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He takes public transportation to cross Tuas Second Link two or three times a month, which takes 2.5 hours, and stays there for three days each time.
When TODAY met the 76-year-old at his residence in Johor on Saturday, May 18, he looked right at home. He said he was enjoying the peace and quiet there, with an unobstructed view of Johor’s greenery from his balcony.
For an area said to be home to 9,000 residents, reporters found it unusually quiet over the weekend. Mr Tan’s floor, which has eight apartments, was the only one occupied, he said.
As we rode the hourly shuttle through the vast forested city, only one other passenger boarded.
Still, there is some life at Forest City’s transportation hub, where many restaurants, shops and convenience stores are open, though some are either closed or boarded up, awaiting potential tenants.
Despite the controversy and the rather low-key environment, Mr Chen said he was happy with his decision to buy a Forest City unit because he believed in the project’s potential. He also found himself attracted to the “modern urban design”.
Forest City also called for Malaysian workers working in Singaporeas the rental prices are reasonable. Among the residents is Mr Afiq Alwi, a 40-year-old truck driver who currently rents a 600 sq ft, two-bedroom apartment for RM1,000.
He said rentals in Forest City were cheaper than those in nearby towns such as Gelang Patah in Iskandar Puteri: “For the same unit, I would have to pay RM1,600 there.”
“I love working in Singapore, but the cost of living there is high because the rent for a room is at least S$700 to S$800. If it is calculated in ringgit, I can rent a house here comfortably for less than that.”
TODAY spoke to six real estate agents who said that while a significant number of Singaporeans are looking to buy homes in Johor for investment purposes, there is also a segment who want to live there or own a second home.
Operations director Victor Lee, 53, and his wife Crystal Wang, 38, belong to the latter group. When TODAY met the couple on May 15, they had just received the keys to their two-bedroom apartment at R&F Princess Cove, a project said to be popular with Singaporean buyers.
Mr Lee said they paid in full in cash for the RM800,000, 834 sq ft unit.
Mr Li, who works in the energy industry, said he was happy with the purchase thanks to his flexible work arrangement, which allows him to work from home one or two days a week.
“R&F Group is close to where I work in Admiralty West. I can see it from my balcony. So geographically, I have an advantage,” he said.
Asked if he would be willing to brave the notorious congestion on the Causeway several times a week, Mr Lee said the situation had gratifyingly improved, with both governments continually working to streamline travel, such as the recently implemented e-gates.
“There are pros and cons. If you live in Singapore, the major highways are always congested, and there’s also ERP (electronic road pricing) to consider. That’s a trade-off I can live with.”
Before buying the Johor house, the couple had been renting a studio apartment in Singapore for S$2,000 a month. Mr Lee also owns an HDB flat where his parents live.
“We decided to check out JB and thought, instead of renting, why don’t we spend the money on a home of our own?” he said.
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