central Business District to work.

Many of their neighbours in the gated community are also expatriates previously living in Singapore, and their working members commute to Singapore for work.

"The kids have play dates all the time. They just walk to and from each other's homes. One Singapore public holiday, I SMSed a couple of families saying we were going to the club pool and at least 20 kids and their families turned up," Mrs Lassale said.

"We loved Singapore which was why we bought a house here. It's a permanent move and Singapore is on our doorstep. Unfortunately, Singapore became too expensive for us."

More are planning a move up north. Americans Kim and Pamella Odhner, who have lived in Singapore for 10 years, are waiting for their new home in Ledang Heights to be ready.

Their children, aged nine and six, already commute daily to Marlborough College in Johor. When the family moves, it will be Mrs Odhner, 45, a regional director, and Mr Odhner, 47, a bank director, who will commute.

Not that it bothers them.

"Commuting in places like the United States is a given, so it does not worry us at all. The trade-off is well worth it - life will not be as rushed, more peaceful and in touch with the environment," she said.

janeng@sph.com.sg

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