* Article by Scientific Feng Shui *

The burning questions in 2012 were whether the world will end as the Mayan calendar and the “2012” movie predicted and whether the global economy will finally recover.

As you are wondering, it’s obvious the pseudo-scientist mis-interpreted the meaning of the Mayan calendar’s ending (just start a new cycle!). The economy also goes through cycles and it is just a matter of time before it swings up again.

The year 2012 was probably more chaotic and quarrelsome than previous years. The climate was also as unpredictable as ever. On one side of the planet, there were droughts and fierce fires while on the other; there wereextreme snow and hurricanes. Bad weather affects agricultural production and pushes the economy into a more unstable level.

That did not help the situation in Europe where the problem with PIIGS has not been resolved. The crisis caused many countries to change their governments.

The US economy is struggling to recover and its people agonized between choosing four more years with Obama or give Romney a seat in the White House (Obama won).

Problems in the Middle East escalated in Syria, tensions with Iran and Israel, chaos in Libya and Egypt post-Arab Spring. The Muslim world was angered by the film, “Innocence of Muslim” posted on YouTube on Sept 11.

With all the doom and gloom, will 2013 bring us better news? That our intention with this seminar. Many people associated the Dragon with prosperity (see how mistake they are) and shun the Snake.

The serpent is often associated with evil and darkness. However, in many cultures, snakes are symbol of fertility, healing and immortality. Will the Year of Snake bring blessings? REGISTER THE SEMINAR NOW TO FIND OUT.

This seminar was originally organized by the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Science (MINGS) which turn 15 in 2013. It was founded with a mission to promote Feng Shui and geomancy as a scientific knowledge attained by learning from Nature, Mimicking Nature and Living Nature harmoniously. We hope to change the general perception of Feng Shui, separating it from religious practices and myths.

Authentic Feng Shui tests draw from the I-Ching and apply principles such as astronomy, geology, mathematics and sociology. They make no mention of praying to any particular god or deity, or placing mystical objects as “cures”. To differentiate “pure, authentic and scientific Feng Shui” from the culturally, religiously and superstitiously adulterated version, we call this practice “ENVIRONOLOGY”.

For the first time, the Environology team will organize our year end outlook seminar outside Klang Valley. For northern region residences, we choose Penang as our destination.

Register now the 12th Jan 2013, Sat seminar at http://www.scientificfengshui.com/feng-shui-seminar. Hurry seat is limited.

With RM88 only, you will give giving a FREE 2013 Outlook Reference Book and this book is limited edition where you can’t find it in any book store.

For businessman, employee, house wife or student, you may use this book as your “bible” for the year of 2013 for any events.

May you have a fantastic 2013 and have a smile on your face every day.

Scientific Feng Shui team

http://www.scientificfengshui.com

PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians are now occupying high-end condominiums and apartments in prime locations in the Klang Valley, including the KLCC and Mont Kiara areas, which were previously exclusive to mostly expatriates.

The Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), which said it has been seeing a demographic shift in the past 10 years, said gone were the days when areas such as the KLCC and Mont Kiara were home to mostly expatriates.

“Previously, condominiums in the Klang Valley were mostly purchased by investors and rented out to expatriates.

“But in the last 10 years, we have been seeing a shift in this,” said MIEA deputy president Siva Shankar during the MIEA’s 2013 Property Outlook last week.

He said in the past, many Malaysian families preferred to live on landed property.

But that has changed and many Malaysians are now end-users of condominiums in prime locations including the KLCC and Mont Kiara areas.

MIEA president Nixon Paul also said it was a misconception that expatriates were mostly concentrated within the city centre, especially in locations such as KLCC and Mont Kiara.

“Many expatriates today are choosing to live near the international schools.

“Previously, many of these schools were concentrated in the city but now there are a few in the outskirts.

“So we are actually seeing a lot of expatriates moving away from the city centre,” he said.

On the apartment and condominium, residential terraced/detached market in Penang, Raine & Horne Malaysia director Michael Geh said new launches in prime locations are being snapped up at the developer sale price.

He added that strong banking support for developer direct sales made this segment the “strongest moving segment.”

“The secondary condominium and apartment market are facing challenges due to loans offer at lower margins of 70%,” he said in a note at the same event last week.

He said that the commercial and shophouse segment in Penang also experienced strong take-up and steep capital appreciation this year, adding that there was also strong take-up for industrial land and facilities in Penang.

Geh added that asking and transacted prices of development land reached record high levels this year.

“However, newly imposed regulations and guidelines on development have hampered the planning and development process.

“But we believe that this will stabilise in 2013,” he said.

Source: The Star

THE property market in 2013 is expected to remain strong with prices not likely to drop, said Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) president Nixon Paul. 

He said this year, despite the many misconceptions surrounding the property market, the second half of the year showed that investors were returning, especially in the last two months and the transactions were still strong.

One of the misconceptions which surfaced this year was the oversupply of office space as manufacturing based companies were moving to China.

“And then there was Bank Negara Malaysia’s responsible lending guidelines which affected the market initially but the market bounced back eventually,” he said.

The biggest frustration facing the property market, said Paul, could be the valuation part where banks do not agree with the price already agreed upon by the buyer and seller.

“But other than that, it has been a good year for the property market and will remain that way next year. Prices will generally be stagnant and not likely to drop. In areas where there is land scarcity, prices will go up a bit,” he said.

Paul said this in a MIEA press conference here yesterday.

Echoing his views were Reapfield Properties chief executive officer Gerald Kho who said the last six months have seen an optimistic market sentiment when the property is offered at the right price.

“In the last quarter of 2012, we noticed that investors were starting to come back. My view is that the market will remain strong next year where prices will continue to increase if the stock availability remains tight,” he said.

Kho added that since the responsible lending guidelines were imposed, the quality of buyers remained strong with the last month being a very active month for real estate agents.

“If this continues into the first half of 2013, there is no reason the second half can’t be stronger,” he said.

He pointed out that in 2012, properties were transacting higher by 10 per cent or more than 2011 and this is expected to continue into 2013, especially in the Klang Valley residential property market for both landed and condominium units.

As for the supposedly lack of availability for houses between RM250,000 and RM500,000, Paul said developers maybe shying away from this market but in the secondary market, houses of these prices are still aplenty.

On the Johor market, MIEA state chairman Loo Kung Hoe said the prices for high-end houses have gone up between 20 and 40 per cent this year and he expects an increase of about 10 to 20 per cent next year.

Stephen Tew from Hectares & Stratas said demand for industrial land and buildings have been improving and land values have begun moving-up, albeit slower as Johor is a huge state with plenty of land.

Commenting on the the industrial space and rentals in Penang, he said there is a shortage as the biggest demand comes from the electrical and electronics industry.

Source: Business Times

K Residence, a freehold development located within Seberang Jaya township. Within 10 minutes drive away from Penang Bridge, it offers easy access to many hot-spots in mainland including but not limited Sunway Carnival Mall and Tesco.

Comes with three types of spacious design – Corner unit (1,640 sq.ft.), Intermediate (1,338 sq.ft.), Penthouse (2,978 sq.ft).

Property Project : K Residence
Location : Seberang Jaya, Penang
Property Type : Condominium
Land Tenure : Freehold
Built-up Area : 1,338 sq.ft. onwards
Indicative Price: RM 374,000 onwards
Developer : Kar City Development

Location Map:

GEORGE TOWN: IJM Land Bhd will commence work for its RM5bil commercial precinct next to the Penang Bridge in the second half of next year.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Soam Heng Choon said the commercial precinct located on a 102-acre site would comprise four hotels, a shopping centre, a convention centre, and an international business district.

The commercial precinct would be developed in stages and would take seven to eight years to complete, Soam said.

He spoke after signing an agreement with Singapore’s Suntec International to jointly develop the convention centre, known as the RM346mil Penang Waterfront Convention Centre (PWCC).

Also present was Suntec Penang chief executive officer Arun Madhok, who signed for Suntec, and IJM Corp chief executive officer Datuk Teh Kean Ming.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was present to witness the signing ceremony.

Soam said the PWCC was designed by Larry Oltmanns, design director of Vx3, a London-based architectural firm specialising in large scale urban developments and convention centres.

“His impressive portfolio includes landmarks such as NATO headquarters in Brussels and Hong Kong Convention Centre in Victoria Harbour,” Soam added.

The highlight of the convention centre was a 10,000 sq m column-free multi-purpose hall that could be divided or used as a single space for exhibitions, conventions, corporate events, and private functions, Soam said.

“It can be converted into a 9,000-seat arena for world-class concerts that can be held in Penang for the first time.

“The PWCC is expected to be completed in early 2017,” he added.

Meanwhile, Teh said the PWCC would serve as an alternative to renowned convention venues in places such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

“The strategic partnership with Suntec will further attract higher investments and spur Penang’s economic, social, and environmental development,” Teh added.

On PWCC, Madhok said Suntec would advise on the design and functionality of PWCC.

“We will also manage the project upon its completion,” he said.

Source: The Star