Scenaria @ North Kiara Hills, a beautiful development in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur consisting a mixture of condominiums and link houses, undertaken by the property conglomerate, UOA Group.
Continue Reading ⋅ 21 April 2016
Villa Crystal
Villa Crystal: A clear review.
Set on 3.5 acres worth of freehold land, Villa Crystal is the latest project by Orando Holdings Sdn Bhd, a Malaysia based property developer that opened its door in the year 2000 with the goal of building ‘Swiss-watch Standard’ homes.
From their track record, it’s crystal clear that this developer did work their way to the top. From only four units of Semi-Ds in Taman Yarl in 2003, they then proceeded to build 16 units of Sri Angkasa Homes in 2007 located off Jalan Puchong, a low-density 128 condominium units in Cheras in 2009 called Vistaria Residensi, and finally an exclusive 206 condominium units in 2011 by the name of Sky Vista Residensi.
It’s no wonder then they’ve won so many awards, the likes of the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2015-2016 for ‘Highly Commended Architecture Multiple Residence, Highly Commended Apartment Malaysia and Best Interior Design Apartments Malaysia Award’, Europe Business Assembly (EBA) for ‘Best Enterprise Award 2013’, and The BrandLaureate SMEs BestBrands Awards for ‘Presidents’s Award Real Estate Property 2015-2016’.
Villa Crystal is by far the most luxurious project by Orando. Located in Segambut, the developer has even branded this project as being in South Desa Park; reason being that it’s nearby and to the south of the famous Desa ParkCity township.
Comprising of 414 units spread between two towers, the units offered are sized from 1,155 sq ft to 1,614 sq ft with the price per square foot starting from RM505 to RM565.
Villa Crystal was launched in July 2014 with a gross development value (GDV) of RM316 million. Considering how there are so many high-rise developments in the vicinity, how worthy is this project then either for own-stay or investment?
Continue reading this review for Villa Crystal South Desa Park to find out.
Project Details
Address: Segambut, KL
Land Title: Residential
Tenure: Freehold
Site GPS Coordinates: 3°11’1″N 101°38’59″E
Website: http://www.orando.com.my/villa-crystal.php
Expected Date of Completion: 2017
Property Details
Property Type: Condominium
Total Units: 414
Built Up in Sq Ft: 1155 to 1614
Price: RM589,050 – RM1,214,010
Price per Sq Ft: RM505 to RM565
Maintenance Fee: RM0.20 psf
Special Features:
- Freehold tenure
- Prime Address
- High ceiling
Facilities:
- Gymnasium
- In-house jogging track
- Multipurpose area
- Children Playground
- Sauna
- Swimming Pool
Unit Type:
Type A – 1,155 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type B – 1,203 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type C – 1,298 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type C1 – 1,391 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type C2 – 1,391 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type VA – 1,614 sq ft – 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Type VL – 1,611 sq ft – 3 rooms, 4 bathrooms, 1 Studio, 2 Yards
Type F – 1,295 sq ft – 3 rooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 Yard
Project Details
Villa Crystal – Project Model
Villa Crystal: An overview.
Just as the name implies, Villa Crystal is a high-end high-rise property development that offers 414 luxurious condo units. They’re spread between two blocks named ‘Ametrine’ and ‘Branberg’, both that are types of Quartz crystals. The developer might want to check on the correct spelling for the latter though.
Villa Crystal – Type A and Type B
Towering at 37 and 38 storeys, both blocks will then offer eight types of layout designs namely Type A, B, C, C1, C2, VA, VL, and F.
Type A, B, C, C1, C2, and F all have three rooms, three bathrooms, a balcony, and a yard, sized at 1,155, 1,203, 1,298, 1,391, 1,391, and 1,295 sq ft respectively.
Villa Crystal – Type C and Type C1
Apart from Type F that opens up to the living area and an integrated dining and kitchen area to the side, the other types spot the typical seamless flow of kitchen, dining, and living spaces before ending with a balcony.
And the balconies for each type are what sets the layouts apart. Type A, C, and C2 for example have the standard balcony design, you know, the one that’s about the same length as the living area, only with smaller width.
Type B’s balcony however has that little extra space to the side whilst Type C1 extends all the way to the lengths of rooms two and three.
Villa Crystal – Type C2 and Type VA
Type VA is the biggest type offered, coming in at 1,614 sq ft featuring four rooms, three bathrooms, a yard, and a standard balcony. The highlight of all types is of course Type VL. Having the built-up of 1, 611 sq ft, this type spots three rooms, three bathrooms, a studio space, two yards, and two balconies, perfect to be turned into a dual-key unit since the studio space even has a small pantry in it.
Villa Crystal – Type VL and Type F
The yards for all types are pretty spacious. Sized at 115 to 164 sq ft, it can then be an extra room which according to the developer is more of a multipurpose area that can be renovated into a cheese and wine room, or a hideout to practise some guitar skills.
Interesting isn’t it?
Villa Crystal – Multipurpose Yard
Plus, all units come with high ceilings (around 3.3 metres), a fact most buyers will find what makes Villa Crystal appealing enough to pay around RM589,050 to RM1,214,000 to own one.
Villa Crystal – High Ceilings
Four lifts will serve each block for the convenience of the residents, while a standard floor will only have six units per floor to ensure privacy. But that doesn’t mean one will become a hermit, no siree.
Villa Crystal – Swimming Pool
Though not that extensive, the facilities provided should be enough to warrant a connected community. There’s the standard swimming pool (splendidly designed of course), a children’s playground, a fully equipped gym, an in-house jogging track, and even a sauna room. It’s good that neighbours can then enjoy each other’s company while drenched in sweat isn’t it? The sauna! What were you thinking?
Villa Crystal – Children Playground
And for that, one will have to fork out an RM0.20 per sq ft maintenance fee. Not bad, eh?
Villa Crystal has a GDV of RM316 million and is expected to be completed not too far-off in the future, by July 2017.
Location
Villa Crystal: Segambut is South Desa Park?
Do the words ‘Desa Park’ excite you? Well, hold your horses. Though marketed that way, Villa Crystal at South Desa Park is in all actuality located in Segambut.
Where’s that? If you’re a fan of the upscale shopping mall Publika, you’d notice on the drive there an area that is the opposite of upscale. That’s Segambut for you.
Notorious for being quite the slum, Segambut has however witnessed rapid growth over the recent years of mostly high-rise properties. Not so much for new landed homes though since there isn’t exactly enough space there for that. A fact due to most of the area is still being occupied by privately-owned (for some reason) squatter homes.
Villa Crystal – Some of the high-rises in Segambut
Why then the rise of so many high-rise properties there? The answer: Location.
Segambut holds a central location no doubt, neighbouring prime townships like Hartamas, Desa ParkCity, and Mont Kiara, with convenient highways surrounding it like the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), the North-South Expressway (PLUS), and the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP). It is just around 10 kilometres away from KLCC and 20 kilometres away from Petaling Jaya, two of the most prominent city centres in Klang Valley.
Villa Crystal – Location
And it’s no sleepy town, Segambut. Traffic congestion is an endless nightmarish issue, caused by the sheer density of people living there and the neighbouring areas, especially along the intersection of Jalan Segambut and Jalan Lang Emas where the access roads are narrow; only one lane on both sides thanks to the cited surrounding squatter homes.
Villa Crystal – At the intersection of Jalan Segambut and Jalan Lang Emas
On the bright side, amenities (and great ones at that) are indeed abundant. Shop till you drop in style at high-end malls like Solaris Dutamas and Solaris Mont Kiara nearby, and if you get blisters from doing that, a visit to the Park City Medical Centre is just a stone’s throw away.
Villa Crystal – Publika Shopping Mall
Parents can be at ease from the many choices of local and international schools for their kids like the SK Taman Seri Sinar and the Desa Park International School. And from rows after rows of commercial lots spread all around Segambut, banks, clinics, convenience stores, and local restaurants are plentiful without doubt.
Villa Crystal – Desa Park City Medical Centre
There’s even the Segambut KTM train station nearby, less than 2 kilometres away from where Villa Crystal is located. A convenience for sure, if you’re into taking your own sweet time to commute that is.
Talking about near, Villa Crystal is also literally less than a hundred metres away from a cemetery. You read that right. Just right next to the property, and it can be a deal breaker for some. Those who can overlook that fact though are just dying (pun intended) to move into this area simply because as mentioned, Segambut is indeed a prime location.
What do you think?
Analysis
Villa Crystal: An assessment.
Right next to Villa Crystal is Scenaria @ North Kiara Hills by UOA Group (notice how these developers refuse to use Segambut, opting for ‘North this’ and ‘South that’ instead?) that was completed in 2015. Let’s compare these two to see how Segambut is doing as a whole.
| Name | Tenure/Land Title | Price Per Sq Ft | Built-up | Total Units |
| Villa Crystal | Freehold/ Residential | Starts fromRM505 | Starts from 1,155 sq ft | 414 |
| Scenaria | Freehold/ Residential | Starts from RM650 | Starts from 1,019 sq ft | 937 |
Surprisingly, though Villa Crystal is a newer launch and is a lower-density project, it is priced more affordably compared to Scenaria. Is it because of the cemetery issue, or the fact that UOA Group is the more established developer? Good on both for securing residential land title though, and having a freehold tenure too!
Summary
Villa Crystal: The verdict.
Segambut is without a doubt a prime address that may need a bit of rebranding. The illegal squatter homes must go in order for that to happen though, so let’s hope DBKL isn’t too busy to do just that in the near future.
Being close to established townships like Mont Kiara and Desa Park City is a good thing for future residents of Villa Crystal, since anyone living there will definitely benefit from all the excellent connections and amenities made available.
The project is undoubtedly good, for both own-stay and investment since families will appreciate the spacious and unique offerings, while those looking for a place to rent will find the convenient location desirable. The only issue is with the cemetery behind it so perhaps it’s best for the developer to keep some exorcists’ number on speed-dial, just in case.
