BY CHOONG MEK ZHIN

Zadil Hanief with a model of Residensi 22 Mont Kiara, one of the projects the developer is in the midst of building.

UEM Sunrise Bhd says it will continue to come up with new property projects to meet the needs of people despite the hazy outlook of the economy, believing the demand is still there.

Acting chief marketing officer Zadil Hanief Mohamad Zaidi, for one, believes there is opportunity in any crisis.

“The challenge is to offer something that meets all the needs of property buyers. Our target market is usually made up of owner-occupiers and first-time buyers,” he said at UEM Sunrise’s property gallery in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Zadil Hanief outlined three challenges the company has to consider when coming up with properties for such a market.

“First is, of course, location. A property on the fringe of KL has higher appeal than one right in the middle of the city, though it must not be too far either.

“Then, we must come up with a property design that matches the needs of the targeted buyers, with priority given to first-time buyers because the need to purchase a home is the biggest in this segment.

“Lastly, we have to set an affordable price point for the targeted purchasers, which is a crucial factor, considering the cooling-off measures we are seeing, particularly on the banks’ end, with loan requirements becoming more strict,” Zadil Hanief said.

He is upbeat about the prospects for this year.

The introduction of Signature Selection, the company’s first-ever consolidated campaign which includes three Klang Valley projects and six in the Iskandar Malaysia region, is expected to boost sales for UEM Sunrise.

Zadil Hanief said the company had received bookings in excess of RM200mil since the campaign started early this month, and they were targeting sales in excess of RM300mil to RM500mil by the end of the two-month campaign.

The campaign promises cash rebates, lucky draws with prizes including four Mercedes C200, three Mercedes A250, a Jaguar XF and holiday vouchers, as well as a Honda HR-V giveaway for each of the first 40 successful buyers of the Shubert units in the Symphony Hills Cyberjaya development.

“We have had many enquiries about the campaign, and the bookings are very encouraging. Most are interested in our projects in the central region.

“Those who purchase properties with us will also immediately enjoy our Tresor loyalty card programme discount, as compared to previously when the discount was only available for the customer’s next purchase with us,” Zadil Hanief said, adding they would announce the lucky draw winners early next year.

The total gross development value of the properties featured in the Signature Selection is about RM800mil.

Zadil Hanief said two of the three projects launched by UEM Sunrise this year were doing well.

“For Residensi Sefina Mont Kiara, the take-up rate is at 70%, while with Serene Heights in Bangi, the first phase sold out very quickly. We also have Estuary Garden in Puteri Harbour, Johor, but the take-up rate there is on the slow side,” he said.

He added that the three developments were not included in the Signature Selection campaign, except for Estuary Garden, which is included in the lucky draw.

Asked about meeting the challenges of making it easier for first-time buyers to own homes, he said the company was focusing on two strategies.

“One is to work closely with many banks so our customers have plenty of options when it comes to taking up a loan. Then, we’ll look at ensuring a strategic project launch sequence, making sure to hit the pricing sweet spots,” he said.

According to him, UEM Sunrise will continue developing projects and is committed to finishing all its current developments as well as any upcoming launches.

“We will continue what we do best and come up with a wide range of properties as we always have,” he said.

“However, moving forward, we may look into more of the medium-range homes with landed property of up to RM1mil and RM1,000 per sq ft for high-rises,” he added.