Also known as a “supertax lady”, Agnes Wong lives and breathes taxes. Specialising in tax advisory and compliances matters, Agnes has helped many clients from a multitude of industries ranging from information technology to property. Recently, her firm, Syarikat Ong, was listed on the Malaysia book of records for becoming the first Malaysian firm to register for GST. We sat down with this busy bee recently at her office as she shared with us why she chose to call Puchong home.
What do you look for when buying a home?To me, when buying a home, it is important that it is nearby to education facilities, basic amenities (such as hypermarkets, banks), good road connectivity to the work place and ideally, not too far from my parent’s home.
Tell us about your elaborate thought process before zooming in to buy a home in Puchong
When my husband and I began hunting for our first home years ago, it was truly a very difficult decision. After listening to friends, family, agents and property investors, we all got really confused ! *LOL* While many might have bought their first home out of emotion, we were very careful and believed that investing in a home should not be different from investing in an investment property for rental yield.
In the end, we took out the map of Klang Valley and just aimed for the middle spot and call it our own “hot spot” and Puchong was in sight. We then began to zoom into Puchong in more detail. We noticed that it has there is an old and established part of the township and a new connecting township called Bandar Puteri that was being developed. I must say, it was a huge development. Many young couples were also looking into it and that got us interested as well as we prefer to live in a younger neighbourhood while not too far from the established part of the township. During that time, LDP already completed and was undergoing road widening. In addition, the construction of the u-turns were underway and you can already feel the vibrancy of the township.
What is it about Puchong that you find particularly attractive?
To me, the most attractive part about Puchong is the number of banks that are in the township. I have always believed that banks will only open a branch where the money is. With almost all the major banks in Malaysia all having a branch in Puchong, I am sure you can smell what I am smelling. Puchong is not only attractive, it is SEXY !
And the not so great?
Some people think that the traffic jam is bad and the fact that Puchong is surrounded by tolled highways aren’t so great. For Puchong-lang (residents of Puchong), we kind of know how to manoeuvre to avoid the traffic and manage these two situations. So, to me, Puchong is still more of a great than a no-so-great.
When did you move into your home?
I moved into my home in Bandar Puteri Puchong 10 years ago, when most part of the Bandar Puteri township is still at its early stage of development.
What about price appreciation? Have you seen the price per sq ft moved up significantly from the time you moved in to 2016?
We have enjoyed price appreciation ever since we moved in. When Citibank moved in, our house price went up. Then after Colombia Asia Hospital came in, our house price went up further. Then banks after banks (for example, Standard Chartered, OCBC, Al Rahji, CIMB, PBB, Hong Leong, Alliance, Maybank and so on) started coming in. As a result, our house price continued to appreciate. Now, with McDonald’s and Starbucks joining in as our neighbours and with more to come, I believe the appreciation will continue.
What is your experience like commuting to work?
I drive myself to work most of the time as my work requires me to travel between appointments. I normally will plan my work time to ensure that I can manage the traffic on my way out and back into Puchong. I commute via train to work before and the fact that this can be an alternative is truly making it a wonderful feeling. For Bandar Puteri, we have three train stops to choose from and that shows how blessed we are.
Let’s talk about the Ampang LRT Extension Line. Yay or nay? Why?
Definitely a yay. I believe with the accessibility via road and connectivity via the train system, the rental prices in Puchong should go up as those without a car can now choose to live in Puchong and still able to work within Puchong or elsewhere by commuting using the LRT.
What’s your favourite makan place in Puchong?
Puchong is a food heaven. We are spoilt for choices. It’s difficult to call any particular food outlet a favourite due to the wide variety of food we have in Puchong. For local dishes we have Foochow Mee Sua to the usual mamak store. For others, we have good western food to Japanese, Korean and Thai cuisines. Also, not forgetting Bak Kut Teh and the usual Hong Kong Style Dim Sum as weekend breakfast. From pubs and places to hang out till late at night, you name it, we have it
Complete this sentence: When I think of Puchong, I think of…
When I think of Puchong, I think of Hong Kong !
Got a questions? #askmeanything. Email me: agnes@syarikatong.com
