The Zest, Bandar Kinrara

The Zest (also known as The Zest @ Kinrara 9) is a new serviced apartment project by Darul Dinasti, which is a subsidiary of Trinity Group of Companies. The Zest is a mixed development built on 5.6 acres of land in Bandar Kinrara 9 (BK9).

The Zest consists of three blocks of 20-storey serviced apartment with a total of 720 units and also 3-storey and 4-storey shop offices. The built up areas of the apartment units are between 1,110 and 1,213 sf, with 12 units per floor. Property buyers have a choice of choosing units with KL city view or pool view.

This freehold development is located at Bandar Kinrara 9, along the Bukit Jalil Expressway. Apart from that, The Zest is also easily accessible via KESAS Highway, LDP Highway, KL – Seremban Highway as well as the Sungai Besi Highway. The Zest’s strategic location is approximately 20 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 10 minutes from Sri Petaling and 5 minutes from Bandar Sunway.

The Zest is also within close proximity to public amenities such as restaurants and shops, schools and institution of higher learning (Alice Smith International School, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, International Medical University and APIIT), golf courses (Kinrara Golf Club, Bukit Jalil Golf Club and Mines Golf & Country Resort), and shopping malls (Giant Kinrara, IOI Mall).

Property Details

• Name: The Zest (also known as The Zest @ Kinrara 9)
• Address: Bandar Kinrara 9, Puchong, Selangor
• Developer: Darul Dinasti (a subsidiary of Trinity Group of Companies)
• Completion Date: Early 2012 (estimate)
• Type: Condominium
• Tenure: Freehold
• No. of Blocks: 3
• No. of Storey: 20
• No. of Units: 720
• Land Encumbrance: Maybank
• Maintenance Fee: RM0.15 psf
• Launch Price: RM224,888 onwards (RM200 psf)

Layouts

• Type A (1,205 sf)
• Type B (1,191 sf)
• Type C (1,119 sf)
• Type D (1,110 sf)
• Type E (1,213 sf)

Facilities

• Multi-tier security system
• Landscaped oasis
• Infinity pool
• Wading pool
• Jacuzzi
• Reflective pond
• BBQ cabana
• Exercise lawn
• Chill out box
• Reflexology path
• Funky play mounds
• Jogging track
• Gymnasium
• Cafeteria
• Squash court
• Sauna
• Changing room
• Multipurpose hall
• Nursery
• Cyber Cafe
• Convenience store
• Laundrette
• Surau
• Management office

Analysis

With 12 apartment units and 3 lifts per floor in each block, The Zest seems to be in the range of a high density development. Even though each unit comes with 2 parking bays in the podium car park, many potential property buyers doubt that there would be adequate parking space as this is a mixed development with commercial units. Apart from that, the earlier mentioned density issue would also be affected by the commercial units which would definitely have an effect on the traffic flow around the area.

Basically, there are five types of layout plans to choose from at The Zest. However, when comparing the layouts, there seems to be not much of difference between them. All five types of layout plans come with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that bedrooms 2 and 3 are quite small even though the master bedroom and living room are quite spacious.

From the layout plans, it is also obvious that the developer has adopted the “open kitchen” concept for all of the units. This concept may be the latest preferred designs but it is not practical to property owners who always cook. In other words, some property owners are expected to convert the yard into a wet kitchen to cook as a more practical method to prevent the smoke from kitchen from entering the living room and bedrooms.

All 12 units on each floor of The Zest share a common corridor, with type B, C, D and E units facing each other’s main door. So, some property owners would not enjoy much privacy as their neighbor from the opposite unit could easily see the interior of their unit when the main door is opened. This may not be a serious issue to some property owners but to those who are more of an individualistic character, this would definitely be a factor to consider.

There have been reports that the local government is planning to build an LRT station at Bandar Kinrara. The actual location of the LRT station was said to be located exactly opposite The Zest. This is definitely good news to public transportation users. However, potential property buyers of The Zest should seriously consider the noise pollution as well as increased traffic flow / traffic congestion at the area when the LRT station is constructed and open to the public.

Currently it may still be too early to determine whether The Zest is a good buy or not as the construction progress is still slow at the moment. However, as one looks at the selling price with consideration that this is a freehold development which comes with full condo facilities, this property could possibly be a good buy for property investment. Furthermore, with easy accessibility and nearby public amenities (including the proposedLRT station), there is high chance for steady rental returns in the near future.

Source: The Propwall