Tips to buy a land and build a house in Janda Baik

What I'm going to tell you here is from my own experience. If you want to buy a land in Janda Baik, it's better for you to come and see the whole area first. Check it carefully. Land in Janda Baik are mostly hilly and slopping. If you did not see carefully, you could be deceive, hidden by the jungle - you might think that the land is quite flat. Later on, you may find it will be very costly to do the earthwork for your house construction. But it is difficult to say though... we could never really see the actual condition of the land until we have done the clearance - cut down all big trees, clear the bushes etc. But the weather could be very tempting for you to buy a land in Janda Baik. Just look at the picture... it looks very cooling and inviting for those who love nature.

If the land that you are buying has a title with more than one name on it, then the process to transfer the ownership will take some times. First it has to include your name on the title, then the sub-division of the land has to be done. For a Malay reserved land, sub-division can only be done to a land which is not less than one acre if it's under 'agriculture land'. You will need a land surveyor to mark the border of the land. Once the transfer of ownership is done, the surveyor will put the demarcation (batu sempadan) of the land. All these things will cost us a few thousands ringgit.

If you want to take a bank loan for the land and your house construction, you will need to provide the following documents to the bank, besides the normal copy of NRIC, fill up the application form etc:

1) S & P of the land
2) Approved plan of the house
3) Construction agreement with your contractor

To get the house plan will also take some times. The best thing is if you can prepare your plan even before you buy the land. But you have to make sure you buy a land that suits with the plan. Example, my land is only 70' width but it's 700' long. So I have to build a house that can fit in the 70' width. Don't forget that we have to leave 10' clearance on the left and right side of the house. But if you are not taking any bank loan, then I guess you won't have much problem. Just build as you please, as long as it's within your own land. But in another two years time, Majlis Perbandaran Bentong will implement the city council law in Janda Baik - that's what I was informed by the Assistant District Officer.

To get someone to draw your house plan is also another problem to consider. Architect fee will be expensive. It could be about 10% of the estimated cost of the house. A draughtsman can also draw a house plan at a cheaper rate, but the draughtsman will need to get the plan endorsed by an architect. But he will settle it, it will already include in the fee that he will charge us for the drawing and submission of the plan to City Council until we the approval.

But make sure you understand how to read the scale of the drawing. If you are from the old school like me who doesn't understand the metric scale, then make sure that your draughtsman will also put a note for you in feet. Please stress on that - otherwise, you'll pay for a plan for nothing! I have made that mistake. I have paid RM2,500.00 for a plan which I cannot even use. The fee was only for the drawing, not including submission and getting the approval from City Council. When I asked the guy to amend it for me (because the house is too big), he said I have to pay for amendment fee because I had earlier approved the plan. I approved the plan blindly because I overlooked about the size of the house. When I realized and asked him about the size, I was shocked that the house is too big - almost 4,000 sqf! It will be too costly for me - I can't afford to build that house. But he still insisted that I pay him in full because according to him he has completed his work. When I requested for a discount of RM500.00, he refused it. He said he would help me to amend the drawing at no charge. But what he did was, just cut some part of the house, and the plan looks like "T". What kind of a house will it be? So, I paid for something that I cannot use and wasted about 3 months waiting for the plan. I have to get someone else to draw another plan. That's why it takes a long time for me to submit all documents to the bank to process my loan. It has delayed everything... But I guess it's worth waiting for another plan. If I go ahead and build something which I don't like, I'll live with anger in the house for my whole life. This will be the only house that I can build, so I better make it something that I like and I can live happily with my Mom in the house.

So you better be careful when you ask someone to draw your house plan. Make sure he understands what you want, and sincere enough to make you understand the plan and the scale. I was so frustrated in my case because at the very first discussion, I have told him that I need to know the total build up area in sqf. Furthermore, I have given him a plan, which I just would like to add one more small room to it. But he said it's not possible to add the room, it might disturb the structure of the house, the house might collapse. I really didn't understand at that time. I thought it's really that we cannot change the structure of the house in the plan. But why is it not possible, the house is not built yet, why can't we change the drawing? I still continue with him working on my house plan eventhough I was not very happy already at that point. In the end, after I've paid him in full, and I asked him again why is it not possible to add one more room to the drawing which I've showed him; he said he didn't know how to do it! If from the beginning he said he can't do it because he didn't know how to do it - that will be much easier for me - I could just stop the project with him and find someone else to draw my house plan! Really, really frustrated! Wasting time and money for nothing!