Expats’ darling

Carved out of a rubber estate, Mont’Kiara has become one of the most sought-after international enclaves in Kuala Lumpur for its quality high-end condominiums, offices, shopping conveniences and international schools.

Enhancing its allure is that it lies just 10km northwest of KL city centre and is 15 minutes’ drive from the satellite city of Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

The township is located right next to the intersection of four expressways — New Klang Valley Expressway, North-South Expressway Northern Route, Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway and Sprint Expressway, giving residents easy access to major towns in the Klang Valley.

The nearest public transport station in Mont’Kiara is Segambut KTM Komuter station 10 to 15 minutes’ drive away, as well as the Bukit Kiara MRT Station, which is located 7km away. There are however, buses provided by Mont’Kiara’s master developer, UEM Sunrise Bhd, to ferry residents from point to point within the suburb.

Furthermore, Mont’Kiara has been designed to be a walkable neighbourhood, an element that has drawn expatriates from all over the world. In terms of safety and for its residents’ peace of mind, UEM Sunrise has also put in place security features such as street CCTVs and its own auxiliary police team to patrol the neighborhood. There is also a police station in Mont’Kiara.

A nexus of international schools

Mont’Kiara is one of the most popular education-oriented expatriate property hot spots in the Klang Valley because of the international school choices available such as Mont’Kiara International School of KL — a top-rated International Baccalaureate World School using the American Curriculum, and the Garden International School that was founded in 1951 as the first British international school in Malaysia. There is also the French international school in Mont’Kiara called Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur. On top of that, there are several international pre-schools in Mont’Kiara.

Adding to its appeal are retail offerings in the area such as Plaza Mont’Kiara, 1 Mont’Kiara mall and Solaris Mont’Kiara offering loads of shopping, conveniences and F&B choices.   

From 2015 to 2019, Mont’Kiara had recorded at least 300 residential property transactions yearly with prices holding steady despite the overall soft property market in the country during that period. According to EdgeProp Research data, the average transacted price of non-landed homes in Mont’Kiara was RM730 psf in 2019, down from RM757 psf in 2018 but up from RM718 psf in 2017.

Most of the transactions between 2017 and 2019 were from high-rise residential projects SENI Mont’Kiara (132 units), Residensi 22 (121 units) and Arcoris Residences @ Arcoris Mont’Kiara (100 units). The latter two were developed by UEM Sunrise.

SENI Mont’Kiara is a luxury condominium featuring a 2,000 sq ft art gallery, hence the name seni which means “art” in the Malay language; and a lush 5-acre garden by designer Karl Princic. The project consists of two 40-storey towers and two 12-level blocks housing only 605 units in total. The average transacted price from 2017 to 2019 was RM787 psf or RM2.5 million.

Meanwhile, Residensi 22 comprises four blocks of 38 storeys each. The high-end condominium lies across the road from Garden International School. It was completed in 2018, making it one of the latest completed projects in Mont’Kiara. Its average transacted price was RM826 psf or RM1.7 million in 2019.

Arcoris Mont’Kiara is an integrated development consisting of a retail podium, hotel, SoHos, business suites and serviced residences. Some 97 serviced residences at Arcoris Residences in the development changed hands between 2017 and 2019 at an average transacted price of RM1,060 psf or RM947,142.

Read more about "Where to look?" in EdgeProp Malaysia’s “Destination: Malaysia” e-Pub

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