PETER Chan has an eye for detail and takes pride in his creations.
Most of all, he has a knack for turning his dreams into a reality.
The Haven Sdn Bhd chief executive officer also never once let negativity gets in his way.
The 26-storey The Haven Lakeside Residences condominium development in Tambun, Ipoh is testament to all this.
Launched in January 2011, some 90% of its 497 units in three blocks were sold by the time they were completed last year.
This is no small accomplishment as the luxury highrise was the first of its kind in Ipoh, a city where most of its people still preferred landed property.
Chan said 40% of the buyers were from Ipoh, another 40% from Kuala Lumpur and Penang and the rest from overseas.
He said he would expect the current selling price of RM668 per sq ft to rise further.
While the multiple-award winning project needs no introduction by now, its owners are also set to discover how every effort has been taken to provide them a conducive living environment.
And nothing seems too small for Chan’s attention when it comes to quality living.
During a tour of The Haven Lakeside Residences recently, he explained how the water outlets inside the units could keep insects away.
He also explained how the design of the units were such that occupants were able to enjoy the cool natural surroundings of limestone hills, a lake and greenery, while maintaining privacy at the same time.
Managed by Best Western International, The Haven Lakeside Residences is a five-star condominium offering the luxury of resort living.
Its wide range of facilities include a private helipad.
Chan, 64, who has two decades of experience working with a development company in Australia, said he was first captivated by the 280 million-year-old limestone hills fronting a lake in Tambun in Ipoh, which is now the icon of The Haven Lakeside Residences.
After clinching 12 awards, locally and abroad, including ‘the best value condo in the world’, Chan reckoned the fact that there would be challenges to live up to the project’s image and expectations of its owners and guests alike.
“The price of a well-managed property will go up and vice-versa,” he noted.
Chan said the trend of having a holiday home was increasingly popular among the rich in particular and The Haven Lakeside Residences, being strategically located, fits the bill.
“It is just a five-minute drive to the interchange of the North-South Expressway,” he said, adding that it was only a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur or one and half hours from Penang, making it an ideal place for retreat over the weekend or holidays.
“Important facilities like a private hospital is just 10 minutes away,” he added.
As an investment, he said the project offered owners a guaranteed rental at 6 % per annum for five years.
Some 100 units, he added, were condotels.
Chan said it was about RM400 per night for a two to three bedroom unit of between 1,000sq ft and 1,600sq ft.
Drawing a comparison, he said the minimum cost per night for a similar unit in China (where the serenity of its surroundings is comparable to that of The Haven Lakeside Residences) was RM1,920 (USD600).
Chan said Tambun has good potential for development, envisaging a town that is famed for art, music and tourism, including a university to attract the talents from abroad.
He reckoned that the slower pace of life in this part of Ipoh and its natural surroundings were conducive for such pursuits.
“It is about enhancing the existing good points,” he said, confident of another big leap for Tambun in the next five years, depending on efforts to bring out the best in the area.
And his brainchild — The Haven Lakeside Residences — is a good example that anything is possible with a willing heart and mind.
