Property Hunter Magazine September Issue 2014 | Page 84

/// Hot Topic

Aerial view of Aeropod

sunsets and virgin beaches, the
world’s oldest rainforest and cool
mountain ranges, it is hard for
Sabah not to be on the radar of
neighbouring countries – most of
which are within a five-hour direct
flight to the state’s gateway in Kota
Kinabalu.”
Another advantage for Sabah is
the difficulty in gaining property
ownership in neighbouring tropical
countries such as Singapore,
Indonesia, Thailand and the
Philippines. This will also spur
overseas investors to look towards
Sabah as a potential property
investment destination.
Starting from a lower capital value
base, availability of financing, low
interest rate environment, and a
transparent legal and title system,
Sabah is quickly gaining regional
interest from major real estate
developers and investors.
Local developers in Sabah have
also made great strides in the
concept design and construction
quality of its housing projects. Ginn
Lai is confident that developers in
Sabah will be able to fulfil the high
expectations of overseas investors.
Increased competition to woo them
over local investors to achieve their
sales target will push them to up the
ante in quality design, construction
and finishing.
Apart from air connectivity to major
cities in the Asia Pacific region, Sabah
has to achieve more significant
connectivity on the ground in

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terms of road networks and public
transportation to have the necessary
competitive edge.
Mega infrastructure projects such
as the bridges linking Penang
island to the peninsular mainland,
and Johor to Singapore saw a
tremendous increase in land value
and prime development projects
that are coveted by overseas
investors. High speed road and rail
links guaranteeing easier access to
major airports, city hubs and leisure
destinations in Peninsular Malaysia
and beyond to Thailand in the
north and Singapore in the south,
were also significant in persuading
overseas investors to choose Penang,
Kuala Lumpur or Johor Bahru over
Sabah. The proximity of Singapore
and its vast investor potential was
one of the main reasons for the
construction of the Eastern Dispersal
Link (EDL). The toll free expressway
was built at a cost of RM1 billion to
provide better connectivity between
Iskandar Malaysia, one of the biggest
integrated urban development
projects in Malaysia at a GDV of
RM60 billion, to its major investor
m