Mah scouting for additional land with potential GDV of RM1.4bil

KUALA LUMPUR: Mah Sing Group Bhd is aiming to acquire additional land with a potential gross development value (GDV) of RM1.4bil this year.

“We have acquired land with GDV of RM3.63bil so far this year, which is about 73% of our target of RM5bil. We have seven months to go, and we definitely have to lock in more land to fuel our long-term growth,” said group managing director and chief executive officer Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum on the sidelines of the Invest Malaysia 2012 conference.

This year, Mah Sing has acquired land for projects consisting of M Residence 2 in Rawang, Sutera Avenue in Kota Kinabalu, and Southville City which is a planned 412-acre township in Bandar Baru Bangi.

Leong pointed out that Mah Sing currently has 39 residential, commercial and industrial projects across Greater Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Sabah, with remaining GDV and unbilled sales of RM18.2bil.

The group's executive director Steven Ng Poh Seng said 70% of the remaining GDV would be from projects in the Klang Valley.

Ng also pointed out that the group has unbilled sales of RM2.48bil as of March 31.

“In acquiring more land, we also make sure we juggle our cash flow well and that the group's net gearing does not exceed our internal target of 0.5 times,” said Ng.

Ng said the group's net gearing was still manageable even after the recent RM333.26mil acquisition of 412 acres targeted for a mixed township near Bangi, Selangor.

“We have four to five months to pay for the land. Then we have about RM300mil cash coming in (from delivery of vacant possession of property units). Our gearing is always very manageable because of our quick turnaround business model.” Presently, the group has a land bank of 1,538 acres.

“Even now, we have enough land (to develop) for the next seven to eight years,” said Leong.

As at May 15, the group has achieved property sales of slightly above RM1bil, which is 40% of its 2012 sales target of RM2.5bil.

The bulk of sales were in the Klang Valley (82%), followed by Johor Baru (10%) and the balance from Penang.

Leong said he was “selectively optimistic” regarding the property market this year.

“We need to fit supply to demand. For example, we focus more on mass market products priced below RM1mil such as small serviced residences or link homes,” said Leong.

He also said the group was exploring potential opportunities in the region. - The Star