By TANIA LAM
KUCHING: Locals tend to flock towards certain areas in their downtime, creating hotspots of bustling activities in these zones.
In stark contrast, other commercial developments are notably quieter, with only a few units being filled up in an entire row of vacant lots.
A drive through the city and its surroundings is enough to tell which areas are favoured by the people, and thus preferred by business owners as crowds bring in bigger profits.
An IQI real estate negotiator Brandon Chew Wui Pin stressed that investors should focus on prime areas frequented by patrons with high spending power, and to avoid areas with low crowd traffic.
“Commercial developments like Tabuan Tranquillity Commercial Centre, Saradise and Gala City have almost sold out all their units,” he told New Sarawak Tribune in an exclusive interview.
Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developer Association (Sheda) vice president and Kuching branch chairman Sim Kiang Chiok also highlighted Jalan Song, BDC area, Tabuan Jaya, and Samarahan (near Unimas) as favoured locations in Kuching.
But of course, shoplots in commercial hotspots command a higher price. Cost also relies heavily on the size of the units.
“A two-storey unit costs about RM680,000 nowadays and a three-storey commercial lot can go from RM850,000 to RM1.5 million. If it has four storeys, it would be RM1 million to RM1.8 million,” Sim stated.
