Acacia Park, Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang Review

The fact that Low Yat Group has put much thought into the physical appearance of the houses is very much appreciated.

That if these houses were going to last for a long time on a freehold land, the design must be able to commensurate with the changing times.

Units are going out fast and many are anticipating the launch of Phase 4 to see what design Low Yat has in store for these affordable homes with modernity and contemporary lifestyle concept for a booming town like Rawang.

The individual site plan of Acacia Park@ Bandar Tasik Puteri

Here is a look at the previous Phase 2 design(95% sold as of Nov 2015), which is indeed very contemporary and refreshing. This phase faces south, hence residents would not have to worry about the evening or afternoon sun bringing heat into the house.

A look at Acacia Park Phase 2 (95% sold as of November 2015)

This Phase 2 offered 4-bedroom, 3 bathrooms, 2-storey houses with a built-up area of between 1,766-2,817 sq ft. I believe by now (Week 2, November 2015), it should already be sold out.

The newly-opened Phase 3(A) flaunts a slightly wider design with a roof protruding from the top.

Whereas Phase 3 units look wider from the front view with its open design that seems to speak volumes of its simplicity and comfort for a decent home.

The Acacia Park Phase 3 which is open for sale now (Launched November 14th, 2015)

Second option for Phase 3 Acacia Park design

The most attractive part of this Phase 3 is that the early birds get to secure their units in front of the garden which has a slightly higher price compared to the intermediate lots.

Phase 3(A) also offers 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom 2-storey houses with a built-up area of between 1818 – 2,860 sq ft. The difference between the unit types lie in the layouts.

Sizes of all intermediate units are the same for every phase, while different for both corner and end lot units.

Safety measures

Developer’s sales team has assured that all typical intermediate units in Acacia Park will be 18′ wide. If you are looking at houses with width of 20′ onwards, you may consider a corner lot in all its phases that vary in terms of the price but still arguably a good buy.

There is only one entrance for every phase for all of Acacia Park. This would allow some assurance on the level of safety to its residents.

According to one of the sales people : the team is trying to convince owners to pre-sign their consent to set up the Resident Association upon completion of the project.

With this, the developer will deliver then together with the houses the perimeter fencing, street CCTV and guard house, which will be maintained by the developer for the first year and subsequently to be handed over to the Resident Association.

About the developer

The Low Yat Group has ownerships of commercial projects in China and Japan and who is well-known for Low Yat Plaza, and owns the BB Park in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

With their entry into BTP, high hopes are certainly being placed for this eminent group to begin crafting the landscapes of Rawang. Safe to say, we are seeing a slew of development efforts coming up since 2010.

Acacia Park is right along the LATAR Expressway (Image source: Bandar Tasik Puteri website)

Acacia Park is located between Kuala Selangor and Kuala Lumpur using the new LATAR Expressway.

It is 15.5km drive from Rawang Town and is just 10 minutes’ away from Rawang Aeon and Anggun City/Residences.

By the time the LATAR Expressway is 100% completed, Klang Valleans would be able to have a smooth and pleasant drive towards the northern parts of Selangor, being Kuala Selangor and Tanjung Karang. If it is not too much to ask, it would be great to have more wholesome progress to spice up this route in the near future.

The highly-anticipated completion of LATAR Expressway by 2018 would bring Klang Valleans better access to Kuala Selangor and the fringes of the state.

Acacia Park is only 5 minutes or 400 metres’ from the toll to exit into LATAR Expressway.

Location map

Travelling Routes are as stated above:

Jalan Duta Toll to BTP via LATAR Highway Distance 30km
Jalan Duta ti BTP via Batu Arang Distance 44km
Templer’s Park to BTP Distance 26.7km
Ijok to BTP Distance 24.6km
MRT Sungai Buloh station to BTP Distance 37.5km
Subang SkyPark to BTP Distance 37.5km
Guthrie Highway to BTP via LATAR Highway Distance 27km
Shah Alam to BTP via LATAR Highway Distance 36km

Coming from KL on the North-South freeway, after passing Restoran Jejantas Sungai Buloh, keep driving until you reach Sungai Buloh Exit.

Continue driving until you see the Kuala Selangor-Shah Alam signboard approaching, right before the Rawang toll.

Take on the left turn onto the ramp and you will arrive on LATAR Highway that takes you directly towards Acacia!

LATAR Highway

LATAR Expressway is a full 33-km length that leads all the way towards the coastal Selangor towns. It serves areas such as Kuala Selangor, Assam Jawa, Ijok, Bestari Jaya (formerly called Batang Berjuntai), Kota Puteri, Puncak Alam, Shah Alam, Bukit Jelutong, Sungai Buloh, Kundang, Rawang and Selayang, according to the concessionaire.

It’s an alternative to Federal Road 54, and the official claim is that one can get from the KL entry point to Kuala Selangor in just 18 minutes.

The LATAR Expressway as seen from the Templer’s Park (Image source : Paul Tan)

For LATAR, the new rates for Ijok toll Plaza, Kuang Timur toll plaza, Kuang Barat toll plaza and Templer toll plaza, are RM2.50 for class 1, RM5 (class 2), RM7 (class 3), RM1.30 (class 4) respectively, while RM2 is maintained for class 5.

LATAR Toll Rates 3 (Image source: The Star)

One of the main questions that property buyers would ask whenever they need to make the decision of whether to buy or not to buy a house is, if the property would appreciate in the future.

This is where we go further into the location study of the place that we are buying into.

First impression

My first impression about Acacia Park was that it is perfect for the young family who would love to send their offspring to the international and Chinese schools and living at just about half-an-hour away from Kuala Lumpur or 20 minutes from Damansara and Subang.

With a future business and commercial centre which would include an international school, hospital and being neighbours with property projects that have been carefully and artfully crafted by Low Yat Group for so many years, BTP is not just a piece of land that is situated almost towards the northern-most part of our Selangor state. It is a piece of beautiful landscape that is surrounded by green trees, clean roads and an undulating golf course that not many are still aware of to this day.

Enveloped by lush terrains of greenery and sparkling lakes, Bandar Tasik Puteri is a safe haven for city-dwellers who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, just 45 minutes’ drive from KLCC (without the jam).

Within BTP alone, you will be able to find :

If you were wondering whether you were going to face trouble doing your emergency grocery-shopping due to Rawang ‘s distance from Acacia Park, there is a mini commercial centre within BTP itself, which is mainly serviced by the local community for a long time now.

There has existed a majority Malay community here for many years already in Bandar Tasik Puteri.

The Chinese school which is to be a Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina(SJKC) will be built exactly beside Acacia Park Phase 3. The international school would be pegged for primary to secondary syllabuses, and potentially tertiary education too, according to the developer. This surely indicates future investment prospects in the location.

With the ongoing development, the piece of Low Yat Group’s land would soon witness and embrace a greater diversity within the neighborhood. Acacia Park’s address will still remain in Rawang.

Moving on, many new commercial and residential areas are to be seen as we go along. Other major developers are also descending upon this location.

Based on reports, Eco World and Mah Sing have begun stamping their presence into this this side of Selangor and these will be neighbours with buyers of Acacia Park.

Eco World’s news was featured in The Malaysian Insider just recently with the headline:

‘Developer unveils latest phase in Bandar Tasik Puteri township’

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/eco-world-buys-land-for-rm15-billion-township-in-kuala-selangor

This area is right across the LATAR Expressway from Acacia Park.

If you had been an avid follower of the property market, you would already be familiar with the Eco World story surrounding Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, founder of the said company. Once heavily criticised for buying a 4,000-acre barren land in Shah Alam, Liew had proven to be a stoic contender(and perhaps even a game-changer) in this sector.

After more than 10 years later, that ‘forsaken’ piece of land had become a self-contained integrated township and along the way, raked in a slew of awards. We are talking about what you know today as the Setia Alam and Setia Eco Park.

These awards are in praises for Liew and the company for its vision and foresight in bringing much hope to the Malaysian property development segment.

On the other hand, Mah Sing, who is also a major developer has completed two other residential areas at the entrance of Bandar Tasik Puteri and in the middle of the way into Acacia Park. They are M-Residence and M-Residence 2. These properties range from 700,000 to above RM1million which are still going for sale now.

The masterplan by Mah Sing is already quite impressive, to be honest. Here are some snapshots for the upcoming Mah Sing projects which we shall look forward to reviewing soon.

Acacia Parks is south from M-Residence 2

The Mah Sing Sales Gallery at the entrance of BTP

So let us go back to why the LATAR Highway plays a major role in the progress of the surrounding locations around it.

Kuala Selangor

Kuala Selangor is well-known for its Firefly Park at Kampung Kuantan, especially back in the early 2000s. Aside from the fireflies, which according to visitors are like living Christmas tree in this part of Malaysia, Kuala Selangor is also a fishing village that runs a famous fish market by the river banks of River Selangor. Locations such as Bagan Sungai Yu and Pasir Penambang offer good buy for seafood and seafood restaurants (restaurants with no pork served also available to cater to all preferences).

Side View of Jeti Seafood Restaurant at Kuala Selangor , Image source : kuala-selangor.com)

Famous jetty restaurants serving the best seafood around the state by Kuala Selangor (Image source : Sekinchan website)

This is the closest experience with nature from the Kuala Lumpur city centres (one-and-a-half hours’ drive from KL) aside from the highland resorts, forest reserves and waterfall forests around the city.

Sekinchan

Drive northward and you will arrive at Sekinchan, a well-known fishing village and one of the major local rice suppliers for the country.

An expansive view of Sekinchan paddy fields (Image source : Sekinchan Website)

Rawang Town (or Pekan Rawang)

Rawang has been experiencing rapid development, especially in recent years. Many new commercial and residential areas have begun taking shape and attracting more attention to its pace than ever.

Since 2006, a new central market has been opened in Bandar Baru Rawang and more property projects have mushroomed in order to meet the increasing demand from the population. There are a number of shopping centers in Rawang which includes Tesco, Parkson, AEON and Giant.

Despite these growth the Police Department was downgraded from a district headquarters to an ordinary department that now has to handle the needs of a larger population.

1. Rawang JAM (taken from thestar.com.my)Congested Traffic is practically at a standstill along Jalan Welman in Rawang town, especiall

The much-talked about Rawang traffic that indicates an ever-growing population (Image source : The Star)

2. Rawang Walk, image source from Property Insight October feature

The Rawang Town as featured by Property insight in October 2015 (Image source : Property Insight)

Rawang, since before independence, was mainly settled by a majority Indian community with smattering population of both Chinese and Malay people.

Tin mining and rubber were major economic outputs of Rawang until circa late-1970s.

Bandar Country Homes, Bandar Tasik Puteri neighbour

BTP is only five minutes from Bandar Country Homes, which is owned mainly by the Tanco Holdings Berhad Group who introduced the once-famous Balinese-themed resort, Duta Palms and Angler’s Club and Country Resort.

This is a picture of the clubhouse in its heyday, between 1996-2009.

The Dutapalms Resort in its heyday (Image source : KL-Hotels.com)

The Duta Palms has been converted to a food court that serves the local community. It has become a hangout spot for the residents and neighbouring locations.

The Duta Palms Resort which has been converted into a food court that serves as a bright and clean hangout venue

So you see, if you are feeling like a short drive from Acacia Park for all your needs, Bandar Country Homes(BCH) would offer just about everything you require from groceries to medical attention and spectacle shops to tuition centres, bakeries and pharmacies to all the eateries that have been there for more than 20 years. It is all there.

And a secondary school too (SMK Taman Desa), where in my personal knowledge has wonderful teachers who have produced some of the finest students that Malaysia has never seen or known. (They all are pretty grounded and so not much publicity was ever needed)

Truth be told, after considering Rawang’s 15.5km distance, BCH should be your next best neighbourhood that would serve your family’s needs and convenience. Behind Jusco is the commercial area,Anggun City, which is still anticipating occupancy. Although Anggun City is still empty, it is new and fresh.

Oh, and there is the 24-hour McDonald’s too beside Aeon Rawang, just 10 minutes’ drive from your home.

Aeon Rawang (Image source : acik515.blogspot.com)

The Aeon Rawang 10 minutes from Acacia Park and a 24-hour McDonald’s outlet seconds away

As a matter of fact, Bandar Tasik Puteri alone should be a self-sufficient township within a matter of years and in no time, it will grow to become a bustling township just as that of Puchong and Seri Kembangan, to name a couple. This is probably the Bangi of northern Selangor, except that Rawang or Bandar Tasik Puteri is way nearer to Klang Valleans than we would expect it to be.

Project title	Tenure/Land Title	Average Price (per Sq. Ft.)	Maintenance Fee(per Sq. Ft.)	Car Park Bays
Acacia Park, Phase 2	Leasehold, Double-storey	RM 250 psf	Rm 100, inclusive of security	Porch fits two cars
Acacia Park, Phase 3	Leasehold, Double-storey	RM 250 psf	Rm 100, inclusive of security	Porch fits two cars
Garden Heights	Leasehold, Double-storey terraced house	RM 273 psf	RM100-150	Porch fits two cars

Acacia Park says ‘Big on comfort and bigger in value’ and that the special promotional package is within limited period. Prices can be negotiable, especially if you are a first-time home buyer.

In fact, if you are looking for a bigger house, you can always also consider the Garden heights which is also by the same developer. The land on which the Garden Heights is built is slightly higher that Acacia Parks. Garden heights was launched in 2012 and has now appreciated from RM300,000 to what around RM500,000 today.

You may be concerned about flood, but there should be nothing to worry about as there were seldom any major flood situations that gripped this part of Rawang in the many years that I have been around this district.

In this current time, RM250 for per square foot is considered very hard to find and thus, the consideration to purchase has to include taking into accounts all the main points i.e: location, price analysis and the project analysis for long-term investment.

Security features

While the developer did not claim that Acacia Park is to be a gated community, there has been efforts made by the developer to ensure that the maintenance fee made monthly by the residents also go to cover the safety and security aspects of the Acacia Park residence.

Pertaining to the finances of the sales and purchase agreements and also your expenses, the developer is always happy to introduce you to a reliable banker who can help you with the calculation of your monthly commitment in order to accomplish the purchase of your unit at Acacia Park.

For more information, you can always check out the discussions of Acacia Park buyers at Low Yat Forum. Net who are very learned about the prospective market of buying into Rawang.

Most of the people who commented on Low Yat Forum on this project believe that Rawang is a good location that would bring in more crowd in the future and this in turn would cause the market value of the place to appreciate.

The forum is monitored by the admin and is very helpful whenever a question is being posted with regards to the property.

With regards to the rental rates, it would hover between RM800-1,000 or higher if you can strike a good deal with your potential tenants, should you consider wanting to lease out your unit.

Having had moved around within the township several times over the past 20 years, I have watched this place blossom from a muddy land soiled with red earth on the way leading to Bandar Country Homes to the busy township of New Rawang that it is today.

The town never ceases to bustle with life and festivities especially among the majority Indian community. The Chinese and the Malay community have integrated themselves very well to become a part of this rich Indian community with its beautiful cultures and way of life.

Hence, with the onset of the development in Tasik Puteri, it sure looks like Rawang is ready to open its doors to welcome a new generation of Klang Valleans to partake in its rich traditions.

Not only that, as continuous developments take place from Wilayah Persekutuan and the central state of Selangor, developers are spreading their operations into the outskirts and parts of the state and leaving a mark with their presence in the places that competing developers are neglecting.

Considering that homebuyers these days are keen to look for a place to settle down with their new family, Rawang is perhaps the best bet insofar.

Ultimately, Acacia Park is a good buy for the young family looking to settle down with good education system for their children within walking distance and for those who would like to stay put for the long-term.

The overall plus side for Acacia Park is that, based on the rate that Rawang is growing, a stable and affluent community with solid background would contribute to the market value of this area in the future.

You cannot get properties at this built-up size with such an attractive price in the capital city today any longer.

Acacia Park, Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang

Project Details

Location

Analysis

Summary

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