According to SunCity managing director for property development Ngian Siew Siong, the local property market had not been too badly impacted by the global crisis and it should recover quite fast.

“Demand for property is a function of economic growth and, with the country’s economy expected to bounce back next year, property demand should also move in tandem with the higher market confidence,” he said.

For the fourth quarter ended June 30, SunCity’s property sales showed a strong rebound of 120% to RM88mil from RM40mil in the previous quarter.

The stronger sales were mainly due to improving consumer sentiment and the launch of the “Triple Z Series” promotion in April.

Sunway SPK Villa Manja’s semi-detached residences showed a stronger take-up with RM57mil sales during the quarter compared with RM8mil in the preceding quarter.

However, year-to-date revenue was down 16.8% to RM1.09bil compared with the previous corresponding period while earnings before interest and tax dropped 7.8% to RM331.1mil.

Property development earnings, which dropped 39.6% year-on-year due to lower sales and construction progress, were the main culprit. For the current financial year, SunCity will be changing its financial year-end from June 30 to Dec 31.

To further boost its RM743mil unbilled sales, which will provide more than a year’s earnings visibility for the company, SunCity is planning over RM1bil in new launches next year.

The projects include Sunway Velocity in Jalan Peel, Sunway-SPK townhouses, South Quay condominiums, and Sunway Damansara zero-lot bungalows.

Ngian said the company would be using its cash reserve of close to RM450mil to expand its land bank in the Klang Valley as well as in China and India. “Land prices have come off from their previous highs and we are actively looking to make some value buy.”

SunCity would also be launching its India and China projects next year.

“We have already done our homework and feasibility studies on both countries and we like what we saw there. There is a growing middle-class population and the higher purchasing power is translating into greater demand for housing,” Ngian said.

With a population of 1.3 billion in China and 1.2 billion in India, the two countries make up 40% of the world population. The sheer size and growth prospects were very attractive, he added.

For its maiden project in China, SunCity has partnered with Sunway Holdings Bhd’s subsidiary, SunwayMas Sdn Bhd, and Shanghai Guanghao Real Estate Development Group Co Ltd for a mixed high-rise development in the central business district of Jiangyin New Harbour City in Jiangsu Province.

The 39:26:35 joint venture to develop the RM492mil project will be launched in mid-2010. The Sunway Guanghou Jiangyin project will have 1,172 medium-end condominiums and some specialty shops on about 17 acres.

“We believe our maiden project in China will be our platform to secure other future property projects in this high growth country, especially in tier-two cities,” Ngian said.

In India, SunCity’s maiden project, Sunway Opus Grand in Hyderabad with a gross development value of RM1.17bil, is also targeted for launch next year.

The 35-acre project will comprise 2,423 medium-range condominiums priced from RM193 per sq ft.

Ngian said India was still a very young country as far as progress in property development was concerned, and SunCity’s expertise in project design, quality and management capability had opened up immense opportunities to play a bigger role in its property market.

Its preferred cities include Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune. Hyderabad tops the list as its growth is fuelled by the information technology and biotech industries.

Besides a huge demand for quality housing, Grade-A commercial properties are also in short supply in India.

The Star – 12th October 2009

Managing director for property development Ngian Siew Siong said the company was “very serious” and committed to its corporate responsibility of promoting the concept of sustainable development.

“For this purpose, we are designing buildings that are not only visually pleasing but also economically viable by making sure that these buildings are environmentally sustainable and durable,” he said yesterday.

Ngian said this at the third SunCity’s Liveable City Series Seminar titledSustainable Landscaping.

Ngian said sustainable landscaping meant the design of an attractive liveable environment was in balance with the local climate.

“A sustainable landscape should require very minimal resource inputs. There shouldn’t be too much use of fertilisers, pesticides or water.

“The keywords used in defining a sustainable landscape include functional, cost-effective, environment friendly, maintainable and of course visually pleasing,” he said.

He also reminded seminar participants that landscaping was not only about planting trees and flowers.

“Good landscape design begins with a proper understanding of the future use of the property.”

The Star – 6th August 2009

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, SunCity said loan was to refinance the existing term loans granted by HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd and OCBC Bank (M) Bhd, which were obtained to part-finance the construction of Monash University Sunway campus.

Sunway Platinum, a property investment company, has an authorised and paid-up share capital of RM100,000 and RM2 respectively.

Bernama