Special Focus: Upmarket homes at Serai Saujana

Using his experience of more than two decades in manufacturing, Hamidon Abdullah aims to walk the talk
where it comes to delivering a truly luxurious development

How many of us have at some point looked at a so-called upmarket property and thought that we could not only improve on the design and use of internal space but also the quality? Hamidon Abdullah did, but instead of building just one property for his own use, he decided on a 10-acre high-end gated and guarded development.

“As a purchaser, I was frustrated in the permutation of useable space. This includes volume, ventilation and choice of finishing…I also noticed that there has been a failure, given our tropical environment, to bring the outdoors inside and vice versa,” he says adding that in many instances, common spaces are not thought out in detail with respect to the intended lifestyle. Hamidon, who has a post-graduate degree in urban and regional planning, reckons that the buying public may feel short-changed as what is delivered at vacant possession is often far removed from what was advertised or the impression given by the show house. “The common area is always the last to be completed and often compromised, with details lacking.”

Armed with these observations and by benchmarking with upmarket developments abroad, Hamidon set about planning and designing his maiden property foray, Serai Saujana in Saujana Resort, Subang. The freehold development comprises The View Condominium and The Villa. The former comprises 169 condo units with built-up areas ranging from 1,800 to 2,900 sq ft while the latter comprises 42 units of villas boasting land areas of 3,900 to 4,600 sq ft and built-ups of 5,200 to 5,800 sq ft.

In designing the development, Hamidon stresses that he didn’t set out to build luxury homes. “It is all about responding to a lifestyle given the market segment we are targeting,” he says. And given its location within a golf resort, upmarket homes became an obvious choice.

When embarking on the development, he put himself in the shoes of the prospective buyer. “If I am a purchaser, I would want my internal space with high ceilings, good layout, good ventilation and good views. Obviously, I would want good quality finishes that I can be proud of to call this unit my home,” adds the 57-year-old entrepreneur.

As such, the condo units boast full-height, aluminium louvered sunscreens installed in the balconies, full-height tinted glass windows throughout the unit for natural lighting and ventilation as well as 11-foot designer composite doors throughout the unit. The villas, meanwhile, boast a private and personal garage for three to four cars, a personal lift servicing the 3-storey unit, a detached ‘entertainment pavilion’ with a view of the garden for parties and entertaining, aluminium louvered sunscreens for all bedroom windows, high ceilings throughout the unit and a tropical design that allows the owner to plan the space usage.

These features appear to have paid off. The villas, pegged from RM4.2 million, are to date 50% sold, while the condos that are due to be handed over next month, have hit sales of 75%. According to the developer, all the golf course-fronting units have been sold except for one unit pegged at RM660 psf while the remaining units offering city views are pegged from RM550 psf.

Though he’s pleased with the sales, Hamidon concedes that it wasn’t smooth sailing from the get-go. “We opened the condo units for sale in mid-2006 and we struggled because we were unknown in property development,” he says.  Nonetheless, through word of mouth and as the project took shape, sales began to grow and value for the units began to appreciate as well. “Initially, the units fronting the golf course were sold at RM420 psf but just last month, they were changing hands in the
secondary market for RM680 psf,” he discloses.

From automotive manufacturing to property development
In developing Serai Saujana, Hamidon also emphasised the use of green technology, adding that many of the environmentally friendly elements were incorporated before going green became a buzzword. “I’m doing it because it’s a statement about myself…yes, it’s at the expense of profits but I can proudly say that we’ve not shortchanged anyone. We’re delivering on our promise that and that promise is giving value for money,” he says.

While Hamidon and his team may be newcomers to the property development scene, he reckons his experience in manufacturing is a plus. (Hamidon founded EP Manufacturing Bhd in 1986, joining forces with German-based industrial enterprise Robert Bosch to manufacture auto parts.) “Coming from an automotive background, I’m well-versed in materials and I used that knowledge in designing the development,” he says.

He says that the experienced gained from his involvement in lighting also spurred him to opt for LED lights at Serai Saujana’s common areas. These lights with their lower power consumption will reduce electricity costs, resulting in cheaper maintenance costs. Additionally the car park area will also be fitted with motion-activated sensors, thus reducing electricity costs, as the lights need not be switched on throughout the day. “We also took the trouble to look at how we could trap rainwater and harvest it for landscaping use…a lot of time was spent on design,” he says.

The development though, has not been without challenges, in particular getting the message across to the contractors and builders on the importance of ensuring quality. “We’ve had to be very persuasive in ensuring quality,” he says, conceding that there were many arguments with the architects and M&E engineers in the process of making the development a reality.

In overcoming these challenges, Hamidon stresses the importance of leadership. “You can have the best design team at hand but if you do not drive them and be clear as to what you aspire, it’s too easy to lose it all. You must have the tenacity to insist on what you want during construction. Most importantly, we must remember that the development is going to be there a long time and may well surpass our own lifetime.

“For me, I take pride in my shareholding in this development. As such, I see this as an opportunity to put my aspirations into action,” he says.  

Benchmarking with upcoming projects
Having had a taste of development, Hamidon is keen to secure a foothold in the property industry. Early last year, together with a few associates, Hamidon took a controlling stake in Mutiara Goodyear Development Bhd and became its executive chairman. With a landbank of about 1,000 acres, the opportunities are endless, he points out.

“It’s possible for us to undertake luxury developments, lifestyle development and medium-end developments…through these developments, I hope to perpetuate the Hamidon brand,” he says pointing out that the standards set at the Serai Saujana project will be applied to upcoming developments undertaken by Mutiara Goodyear.

“We hope to take green technology across to upcoming developments within affordable limits and also incorporate some of the design elements like rubbish handling and water filtration maintenance,” he says.

He adds that many of the design elements used for the villas at Serai Saujana such as the high ceilings and column-free internal space will be applied to Mutiara Goodyear’s upcoming high-end project, Nadayu.

This 80-acre gated and guarded development located at the Melawati address will boast 142 bungalow units with land areas of 8,000 to 9,000 sq ft and built-ups of 7,000 to 9,000 sq ft. With an indicative pricing of about RM5 million to RM6 million, the developer hopes to launch the project in June 2010 with a soft launch earlier in the year. To date, the developer has spent RM60 million on earthworks and site preparation.

“The market will see more upmarket developments by Mutiara Goodyear…in 2010, we will be launching RM1.5 billion worth of projects,” he says.

For more information, call (03) 7846 9553/6957 (Serai Saujana) and (03) 2693 5622 (Mutiara Goodyear).



This article appeared in Luxury Living, the special focus pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 782, Nov 23-29, 2009.