KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians no longer want tennis courts and may soon demand robots in their buildings and communities, according to new data on home buyer amenities released by Juwai IQI co-founder and group CEO Kashif Ansari.
“We analysed consumer pre-ferences throughout more than 230,000 residential transactions since 2018. That is the basis for the data on the amenities people want and the ones they no longer love,” said Ansari.
He said their research proves that what people expect from their condo buildings today is very different than five years ago.
“Luxury buyers now expect new services like EV charging, pickleball courts, parcel lockers, co-working spaces, and pet facilities in their new buildings. And that’s in addition to the long-time standards like barbecue spaces, rooftop gardens, swim-ming pools, and gyms.
“The amenities that fewer buyers want any more are tennis courts and squash courts.
They have lost their appeal. They take up too much space, cost too much to maintain, and don’t get enough use.
“Think of Desa Damansara in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur, with its tennis court.
New communities aren’t built like that any more. Some existing projects are converting their old tennis courts to pickleball or padel. You can get four pickleball courts into the space occupied by one tennis court.”
Ansari said developers choose the amenities they think will get buyers most excited about their project.
Within their limited budget of space and money, developers try to provide the optimal mix,” he added.
“If they are successful, buyers fall in love with the project, but if the developer gets it wrong, they often end up with unsold units. The most expensive amenities to operate are security, landscaping, and swim-ming pools,” said Ansari.
In the Klang Valley, for example, typical maintenance fees average about 25 sen to 50 sen per sq ft. High-end projects can average twice that.
Ansari said, “People aren’t clamouring for robots yet because they aren’t aware of what they can do, but people do already want AI-powered services like facial recognition and digital locks and smart indoor climate control. Robots are coming, and we are going to love the convenience they offer. Soon, delivery robots will bring food and groceries directly to your door, whether you live in a landed community or a high-rise. This is already happening in Korea, and is being rolled out in Japan.”
He added, “The development claiming leadership in robots is AI Living, a 46-storey high rise planned by developer I-Bhd for Shah Alam, Selangor. It might be four years or more before that project is built, however, and by then we expect several already existing communities to have adopted robots and AI-powered services.”
Ansari said existing buildings can be made to work with robots with just a simple retrofit, while new buildings can take years to build.
Here’s an example. Manufacturers KONE and Otis both claim they can update almost any elevator that has been installed in the past 30 years with what’s called an “API solution” to communicate with robots via the cloud.
“Then, the cleaning and delivery robots won’t need a human to press the elevator buttons. They’ll communicate with the building so they know which elevator to take and when to get off.
“If you live in a landed housing community, robots may also be coming to your front door soon. Autonomous robots can manage delivery from the community’s front gate right to your home.
“Within five years, any building without smart capabilities will seem old-fashioned.”
Ansari said pets are extremely important to buyers today and are given almost the same care and attention as children.
“More than half of Malaysians own a pet, and about a quarter of pet owners have more than one. As a result, projects are offering pet-friendly parks, pet grooming rooms, and pet salons. Future buildings will be even more friendly to pet owners. You may have on-site pet daycare, enclosed ‘catio’ spaces, and cat play rooms. We already see these amenities implemented in other Southeast Asian markets.
In summary, Ansari said, the amenities offered in luxury communities have changed dramatically. “Instead of tennis courts, now you get EV chargers and pet salons. Soon, you’ll have robots, too.”
