SERENDAH, March 19 — It was a birthday joy beyond expectation.
When Elizha Zainal Abidin, 43, and her family were called by Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) for a mock house key presentation at the state government investment arms’ Antara Gapi development project, the joy was simply exhilirating.
“Just picture yourself getting the key to a brand-new house on your birthday,” the 43-year-old mother of four told Sunday Mail after the presentation on Friday.
Also present were husband Mohd Rosli Mohd Yatim, 47, children Nur Sufina, 11, Nur Najjah, eight, Nur Sofiyyah, six, and Nur Najihah, four.
“I have always wanted to own a home and something seemed to indicate I would own one this year,” said Elizha, who works in Subang.
“This is a special birthday celebration I will always cherish... presented a mock key to our new home which I have been dreaming of for years.
“It’s a pleasant surprise that the hand-over ceremony is on my birthday, I couldn’t be happier.”
“My husband and children are very excited to live in this peaceful environment.
“It’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city,” said Elizha, who moved to a neighbourhood near Antara Gapi two years ago.
She and her family were among the five home owners invited for the mock key presentation.
Antara Gapi is located within the Serendah district and is about 45km from Kuala Lumpur.
Of the 129 one-and-a-half storey units developed, 105 have been sold, while 56 of the 80 double-storey units, have also been sold.
The homes are priced between RM180,000 and RM236,469 (for the one-and-a-half storey units), and RM250,000 and RM293,500 for the double-storey units.
Present to officiate the ceremony was Selangor Housing, Building Management and Urban Living Committee chairman, Datuk Iskandar Samad and PKNS chief executive officer Noraida Yusof.
“We encourage people who live in Selangor to buy properties in the area as it is one of the best prospects to build on,” said Iskandar who is also Cempaka state assemblyman.
“With the development of such properties by bodies like PKNS, it allows people the chance to own their first home where previously it may not have been possible due to financial constraints.
“Through this PKNS scheme, first-time home owners are able to enjoy a 10 per cent discount on the total cost of the house, the 10 per cent is absorbed by PKNS,” Iskandar said.
Noraida said the Rumah Selangorku Antara Gapi project had been in the works since 2013 and she was proud the moment had come for home owners to be able to move in.
“They will be able to do so in the next few months as only minor details, like the supply of utilities, need to be ironed out.”
These houses, she added, were the first of its kind when it came to affordable housing, with the one-and-a-half storey units offering three bedrooms, two baths, while the Ground+1 or G+1 (double-storey) homes have four bedrooms.
“They are designed with a modern feel and have been furnished with ceramic tiling,” Noraida said.
Another home owner factory supervisor Shahril Johar, 39, said his family would be able to live a comfortable life in their recently purchased home and was excited to furnish the home from scratch.
“We are looking forward to creating our very own home,” he said.
For their joyous moment Shahril brought along wife Suzana Yahaya, 34, their children Shamel Haziq 12, Sofea Nur Annisa, 10, Shareef Hazim and Shamem Harraz, aged four and two respectively.
“We have been living in the house handed down to us by my family in Rasah and we are very grateful for that, but we wanted a place of our own.
“Although there are development projects around our current home, we chose Antara Gapi because the environment appealed to us. We don’t like dense populations like in the city,” he added.
Owners of the two-storey houses will be able to move in by December.
Among the other development projects undertaken by PKNS are at Alam Nusantara, Kota Puteri, Shah Alam, Bernam Jaya and Selangor Cyber Valley.
Noraida welcomed first-time home buyers to make their first venture into owning a property.
“We want to see a successful community, we understand the needs and struggles people face financially,” she said.
“PKNS hopes that through these houses, it will continue to help build a sustainable society of home owners.
“Our goal is to make Selangor the ideal place for home owners, we want Selangor to be a metropolis.”
