Sungai Ara
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Sungai Ara is a small town in Penang, Malaysia. It is located near the Penang International Airport. Sungai Ara has many double-storey terrace houses. It has a few nice restaurants. The restaurants are: Cherry Blossom Restaurant, Neptune Seafood Restaurant, and Restoran Habeeb Mohamad. Property prices outside of George Town are still on the rise. Sungai Ara township has the most professionals and young families investing in that area. Queen's Bay Mall was opened about 3 km away about six months ago. What's been happening is in the areas where there was the most strong fundementals and city development activity, where the highly geared people looking for new area to raise a family, enjoying a new lifestyle and in many cases Sungai Ara was chosen because of it's most ideal location before Bayan Lepas, banks, cinemas, commercial outlets, multi national factories and a great variety of food courts. A good link to Air Itam via Paya Terubong road and surely a scenic drive to Balik Pulau too (durians from May to July).
Sungai Ara is also famed for it's triple storey houses and houses on the hill with private backyards (Changkat Sungai Ara). The peak rate of growth was a few years ago, but it's still going up but probably ecelerating, prices of landed properties going up strongly and surely. A triple storey landed property on the hill in Sungai Ara was RM550K in 2005 will fetch a good RM800K to RM900K within the next five years.
Sungai Ara has many good schools, near to many major shopping complexs, wet market and safe neighbourhood. Sungai Ara has the lowest crime rate in Penang and the best air quality. However, land in Sungai Ara is limited and the state goverment may only approve for low density development and quality living. Sungai Ara is also located 'in between' the Penang Bridge and the second link in Batu Maung. Travelling from Sungai Ara to Komtar merely takes about 30 minutes via Queens Bay and the toll free Jelutong Express highway. It's a pretty sight in the evening with the Penang Bridge on the right side.
Macroeconomic signals are generally positive for Sungai Ara property markets with a stable Malaysian economy, low unemployment and interest rates that are relatively low. Sungai Ara basically have the positive points as the best town in Penang to invest in view that the economy is still strong, but there is increasing signs of slowing in the cyclic sensitive areas such as retail, wholesale and manufacturing. Development in Sungai Ara also see a considerable pressure on lack of land and vacancy rates are continuing to decline from Bayan Baru to Batu Maung. Sungai Ara has limited new construction occurring (bungalows was the latest in 2006) and fewer investors placing properties into the rental market, it is likely that rentals will increase substantially over the next two years in 2008 and 2009. Sungai Ara will see a great influx of investor from the mainland once the second link opens.
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Penang | ![]() |
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Districts: North East Penang Island | South West Penang Island | North Seberang Perai | Central Seberang Perai | South Seberang Perai | ||
City: George Town (capital) | ||
Towns: Air Itam | Bagan Ajam | Balik Pulau | Batu Ferringhi | Batu Kawan | Batu Maung | Bayan Lepas | Bukit Mertajam | Butterworth | Ceruk Tok Kun | Gelugor | Jawi | Jelutong | Juru | Kepala Batas | Nibong Tebal | Pantai Aceh | Permatang Pauh | Perai | Seberang Jaya | Sungai Ara | Sungai Bakap | Sungai Dua | Tanjung Bungah | Tanjung Tokong | Teluk Bahang | Val d'Or | ||
Islands: Pulau Aman | Pulau Betong | Pulau Gedung | Pulau Jerejak | Pulau Kendi | Pulau Rimau | Pulau Tikus |