In Klang Valley, there are numerous places (and hot property markets at that) with “Damansara” in their names that can confuse uninitiated home buyers. There’s Damansara Perdana, Damansara Heights, Damansara Utama, Damansara Uptown, Bandar Sri Damansara and many more.
So what are the differences between these places? To clear the confusion, we’ll discuss these areas in detail and add some recent updates to their real estate markets as well as the top-selling properties in these neighbourhoods.
I. Damansara Perdana
The 750-acre Damansara Perdana was formerly occupied by a village inhabited by the aboriginal people (Orang Asli) before MK Land Saujana Triangle purchased most of the land and started setting up a township in the area in 1996.
The town prospered and the homes in Damansara Perdana rapidly became among the most highly sought-after properties in Petaling Jaya (PJ). One reason for the strong demand is trend-setting innovations in the township. As a result, real estate in the area has recorded high capital growth and stellar investment returns.
Siva Shanker, Chief Executive Officer of Rahim & Co International property agency also told The Edge in February 2020 that Damansara Perdana is one of three areas apart from Kota Damansara and Mutiara Damansara where one can find popular properties with rents of under RM5,000 per month.
Now, Damansara Perdana forms part of the PJ’s Golden Triangle, which is one of Malaysia’s most vibrant places thanks to the presence of large malls, such as 1 Utama Shopping Centre, The Curve, and the IPC Shopping Centre anchored by an IKEA outlet.
Coupled with a myriad of amenities like top schools, employment hubs, banks, eateries and hotels as well as Damansara Perdana’s excellent connectivity, the place has been consistently chosen as one of the best places to live in Klang Valley. Nearby major roads include Persiaran Surian, SPRINT Expressway, Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) and New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE).
According to the government's Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), the most popular real estate developments in the area, from the 12-month period from December 2018 to November 2019 were:
A. Flora Damansara Apartment by MK Land Holdings
B. MK Land Holdings’ Armanee Terrace condominium
C. Metropolitan Square serviced residence by MK Land Holdings
II. Damansara Heights
Image source: themalaysianreserve.com
Known in Malay as Bukit Damansara, Damansara Heights is a prosperous suburban area in the western part of Kuala Lumpur. Part of the Segambut district, it is one of the hottest property markets in Klang Valley due to the many office buildings in the area and the multitude of amenities found in this established neighbourhood. The vicinity is home to colleges and eateries, plus offices for government agencies and large multinational corporations (MNCs).
As proof of the area’s sizzling hot property market, a bungalow in Damansara Heights was transacted for a whopping RM16 million in 2019, making it the most expensive residential property sold in Malaysia last year based on JPPH data.
Siva Shanker, also revealed that Damansara Heights is one of the three areas apart from Mont Kiara and KLCC where one can find popular properties that command rents of more than RM10,000 per month.
Another reason for the high demand for properties in Damansara Heights is that the suburb is just 5km from the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Apart from having access to the capital, residents and workers in Damansara Heights can easily travel to Petaling Jaya via Bangsar’s Jalan Maarof that also leads to Jalan Damansara. From the North-South Expressway (NSE), one can take Jalan Semantan and Jalan Duta to reach the place.
The best-selling property projects in the area from the 12-month period from December 2018 to November 2019 were:
A. The bungalow, semi-Ds, terrace homes in Damansara Heights
B. Desa Damansara condo jointly built by Tan & Tan Development and IGB Corp
C. Twins @ Damansara Heights, a serviced residence by Lion Group, AIG Invt, Koh Maju and Heeton
III. Damansara Utama
With a population of about 142,000 people as of 2018, Damansara Utama is a thriving suburb of Petaling Jaya that is divided into two parts, namely SS20 in the eastern section and SS21 in the western section. Both areas are bisected by the LDP, a busy six-lane highway.
Jalan SS20/1 and Jalan SS20/10 pass through Damansara Utama and Damansara Kim, which is the nickname for the part of Damansara Utama opposite 3 Damansara (formerly called Tropicana City Mall). Jalan SS20/10 in Damansara Utama is lined with residential properties only, whereas Jalan SS20/10 at Damansara Kim features a mixture of houses and commercial spaces. Interestingly, properties in Jalan SS20/21 at Damansara Utama are odd-numbered, while those in Damansara Kim are even-numbered.
Image source: timeout.com
Meanwhile, Damansara Uptown is Damansara Utama’s commercial hub that contains The Starling mall, restaurants, shop offices, health & medical facilities, stores that sell various merchandise, and upscale serviced apartments. Moreover, many financial institutions have established branches in Damansara Uptown. These include Malaysia’s top five banks -- Maybank, CIMB Bank, Public Bank, RHB Bank, and Hong Leong Bank.
In February 2020, The Edge reported that Damansara Utama, particularly Damansara Uptown, was among the top areas for house-hunters in the country last year. Some of the most sought-after residential developments in the vicinity based on government data from the 12-month period from December 2018 to November 2019 include:
A. Semi-Ds and terrace homes in SS 21 Damansara Utama
B. Terrace houses in SS 20 Damansara Utama
C. Uptown Residence, a serviced residence by See Hoy Chan Group
IV. Bandar Sri Damansara
Image source: propertyinsight.com.my
Situated next to Sungai Buloh and Kepong, Bandar Sri Damansara is a township in the northern part of PJ in the state of Selangor’s Petaling District. The town contains houses and commercial establishments. These were constructed by Land & General Bhd or TA Global.
Last year, L&G announced that it plans to unveil the second phase of Damansara Seresta as bookings for the development surged by more than 50% thanks to the government’s successful Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) 2019.
The developer intends to launch the project’s tower B this year (2020). Sited on 6.23 acres of land, the freehold Damansara Seresta has a gross development value (GDV) of around RM490 million. It consists of two towers with heights of 43 and 49 storeys that houses a total of 452 apartments. Unit sizes range from 1,291 to 3,165 sf. The development is expected to be ready by 2022.
One reason home builders are optimistic on the prospect of Bandar Sri Damansara is its good road network. The township has easy access to NKVE E1, Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) and SPRINT Expressway’s Penchala Link E23. Besides a shorter route to Kepong-Kuala Selangor Highway, Damansara–Puchong Expressway’s E11 (LDP) passes through the town’s eastern boundary. Furthermore, residents of the town can also rapidly travel to the heart of Kuala Lumpur thanks to a new Sri Damansara Link to DUKE E33.
Based on official statistics, the top-selling real estate development in the area, from the 12-month period from December 2018 to November 2019 were:
A. Bungalows, semi-Ds, terrace houses and townhouses in Bandar Baru Sri Damansara
B. Sri Meranti Flats
C. SD Apartment II by L&G
Concluding the Damansara Series
There you have it – the differences between the aforementioned Damansaras. Basically, Damansara Perdana and Damansara Utama are among the best places to purchase a property in Petaling Jaya in the state of Selangor. You also can’t go wrong with Damansara Uptown as that’s Damansara Utama's commercial hub.
Bandar Sri Damansara is a growing township in PJ, whereas Damansara Heights is a prestigious address in the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur. We hope that this list clears up all the confusion about the different Damansaras. Good luck with your home search!
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(Written by G. Zizan, 19th May 2020)
