City&Country: MRT hotspots

The proposed RM36 million Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in the Klang Valley and Greater Kuala Lumpur is expected to boost property values in the areas it will serve upon completion in 2018, as well as increase accessibility.

Ho Chin Soon(pix), director of Ho Chin Soon Research Sdn Bhd, says overseas studies have shown that properties with close proximity to mass rapid transport systems have seen an appreciation of up to 25% compared with those without proximity to a station.

The Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line (Blue Line) will lie in a northwest to southeast direction, complementing the existing LRT lines and the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT extensions. Ho says it will be mainly good news for investors in areas where the stations are located.

He says the inspection team of Ho Chin Soon Research is preparing detailed maps of areas near each MRT station along the Blue Line for publication.

“Knowing that the Blue Line will only start running, either 2017 or 2018, it would be good to have a rapid bus system in the interim to alleviate traffic congestion in Greater KL,” he says.

What will further contribute to better accessibility in Greater KL, he says, is an outer ring road, starting from the SILK Highway (near Kajang) along the east of Ampang Town, going north of Kemensah Heights and Taman Melawati in Kuala Lumpur.

Hotspots in Kuala Lumpur such as the Golden Triangle, Embassy Row, Bangsar, Damansara Heights and Mont’Kiara would still remain hot, he adds.

Ho will be among the speakers at The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2011, titled “Buy, Sell or Hold?” on April 9 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Ho’s talk on “MRT: Real estate hotspots” will highlight his views on potential investment hot spots and beneficiaries along the MRT route.

Lucky participants will have the chance to win Ho Chin Soon Research maps at the forum. The maps feature the proposed route of the MRT Blue Line.

This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 849, Mar 14-20, 2011