Well, it was October, almost 7 months after we arrived in Malaysia when we began our search for better housing. As our son and friend Tracy can attest our previous apartment was "basic". Since we received our MM2H visa and felt better legally, and our lease in the mall was almost up, we decided to look for a different apartment. Our goals for the new apartment: not in a mall, adequate cooking facilities, and something that would feel like we had left graduate school digs.
To look for an apartment, we went back to the real estate agency we used the first time. YJ, our agent was the same person we used again. Why you ask do you use a real estate agent? Most apartment/condos for rent are individually owned and rented. Virtually no building is owned/managed by a single company. Searching the web results in listing of properties, but as I learned later, many of the listings are not active (even though they appear to be current listing), and many agents do not return phone calls. And since I do not have a car (by choice), the agent provided an additional service: transportation.
I gave YJ parameters of what we wanted: 2 br, 2 ba, a "real kitchen", and in the Bangsar area. We also wanted to be close to transit facitilies (a reliable bus line, LRT, and adequate taxi service). The local train service KTM Kommuter was not condered adequate.
I also searched two web sites: iproperty.com.my, and mudah.my to find properties that met our specifications. I gave the property listings to YJ for consideration.
On four separate days, I went on apartment hunting trips with YJ. In all I visited 16 different apartments...some twice. Liz joined us on two additional trips. One the last trip two apartments were rejected, one was similar to a well worn beach house, and one was rejected due to "old plumbing". Because we live in the tropics, high ceilings are welcome, and cross ventiliation is a desirable feature. If the unit was on a low floor, screens are mandatory. Some apartments have standard approximately 8' ceilings. No room for ceiling fans and thus dependence on a/c. This is not a good idea as electrical power is expensive in Malaysia.
On our last trip we viewed a new building. It was nice, although the bedroom had no windows. They were in an adjacent sitting area. The view was over an industrical area, a construction site and a shopping mall. No stores were within easy walking distance, and crossing roads to get to public transit would be a problem. Another building was promising, but we both decided that it was too much like a resort, with signs stating where bathing suits could be worn. My comments was: this is the home of corporate wives and diplomatic spouses. We did not want that.
Finally, we saw three units in the Cascadium. One was on a high floor, facing the street. One was on the top floor, was very large and had good cross ventilation. Unfortunately, its furnishings were well worn and the owner had done little to fix it up. We went back to the one on the third level. It had a large terrace, two bedrooms, two baths and was tastefully decorated. We made an offer and it was accepted.
The owners have been very nice. We have been continiously surprised by the hospitality of Malaysians. The apartment was fully furnished with sheets (new), pillows (new), and a fully functional kitchen, knives, dishtowels, buckets, etc. They even brought over a drying rack so we can dry our cloths on the large terrace. We have been continiously surprised by the hospitality of Malaysians.
The satelite tv was already installed and we were allowed to customize the channels. The building is fibre optic ready so in a month or so the service will be installed. In the meantime, our wireless wifi system is working even better than before. We almost never drop out and even managed a skype call to see our grandson and participate in a Thanksgiving Celebration in Maryland, USA.
What I learned during this process. Apartment hunting takes a lot of time. Almost all apartments are individually owned and managed. The use of an estate agent speeds up the process. You delegate the responsibility for arranging appointments for viewings, and he/she handles the negotiations and documentation.
Okay, now some pictures.
To look for an apartment, we went back to the real estate agency we used the first time. YJ, our agent was the same person we used again. Why you ask do you use a real estate agent? Most apartment/condos for rent are individually owned and rented. Virtually no building is owned/managed by a single company. Searching the web results in listing of properties, but as I learned later, many of the listings are not active (even though they appear to be current listing), and many agents do not return phone calls. And since I do not have a car (by choice), the agent provided an additional service: transportation.
I gave YJ parameters of what we wanted: 2 br, 2 ba, a "real kitchen", and in the Bangsar area. We also wanted to be close to transit facitilies (a reliable bus line, LRT, and adequate taxi service). The local train service KTM Kommuter was not condered adequate.
I also searched two web sites: iproperty.com.my, and mudah.my to find properties that met our specifications. I gave the property listings to YJ for consideration.
On four separate days, I went on apartment hunting trips with YJ. In all I visited 16 different apartments...some twice. Liz joined us on two additional trips. One the last trip two apartments were rejected, one was similar to a well worn beach house, and one was rejected due to "old plumbing". Because we live in the tropics, high ceilings are welcome, and cross ventiliation is a desirable feature. If the unit was on a low floor, screens are mandatory. Some apartments have standard approximately 8' ceilings. No room for ceiling fans and thus dependence on a/c. This is not a good idea as electrical power is expensive in Malaysia.
On our last trip we viewed a new building. It was nice, although the bedroom had no windows. They were in an adjacent sitting area. The view was over an industrical area, a construction site and a shopping mall. No stores were within easy walking distance, and crossing roads to get to public transit would be a problem. Another building was promising, but we both decided that it was too much like a resort, with signs stating where bathing suits could be worn. My comments was: this is the home of corporate wives and diplomatic spouses. We did not want that.
Finally, we saw three units in the Cascadium. One was on a high floor, facing the street. One was on the top floor, was very large and had good cross ventilation. Unfortunately, its furnishings were well worn and the owner had done little to fix it up. We went back to the one on the third level. It had a large terrace, two bedrooms, two baths and was tastefully decorated. We made an offer and it was accepted.
The owners have been very nice. We have been continiously surprised by the hospitality of Malaysians. The apartment was fully furnished with sheets (new), pillows (new), and a fully functional kitchen, knives, dishtowels, buckets, etc. They even brought over a drying rack so we can dry our cloths on the large terrace. We have been continiously surprised by the hospitality of Malaysians.
The satelite tv was already installed and we were allowed to customize the channels. The building is fibre optic ready so in a month or so the service will be installed. In the meantime, our wireless wifi system is working even better than before. We almost never drop out and even managed a skype call to see our grandson and participate in a Thanksgiving Celebration in Maryland, USA.
What I learned during this process. Apartment hunting takes a lot of time. Almost all apartments are individually owned and managed. The use of an estate agent speeds up the process. You delegate the responsibility for arranging appointments for viewings, and he/she handles the negotiations and documentation.
Okay, now some pictures.
The pool is just down the hallway.
A view of downtown Kuala Lumpur from the pool.
Our living room.
Half of our kitchen, but fully functional.
Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom.
En-suite bath.
Our guest bedroom.
Our terrace overlooking a little piece of jungle (green lung area).
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