Sheda hosts first Home and Property Roadshow 2015

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Abdul Karim (centre) is seen with Wong (third right) and Ngui (fifth left) holding the ribbon cutting ceremony to officiate the opening of Sheda Home and Property Roadshow 2015 at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching, while Sheda committee and council members look on.

KUCHING: Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Sheda) is holding its first Sheda Home and Property Roadshow for 2015 at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching.

The event will be held this weekend from March 6 to 8, 2015 and will be open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Officiating the event yesterday, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Assistant Minister of Housing Sarawak, said the roadshow is an ideal place for interested parties to view various properties.

He also believed that there is a growing demand for residential properties, given Sarawak’s economy which has spurred a rapid growth of housing estates throughout the state.

On the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) next month, Abdul Karim noted that while the increment in property prices is expected, the hike will likely not be very significant.

Concurring this, Sheda Kuching branch chairman and organising chairman of Sheda Home and Property Roadshow 2015, Dr Christopher Ngui said, “It is reckoned that house prices are on an uptrend due to annual inflation, increasing land prices, labour and building materials costs, rural-urban migration, and population growth.”

“It is notable that there is a vacuum in the affordable homes with the price range of RM150,000 to RM300,000.

“To assist that majority group of house buyers at the said affordable price range, we hope the government can assist the developers by increasing the density and reducing the compliance costs and others in order to be sustainable.”

He also urged interested parties to purchase their dream homes or properties now rather than later.

Meanwhile, Joseph Wong, president of Sheda Sarawak, urged manufacturers of construction raw materials to be responsible in pricing basic construction materials when GST is implemented next month.

Wong noted that with GST coming into play, prices of raw materials will be taxed at six per cent and interested parties can check which taxed raw materials on the Customs website.

On the roadshow, 60 booths have been taken up with over 50 exhibitors from Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, and foreign developers. There are also exhibitors from the oil palm land investment scheme and building related trades.

Sheda has also assigned a booth to a non-government organisation (NGO); Pibakat, to create awareness of their plight and activities to the general public. Sheda noted that more booths will be given out to other NGOs in the future.

A colouring contest will also be held on Saturday (March 7) for children aged seven to nine (Group A) and on Sunday (March 8) for children aged 10 to 12 (Group B). Both contests will be held from 2pm to 4pm and children are advised to bring their own colouring tools, including mini tables and chairs, if required.

The second Sheda Home and Property Roadshow 2015, Kuching, is scheduled to be held on November 27 to 29, 2015, at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching.

Sheda encourages interested exhibitors to book their booths now to secure a good location.

Of note, this is also the first roadshow by Sheda Kuching branch, after the formation of Sheda branches during the last quarter of 2014.

For more information, call Sheda secretariats Florence, Michelle, or Harea at 082-366334 or email [email protected].