City Home Gading River View is a midrange apartment complex of 5 towers on 21 floors. It is part of Kelapa Gading Square, a mixed-use development that also includes Mall of Indonesia (MOI), French Walk Apartments, Gading Resort Residence, and The Villas.

The 5 towers, namely Hawaiian Bay, Miami Bay, Santa Monica Bay, Manhattan Bay, San Fransico Bay, are actually all connected into one single block.

I stayed there for a few days and this is my honest review of it. If you know about this property, please add your own comment and rating at the end of the article.

Location:

Neighborhood

In which neighborhood of Jakarta is the complex located?
City Home is located in Kelapa Gading, a subdistrict of North Jakarta which is quite modern. Once an agricultural land, it was developed following a grid pattern in the late 1970s. Today, it is a rich area, home to an important Indonesian-Chinese community. It is often considered a “city within a city” as it has its own ecosystem of houses, apartments, malls, offices, and factories.

While it is rather modern, it lacks the authenticity or charm of other areas of Jakarta like Senopati, Menteng, or even Kemang.

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is the complex from:
– Jakarta Airport: 50 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 50 minutes
– Kota Tua: 30 minutes
– Kemang: 70 minutes

How does it look like around the apartments?

Kelapa Gading Square feels like a village organized around the Mall of Indonesia. There is a street surrounding it with plenty of shops, and that’s pretty much all you can do.

If you exit the complex, you arrive on Jalan Boulevard Barat Raya, a large street with dozens of rukos (shophouses). Some of them are worth walking to, but you cannot go too far as the sidewalk condition is bad.

Is Kelapa Gading Square impacted by floods?
Yes, there are floods quite often (latest was in February 2018). This means you may have issues entering or exiting the complex. This situation could improve in the next few years as the government is planning to build additional canals to evacuate the water.

What are the important landmarks nearby?

Nearby, there are several landmarks you can go to:

Malls:
Mall of Indonesia (MOI) is across the street and easy to reach (direct access from the basement). This is one of the largest malls in Jakarta and it targets the middle-class segment. The main tenants are Centro Department Store, a cinema (Blitzmegaplex), a hypermarket (Carrefour), a bookstore (Gramedia), a massive food court, etc. 

A cheaper nearby mall is Artha Gading, just 1 kilometer away.

I also recommend Mall Kelapa Gading (2 kilometers), which is more upmarket and even bigger (600 stores). In particular, you have an IMAX cinema and several popular fashion brands (Uniqlo, Muji, Zara, Pull & Bear, etc.).

Supermarkets:
There is a Hypermart in Mall of Indonesia (reasonable prices). For better quality, you can try The FoodHall and Farmer’s Market in Mall Kelapa Gading.

Restaurants:
There are quite many Indonesian and Chinese restaurants/warungs near the apartments. For European food, it is more difficult to find, though. Jalan Boulevard Barat Raya has a few bistros and steakhouses serving Western cuisine.

Bars and Nightlife:
Kelapa Gading is an important nightlife area with several pubs and bars. Beware, there are also two red-light districts with massage parlors, karaokes and strip clubs.

Universities, Schools, Preschools:
Kelapa Gading has a wide choice of learning institutions, most of which are targeting the Chinese and Christian communities living in the area. Here are the most important ones:

Universitas Krida Wacana (university)
UniSadhuGuna Business School (university/college)
Kwik Kian Gie Business and Computer School (college)
North Jakarta Intercultural School (pre-school to high school)
Jakarta Taipei School (elementary school to high school)
Singapore International School (elementary school to high school)
Saint Peter School (preschool, middle school, elementary school)
JAC School (elementary school to high school)
Highscope (pre-school to high school)
BPK Penabur (kindergarten to high school)

Hospitals:
Rumah Sakit Mitra Kelapa Gading
Rumah Sakit Gading Pluit
Omni Hospital Pulomas
Rumah Sakit Columbia Asia Pulomas
Rumah Sakit Puri Medika

Parks:
None very nearby. The closest place to walk or run would be Monas or Ancol.

Offices:
There are not many office buildings in Kelapa Gading. The main Central Business District of Jakarta, Sudirman, is about 45 minutes away.

Religious buildings:
Since the Indonesian Chinese community is important in Kelapa Gading, you should know that there are many churches.

Transportation

What are the main roads or highways nearby?
Kelapa Gading Square is 200 meters from the Jakarta Inner Ring Road, the toll road circling the city. It is particularly convenient to access the South, the North and the West of Jakarta.

What is the traffic situation near the apartment?
The traffic is important, as always in Jakarta, but it’s not the worse you’ll see in the city. At the moment, the government is building a line of LRT (Light Rail Transit) on Jalan Boulevard Barat Raya and, for this reason, the situation is worse than usual. The project should be completed by the end of 2018.

Is it easy for taxis/GrabCar to find the location?
Yes, it is fairly easy.

Is there a TransJakarta bus stop nearby?
The nearest halte is TransJakarta Sunter Boulevard Barat, where you can catch the line 12 from Pluit to Tanjung Priok.

Is there a train station nearby?
No, there isn’t.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rail Transit)?
An LRT line is planned between the Velodrome and the Mall Kelapa Gading. It should be completed before the end of the Asian Game in August 2018. This line should later extend to Jakarta Kota.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

What is the reputation of the developer?
The developer is Agung Sedayu Group (via its subsidiary PT. Makmur Jaya Serasi). It is a large conglomerate that has built mostly townships (Bukit Golf Mediterania, Grand Galaxy City, Green Mansion, etc) and high-rise apartments (The Mansion at Kemang, The Mansion @ Kemayoran, Menteng Park, District 8 and many more).

It has a fairly good reputation, slightly better than its main competitor Agung Podomoro Land.

On the sale of City Home Gading River View, there was one issue with residents who complained that the deed of sale was too expensive (see this article).

Who is the architect?
The complex was designed by the architect firm Airmas Asri. They are quite reputed and have worked on several high-end projects such as Pakubowono View and the Capital Building.

Who is the contractor?
The contractor was Pulau Intan, a large Indonesian group that has finished dozens of similar projects (midrange category) such as Taman Anggrek Apartments, Royale Springhill Residence, Signature Park Grande, French Walk Apartments, L’Avenue, etc.

What is the situation with the land certificate?
The developer has a Hak Guna Bangunan Murni, which means the property was built on its own land. As an apartment owner, you get a Strata Title di atas HGB Murni.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From Outside (Facade)
The exterior of City Home Gading River View is massive and visually striking as the surroundings are made of low-rise buildings. It looks similar to the Mediterania towers, with colors and a theme that reminds of the South of Italy/Greece.

Entrance and Reception:
The entrance and reception are nothing to shout about. There is only a small desk for security and a sofa.

Landscaping:
It is quite interesting as they have designed a long garden all along a 300m pool (called the River).

Corridors:
They are simple, with small ceramic tiles and a simple gypsum ceiling.

How spacious are the apartments?
The apartments are rather small, slightly more than those of a budget property.

– 1-bedroom units = 35m2 or 37m2 (1 bathroom)
– 2-bedroom units = 45m2 (1 bathroom)

Materials, Equipment, and Finishes

What is the quality of the materials, furniture, and equipment used in the construction?
This is an evaluation of the quality I observed (ranked from 1 – worst – to 10 – best):

Tiles Lobby: 4
Tiles Corridors: 4
Tiles Apartment: 4
Painting: 4
Lighting: 3
Doors: 4
Ceiling: 3
Elevator: 5
Gym equipment: 7
Pool equipment: 6
Furniture: 4
Artwork: 2

Overall Quality: 4/10

What is the quality of the finishes?
Satisfactory quality.

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool: It is possibly the longest in Jakarta, 300 meters in total (but very narrow at some points). It is particularly great for kids as there are many shallow basins and games. For swimmers, you’ll need to be patient because it is very crowded most of the time.

– Gym: Good machines (Matrix brand) in sufficient numbers.

– Kids’ Playground: There are several of them. The equipment is sometimes rusty.

– Basketball and tennis court (also a squash court, not pictured here):

– Walking/jogging path:

What are the services available within the property?
A lot of services are available in the ground floor or in Mall of Indonesia: 24-hour minimarkets, canteens, restaurants, banks, ATMs, (coin) laundry, interior designers, real estate agents, mosques, churches, salons, pharmacies, dentists, etc.

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
Each apartment has a different limit so you should ask the seller/renter about yours.

Are their issues with parking?
There seems to be enough parking space.

How many lifts are there?
There are 4 lifts per tower, which is sufficient even though you’ll notice that they are often full.

Does the apartment have centralized hot water?
No, you will need an electric water heater.

What is the air-conditioning system used?
There is no central air-cooling system so each unit has its own individual electric AC.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
This is one of the most crowded properties in Jakarta with several thousand people living in the complex.

Is it noisy?
The units facing the toll road are noisy.

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?
The residents are mostly Indonesian Chinese from the middle-class. You also have many Indonesian Pribumi and a small community of foreigners. In particular, there is a noticeable African community.

The latter seems to scare residents. The management of City Home had to put a letter in the reception about them:

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?
Kelapa Gading Square was completed in 2006-2008.

Are there visible damages?
Yes, I noticed a few issues such as scratched paint, broken tiles, rusty pipes, and some broken equipment. I would say the quality of the maintenance is average.

Cleanliness

The property was clean overall, but not sparkling either.

Gardening

The garden is decently maintained. Some areas do look messy.

Security

– Guards on duty at the gates and reception: 24/7
– CCTV cameras: Only in the lobby.
– Access card: Yes, you need an access card to enter the lift area.

Hospitality

The staff was friendly and professional.

Rooms and Prices

Prices at City Home – Gading River View (Kelapa Gading Square Apartments) may vary depending on many factors such as the floor, the unit type, the room condition and the furnishings.

Be aware that you may also need to pay for additional fees: Service charge, parking fee, electricity and water bills, etc. Here are a few examples of prices and ratios for this property:

2-Bedroom Type (45m2) – Well-furnished:

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 66 million (or 4.5 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 750,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 11.36 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 16.6 million/m2

Investment Potential

Is there a potential for a price increase in the future?
A normal price increase in Jakarta would be around 5% per year. You cannot expect this here as the apartments are already old. These are a few of the factors affecting this rate:

– Factors pushing the prices up:

• Completion of the LRT line in Kelapa Gading
• Completion of the two canals to mitigate the floods in Kelapa Gading

– Factors pushing the prices down:

• Mall of Indonesia has lost in attractiveness compared with Mall Kelapa Gading
• Competition from newer projects in Kelapa Gading and elsewhere in Jakarta
• Deterioration of the condition of City Home (poor maintenance)

Overall evaluation of the price: Would I buy here?
The buying price of City Home is reasonable, but you have to realize that many apartments have never been refurbished since 2007. Those units are difficult to rent, as there are so many available on the market.

I would recommend buying in City Home only if you are interested in renovating an apartment. In that case, you may be able to get a bargain and to make a decent profit.