A birds eye view of the Emerald Bay waterfront homes in Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
ISKANDAR PUTERI: A project featuring waterfront villas in a Caribbean tropical setting, with private berth (dock) and swimming pool to boot, has taken property development sector in the country up a notch.
Spanning 44.92ha, the Emerald Bay project comprises freehold bungalows, semi-detached and courtyard homes as well as medium-rise condominiums, ideally located along the shore of the Johor Straits.
The first-of-its-kind project in the country is developed by Haute Property Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between BRDB Developments Sdn Bhd and UEM Sunrise Bhd.
Haute Property chief executive officer Teh Ku Yong said the project was intricately planned to deliver a premium waterfront living in a nature-inspired sanctuary surrounded by open space, water, sea breeze and lush tropical green landscaping.
Each villa comes with a private berth, lift and a lap pool at Emerald Bay, a waterfront housing development project in Iskandar Puteri, Johor
“You can feel a sense of calmness as soon as you step into your home,” he told The Star in an interview.
He added that a prime marina and an exclusive clubhouse is the centrepiece of the development.
“We have also built canals of 30m to 60m width that channel water from the sea and into the area as well as lock gates to control the water levels at all times.
“At least RM60mil was allocated for the infrastructure including a lock gates system, which is the first to be constructed within a residential area in Southeast Asia,” he noted.
Teh also said that with a gross development value (GDV) of RM4bil, the entire project that commenced in 2012 comprised 12 phases to be developed over eight years.
“The first phase alone has seen a GDV of RM360mil for 82 units of three-storey villas and four-storey courtyard homes with private berth as well as semi-detached units with built up areas of between 3,292 sq ft and 5,896 sq ft,” he said, adding that the prices range between RM3.1mil and RM10.5mil.
Waterfront villas in a Caribbean tropical setting with private berth and swimming pool at Emerald Bay has taken property development sector in the country up a notch.
He pointed out that the project had achieved 85% take up rate and some 65% of the buyers were locals, while the rest were expatriates working in the Iskandar Malaysia region as well as foreign investors.
Teh said the next phase would include 12 freehold villa homes, namely The Island, sited on a land area of 7,471sq ft and built-up size of 6,728sq ft.
“Each villa comes with a private berth, lift and a lap pool,” he said, adding that the selling price ranges between RM12mil and RM18mil.
He added that the villas, which are in the final stage of construction and expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, were ready for private viewing,
Among the satisfied buyers is Singaporean Jerry Tan, 60, who is an experienced real estate agent dealing with higher-end properties in the island republic.
“As an experienced realtor, I was convinced I would never purchase a property in Malaysia, as I felt that the developments here were rather mundane.
“But things changed and from the moment I learnt of the project, I knew I had to invest and with much persistence, my partner and I were the first buyers here,” he said.
Tan and his partner Eckardt Caius, 56, described the development as “everything they ever envisioned for their dream home”, adding that the reasonable price just sweetened the deal.
“We already have a home in Singapore and two more in Sydney, Australia, but this luxury waterfront concept was something we did not want to miss, so much so that a French friend of ours also decided to get one for himself.
“We expect to own a boat soon and will move into the house as soon as the final touches, such as interior designing, are completed,” he said.
