Condo living is also the preferred choice for even older Malaysians, the so-called builder generation born before 1946, with 93% buying high-rise units. Among boomers, the figure is 77%. At the other end of the generational spectrum, the Gen Z born between 1997 and 2012, are also choosing to live in condos.
These were the findings of a survey of over 127,000 transactions since 2018 by property technology firm Juwai IQI released last September.
No wonder then that areas in the Klang Valley like Damansara Perdana and Kota Damansara are chockablock with high density condos.
Developers may be responding to market demand, but I do wonder whether enough attention has been given to stringent requirements for safety, especially fire prevention. Every time I drive past that stretch of the LPD and see the massive concentration of high-rises, it brings to mind last year’s devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong that burned for 43 hours and killed 168 people.
Fortunately, my condo complex, comprising three blocks of 40 storeys, has a very good management team that regularly checks the fire equipment. I am also very happy to be on a low floor.
It took me many months to decide to move to a condo that is a third of my landed property. Clearing a home after 20 years took immense effort and several garage sales, which I shared with my readers.
As the survey found, my move was driven by a desire to downsize and simplify. My long-time maid wanted to retire and I wanted a much smaller place that I could maintain myself. But I had many concerns because I had lived in houses with gardens of varying sizes all my life.
Indeed, it took a little getting used to living high above ground. My first concern was neighbours. Of course, that is a concern whether you live in a bungalow or terrace house because nasty, difficult and noisy neighbours can be a nightmare to deal with.
Years ago, my family had to endure the loud clacking sounds of mahjong tiles by our next door neighbour late into the night even though our houses were separated by our gardens. Dad had to talk to them and, luckily, they piped down after that.
There are eight units per floor in my condo, but I only have one immediate neighbour that I share a wall with. And the occupants are a small family who are very friendly and helpful.
Still, condo-living does mean sharing space with a lot more people. It can get quite noisy with screaming kids in the swimming pool or play areas, but it is still quite bearable.
One thing we had to get used to is not getting our packages delivered right to our door. For security reasons, the deliveries are left in the lobby and we have to take the lift to fetch the goods.
And if the items are large, like the new 55-inch TV we bought to replace our old one, we use a trolley to bring them up. I also keep a foldable trolley in my car to cart up my bags of groceries from the basement car park.
In the early days, I had to put up a checklist at the front door to remind me to bring stuff like my phone, keys and water bottle. Forgetting an item means taking the lift to go back up and down again.
Going back to noisy neighbours, a peculiar thing about high-rise living is how the building itself can be the source of sounds that you attribute to your upstairs neighbours. Less than a week after moving in, I was awakened in the wee hours by what sounded like marbles being dropped above me.
As I learned later, this sound can be caused by a phenomenon called water hammer, where a sudden change in water pressure causes pipes to knock against the building’s concrete walls or floors, making a rhythmic tapping sound like bouncing marbles.
Other noises like furniture being moved and heavy footsteps may be caused by neighbours, but structural engineers say it can also be due to concrete floors contracting at night and giving off creaking sounds.
I haven’t heard the marble sound since that first time, but I do hear noises like furniture being moved and someone running at different times of the day and night. Luckily, they don’t last and I haven’t had to march upstairs to find out if the sounds were human-made or not.
I do think I am fortunate to have quite considerate neighbours above and beside me. When my master bathroom ceiling developed a leak that originated in the unit above, the owner promptly fixed it. That is the luck of the draw in where you choose to live.
What I do somewhat miss is my garden. I used to grow veggies and herbs like sweet basil, pandan and curry leaves, something I would like to do during these hard times with prices shooting up. But all I have is a balcony that is big enough for a few potted plants and to hang my laundry. Still, it beats having to get the grass moved, weeds pulled and the bushes trimmed.
I find living in a condo to be a lot cooler with good breeziness, so much so I no longer sleep with the air-con on except in the current heatwave.
There are hardly any mosquitoes and the condo management regularly fumigates the common areas. I do, however, still have to content with the hated lizards.
After two years, I know very few of my neighbours, but we still kind of know each other through the WhatsApp chat groups where there is a lot of sharing. Anytime anyone needs a reference or recommendation, be it for a plumber, carpenter, dentist, tuition teacher – you name it, there will be plenty of responses and suggestions.
But what I love most about living in a well-managed condo is the security. I truly feel protected in my place because outsiders can’t wander in as they like and visitors are screened by the guards. I still lock my gate from force of habit, unlike my neighbour who says she often forgets to do so because it’s so safe.
I plan to do quite a bit of travelling this year, unless the Middle East crisis really makes it impossibly difficult and expensive. But if I can, I know I can leave my home with full peace of mind.
The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
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