Kuching becomes new retirement hotspot.

With Eden-On-The-Park launched and other developments being looked into by other land owners and developers.

Retirement Living & Senior Care Southeast Asia 2014

" The ONLY top level Southeast Asian speaker panel for Retirement Senior Care 

Retirement Living & Senior Care Southeast Asia 2014 is tailored to bring together developers, operators, investors and service providers in the aged care sector to shape the way we view Southeast Asia’s high and middle senior housing market.This event will help determine the market potential, source out new revenue streams and uncover a range of opportunities in service provision, partnerships and the development of future retirement villages and senior housing prospects in the region.     "

A glimpse of what Retirement Living & Senior Care Southeast Asia 2014 will bring to you:

     1.  Over 18 hours of networking and intense knowledge sharing opportunities

      2. Meet over 150 key Southeast Asian aged care representatives and develop long-lasting partnerships

      3. 20 + exclusive Southeast-Asian presentations, interactive panels, roundtable discussion, real life case studies and tailored exhibitions

      4. Explore new ideas and investment opportunities and uncover the latest models, pricing and management trends from around the region

      5. Attend our Exclusive Closed-Door Investors Conclave

      6. Site Tour: One-off opportunity to tour AraGreens Residences & Village

      7. Unlimited partnering opportunities that will benefit your strategic planning and open new doors into a highly untapped aged care market

VENUE:

      160 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T. +60 3 2117 4888         F. +60 3 2142 1441

TAKE A PEEK HERE, FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Lonely Planet picks Penang as top spot for foodies in 2014

Lonely Planet picks Penang as top spot for foodies in 2014 - Nation | The Star Online

Gurney Drive - Photo from The Star article.

Old colonial era Chinese shophouses gives character to George Town, Penang.

Malaysia voted again in The World's Best Places To Retire In 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/internationallivingcom/best-places-to-retire_b_4536719.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

Singapore Gets Its First RV in 2017.

http://seniorsaloud.blogspot.com/2013/11/singapore-soon-to-get-its-first.html

Good article in the newspaper articulating the RV industry in Malaysia.

http://www.nst.com.my/red/whither-retirement-villages-in-malaysia-1.326661

> The discovery of Sri Seronok Retirement Village already set up in 1988 in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur with the right ideals and practicalities.

> GreenAcres in Meru, Ipoh is the first in Malaysia to incorporate the Australian model of RV.

DOWNSIZING FOR EMPTY NESTERS

Downsizing property | theSundaily

Are there Retirement Villages (RVs) in Malaysia?

Over the last 2 years, there has been a lot of talk in the market about the setting up of Retirement Villages in Malaysia. While Malaysia is prime estate for such facilities, the industry is still at ground zero for many reasons.

Modern example of an RV in Australia: Waterbrook Greenwich Resort
 by Marchese Partners Architects in Sydney, Australia.

1. The miscalculation of its real value by bunching it as a real estate game.
2. The wrong purchase / ownership model for the customer.
3. The lack of experienced expertise.
4. The lack of knowledge of market readiness.
5. The lack of honest passion.

While there may be more reasons to list, these are the top 5 areas to be sorted out before forging ahead in this industry. It is amazing that there are over 3,000 purpose-built RVs in Australia compared to zero at the moment in Malaysia.
Albert Einstein did say "... in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunities...". That does sums up the potentiality of the RV business in Malaysia. The following are the 'Retirement' development news I have in Malaysia.

THE GREEN LEAF (Selangor)
This project is still currently being promoted although the number of takers is lower than expected. It is situated at Sepang, nearby the GOLDEN PALM TREE ICONIC RESORT & SPA. Unit size, scale of project and locality may be the weaknesses here.

ISKANDAR (Johor)
As many as 10 different groups have been talking about setting up Retirement oriented projects here. From what I have gathered, most of these are planned towards property real estate investment and sold outright to buyers. The 'Lease' model works best for RVs.

MERU (Ipoh)
The only purpose-built RV I know of that is actively being developed is this project in Ipoh. The consultant has been adamant in making sure it will set a meaningful benchmark, thus the local architects have been changed for the 2nd time. I understand even the Australian consulting Architect has been changed just recently. No stones will be left unturned. Many developers are waiting for this RV to be launched before they make their final commitment to the business. Latest news is they have achieved official breakthrough with authorities on the nett land area for development. July may see the first glimpse of the new design. A portion of the RVs will be built first before being marketed.
More news to follow.

SERENDAH (Selangor)
Something big is being studied for this area with special attention towards Aged-Care. This project will be fully-funded by the owners and thus will be built before being marketed.
More news to follow.

PETALING JAYA (Selangor)
There is a dearth for such facility in PJ and KL but none that I know are in talks. I have personally met and discussed with various land owners (sizable ones) but none have seen the viability yet. A good size for an RV in the Klang Valley (with the high land costs) may be from 3 acres up and will be vertical in nature. I am sure the floodgates will open very soon on this. The customers are ready but the deveopers are not.

Malaysia Ranks 3rd - The World’s Top Retirement Havens in 2013

“Go back to New York to live? Never!” says 65-year-old Lorna Taylor. “We moved to Malaysia because of the weather, the golf and the low prices; our costs are now a third to a quarter of what they were in the U.S. We even have a maid come in and clean four times a week. We couldn’t do that in New York. No, we’ll never leave Penang.”

Historical shophouses in Penang stands alongside modern day amenities.
Malaysia is a great mix of sights, sounds and feelings for daily living.
(Photo from Tourism Malaysia)

I’m 30 years younger than Lorna and her husband John, and yet they still manage to beat my wife Lisa and me convincingly at tennis. They have a coach who comes twice a week, and for $10 a lesson I can see his efforts are clearly paying off.

I also completely understand and agree with their view about Malaysia. It has everything. Its weather is a tropical 82 F all year round and its beaches, islands and jungles are pristine. It has some of the region’s best street food, great restaurants, bars, shopping malls and movie theaters—and it’s all affordable.

Lisa and I rent a sea-view apartment for $1,000 a month—it comes with a shared pool and gym. We eat out five nights a week, keep a small sailboat, and our total budget is $1,719 a month. Two people can have a three-course meal here for $10.

A bagful of fresh fruit costs around $4. We also have a maid that comes once a week for four hours at a cost of $12.

Malaysia’s an easy place to make friends and integrate as English is the unofficial first language. Lots of expats live in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and numerous organizations here can help you get settled and integrated. For example, the International Women’s Association (formally The American Woman’s Association) has just over 500 members who organize activities on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. On Mondays there are jungle walks, Tuesdays mah-jong (a type of card game), Wednesdays sewing. They sponsor trivia night once a week at a local pub and put on a ball once a year. For more information, see here.

Penang and Kuala Lumpur are also medical centers of excellence and every day two planeloads of medical tourists arrive in Malaysia for various treatments. Not only is the health care amazing but it’s among the world’s cheapest. And prescriptions here cost a fifth of what you pay at home.

The last time I was at the dentist I got a filling and a cleaning, which cost $22.50. In the U.S. this would set me back around $180. We can also buy property, land, and houses and condominiums freehold—something you can’t do elsewhere in Asia.

For the full article in internationalliving.com:  The World’s Top Retirement Havens in 2013

Opportunities in Retirement Villages in Southeast Asia

Opportunities in Retirement Villages in Southeast Asia

Retire In Ipoh... Refresh Your Life: Ipoh Places and Shops To Visit

Ipoh, My Hometown This is a video made by Clement Chiang for Astro My Hometown series. Shared from YouTube.

RETIREMENT HOTSPOTS IN MALAYSIA

http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/insider-asia/180948-retirement-hot-spots.html

Retirement Planning & Success

Specialised homes for the elderly

City&Country: Cover Story-- Specialised homes for the elderly

By Noelle Lim Sunday, 16 October 2011   THE EDGE CITY & COUNTRY

Villages the aged could retire to  According to the Department of Statistics, about 7.5% of our population or 2.2 million people will be aged 65 and above in 2020. Last year, there were more elderly women than men, mostly widows, and the Chinese made up the highest number of individuals aged above 60 — at 9% — compared with the Malays at 6% and Indians at 7%. Come 2020, the gap between the groups is expected to be even wider, with the Chinese at 14%, Malays at 8% and Indians at 10%. The fact is we have an ageing population whose needs, including housing, cannot be ignored.  Datuk Michael Yam, president of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda), believes demand for homes for the elderly among the middle class could gain traction. However, these homes need to be rebranded to attract the affluent who are accustomed to a certain lifestyle.  In more developed countries such as Australia, the affluent elderly can choose to own a home in a development that caters for senior citizens.   In Malaysia, there appears to be latent demand for such “retirement homes” but due to cultural reasons and no clear successful model, most property developers steer clear of such specialised housing, citing lack of sufficient demand. Nor is there enough expertise to manage or offer services for the independent elderly or for those requiring aged care.  Read more....

Five Best Places to Retire in Asia Pacific

Five Best Places to Retire in Asia Pacific

excerpt ~ "An even easier place to achieve a retirement visa that’s exceptionally valuable is Malaysia.  This nation has a retiree program that offers tax-free benefits to international citizens; it’s called the Malaysia My Second Home Program.  It’s actively promoted by the Government to allow foreigners who fulfill certain criteria to stay in Malaysia for as long as possible on a multiple-entry, social visit pass renewable every 10 years.

The general benefits for qualifying individuals include but are not limited to tax exemption on pension income remitted to Malaysia, tax free car importation or local car purchase, and multiple property ownership rights – but ensure you check out whether you are eligible to benefit.

Other than these visa based benefits for qualifying individuals, Malaysia is a great place to retire because English is the second language and it is widely spoken and understood, making integration easier for North Americans for example.  Additionally, there is every type of recreational and cultural pursuit available in Malaysia from theme parks to golf courses, and from jungle trails to stunning tropical beaches.

The climate is stunning, the landscape is diverse, the people are well educated, friendly and welcoming of foreigners, and the standard of living can be exceptionally high depending on where you choose to base yourself in retirement.

If you want first world accommodation and healthcare for example, Kuala Lumpur could be a good place to live – but if you want to escape and find a tropical paradise where the lifestyle is excellent but the pace of life is very laid back, you can get away from it all in Malaysia and make a home for yourself on your own tropical beach."

The first purpose-built retirement village is coming up in Ipoh

Word is out that the plans for the 126 units of purpose-built retirement homes in the gated community is in the process of final planning and due for submission to the authorities. The developer Total Investment Sdn Bhd (TI HOMES) engaged the services of Australian consultants and will eventually operate with Australian expertise as well.
The location is known to be in MERU on the Chemor route just at the north-east section of Ipoh city. Backdropped by a picturesque forest reserve, the site promises peace and tranquility without being remote from amenities. The Mydin Hypermarket is just one kilometer away.
More updates on this will follow.