GEN RISE Johor Bahru Review: From RM 563,000

Quick answer: who is GEN RISE for?

GEN RISE suits two quite different buyers. One wants a small freehold unit as close as possible to the Johor Bahru checkpoint and the coming RTS Link: Johor Bahru Sentral is about 490 m away in a straight line and Bukit Chagar about 900 m. The other is a large household that wants four to six bedrooms in the city centre, with three or four car parks. It is less suited to anyone who wants space around the building, since 732 homes share a 1.14-acre site, or to buyers of the smallest unit who need a car park on the lower floors. For the latest price list and available units, WhatsApp +60 17-279 8932.

My view

In one line: One of the few freehold towers next to JB Sentral with four- and six-bedroom homes, about 490 m in a straight line from Johor Bahru Sentral and from RM 563,000; the cost is density, with 732 homes on 1.14 acres.

Living there: Jaya Grocer is about 200 m away in a straight line, and JB Sentral and City Square are both within about 550 m, so daily errands may not need a car. Bukit Chagar RTS Link station is about 900 m, and the real walk will be longer. 22 units per floor share 6 lifts, so there may be a wait at peak hours; ask how the lifts are split between floors. The nearest parks in the data are more than 1 km away.

Who it suits, who it doesn't: It suits families looking for a large city-centre home: the 1,169 and 1,344 sq ft four-bedroom units come with 3 car parks, and the 1,930 sq ft six-bedroom corner unit with 4. It also suits single buyers who walk to the border. It does not suit buyers who want a low-density building, or anyone buying Type A or A1 on Levels 12 to 25 who needs a car park, because those floors have none.

How long to hold: I would treat the large units as a long-term family home, since the Causewayz Square towers next door top out at 850 sq ft and Gen Sphere at 755 sq ft. For a small unit, I'd suggest starting with the 672 sq ft Type B: two bedrooms, two bathrooms and one car park on every floor, which works for living in and may be easier to sell later. Completion is expected in 2028, so there is a wait.

Check for yourself at the viewing: whether the floor you want comes with a car park; whether the maintenance fee is fixed yet and whether it includes the sinking fund; the progress of the covered walkway to JB Sentral, which is still described as proposed, so judge the location on the straight-line distances for now; and which layouts are dual-key.

• Suits: buyers who want freehold within about 500 m of JB Sentral; large families who want four to six bedrooms in the city with three or four car parks; buyers who like a choice of seven layouts in one tower.
• Think twice if: you want a low-density building, you need a car park with a Type A or A1 unit below Level 26, or you need to know the maintenance fee before deciding.

Project facts (checked, updated October 2026)

Who is the developer?

GEN RISE is developed by Majestic Gen Sdn Bhd, which brands it "Next Gen Living". The same company is building Gen Sphere, about 200 m away, a 996-unit freehold project with smaller units from 459 to 755 sq ft. The two are worth looking at together: Gen Sphere is the small-unit sister, while GEN RISE adds the big family layouts. Construction of GEN RISE started in December 2024, with a 48-month delivery period written into the sale and purchase agreement.

What is near GEN RISE?

Distances are straight-line distances from the project site; the actual walk or drive is longer.

The project's list of nearby places also names Larkin Sentral for buses; the Tebrau Highway, the Eastern Dispersal Link to the North-South Highway and the Skudai Highway for driving; KSL City Mall and The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey for shopping; and Woodlands Waterfront Park across the strait.

How I read the location. This is about as central as Johor Bahru gets. JB Sentral, its bus terminal, City Square and Jaya Grocer are all within about 550 m, while the Bukit Chagar RTS Link station is a longer walk. For daily errands you hardly need a car. What you will not find close by is a large park or a primary school in the nearby list.

Which GEN RISE layout suits you?

What I would pick. For a single buyer, Type A or A1 is the obvious entry into the building. If you drive, the floor matters more than the layout: choose Level 26 or higher, where the unit comes with a car park. The developer states that dual-key layouts are available; ask which types they are, because a dual key changes how a large unit can be used.

Type B at 672 sq ft is the layout I would look at for a couple. It has two full bathrooms, which is rarer at this size than it sounds, and it comes with a car park on every floor.

The four-bedroom Types E and F are the real difference between GEN RISE and its neighbours. Four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 1,169 sq ft (Type F) is a lot of rooms for the space, so check the plan for the size of each bedroom and the living room. Type E gives you 175 sq ft more for the same number of rooms. Type D, the 1,930 sq ft corner unit with six bedrooms, six bathrooms and four car parks, sits at the top of the price range; it is built for a large household that wants to live together in the city.

What does it cost to hold each month?

The maintenance fee has not been confirmed. Until it is, use the neighbours as a guide only: Gen Sphere, by the same developer, quotes RM 0.35 psf; Princess Cove RNF Phase 3 quotes RM 0.42 psf including sinking fund; and the Causewayz Square towers quote RM 0.36 psf, still marked to be confirmed. GEN RISE has a rooftop pool and a gym on Levels 46 and 47 and a podium facility deck on Level 11, so do not assume the fee will be the lowest. Ask whether the figure you are given includes the sinking fund, and add quit rent and assessment tax on top. Our guide to maintenance fees and sinking funds explains how the two parts work.

If you take a housing loan, the loan agreement carries stamp duty of 0.5% of your loan; on a generic RM 500,000 loan that is RM 2,500. The stamp duty guide covers the transfer side.

Price per square foot against its neighbours

Price per square foot below is the starting price divided by the smallest unit, except for GEN RISE, where the developer's range is shown.

All of these are freehold.

How I read it. On these figures GEN RISE has the lowest entry price per square foot of the group around JB Sentral, and the earliest expected completion after Princess Cove Phase 3. The Causewayz Square towers are next door and start higher per square foot, but they top out at 850 sq ft, so they serve a different buyer. Princess Cove Phase 3 has the lowest ringgit entry because its smallest unit is only 314 sq ft. Gen Sphere, by the same developer, is close on price per square foot and covers only the small-unit end. These are launch prices, not recorded sales, and none of the buildings in the table is finished yet, so check the price list on the day.

Facilities

The facilities sit on three levels and are grouped into six themed zones. The Level 11 podium has a Harmonious Zone with a rain drop fountain and a children's playground, a Wellness Zone with a jogging track and yoga area, an Active Zone with a games room, outdoor fitness, a boxing ring and a basketball court, and a Leisure Zone with a glamping site and a pavilion. Level 46 is the Aqua Zone, with an infinity pool, a kids' pool and a spa pool, and Level 47 is the Fitness Zone with the gym. The ground floor lobby follows a "pop brutalism" design. Floors 1 to 10 are car parks. The developer also lists three-tier security and EV charging bays.

Buying as a foreigner or from overseas

GEN RISE is the kind of project many Singapore-based buyers will look at, because of its distance to JB Sentral and the RTS Link. Foreigners can buy in Johor, but each purchase needs approval from the state authority, and the state sets its own minimum purchase price for foreign buyers, which can differ by property type. Check the current threshold against the exact unit before you book; our overview of minimum prices for foreign buyers by state is a starting point, and your lawyer should confirm the figure.

Pros and cons (my view)

How to view GEN RISE

WhatsApp Shyan Yee (REN 46305, IQI Realty) at +60 17-279 8932 for the price list, floor plans and a viewing. Full specifications are on the GEN RISE project page.