The Lighthauz Penang Review: From RM 864,500 — Worth It?

Quick answer: who is The Lighthauz for?

The Lighthauz suits a couple or a small family who want a freehold home on the east side of Penang island, close to the Lim Chong Eu Expressway and the Penang Bridge, with two car parks even on the 732 sq ft unit. It is a weaker fit if you need more than three rooms, want a residential rather than commercial title, or need to move in soon: completion is expected in 2030, 60 months after the developer's permit is issued. For the latest price list and available units, WhatsApp +60 17-279 8932.

My view

In one line: A freehold tower for couples and small families, with just two sizes, 732 and 1,001 sq ft, two car parks for every unit and prices from RM 864,500; the downsides are a commercial title and a wait until 2030.

Living there: Lotus's is about 310 m away in a straight line and Udini Square about 420 m, so groceries are close; but George Town, Bayan Lepas and the mainland are mainly reached by car, which is why two car parks per unit is useful. The single tower holds 671 homes, with about 15 units per floor on Levels 9 to 52 sharing 6 passenger lifts, so there may be waits at peak hours; ask on site. Every unit has 2 bathrooms.

Who it suits, who it doesn't: It suits couples or small families with two cars, and buyers who like a building of similar-sized homes. It does not suit families who need three full bedrooms, since the largest unit is a 1,001 sq ft 2+1; nor buyers who want a residential title or to move in before 2030.

How long to hold: It works as a long-term home. The entry price per square foot, about RM 1,181 by starting price divided by smallest size, is above the large-unit projects in George Town and Andaman Island, so I'd suggest buying it as a home to live in rather than to sell quickly. The wait is 60 months from the APDL.

Check for yourself at the viewing: whether to take a balcony or not: at the same size, the no-balcony layout puts that space indoors; if buying 1,001 sq ft, lay the Type B and Type C plans side by side to see how the "+1" room and kitchen are arranged; which floor the sky pool is on and how the lifts reach it; and ask for actual sale prices of completed condos within a kilometre or two to compare.

• Suits: couples and small families who want freehold on the island's east coast; households with two cars; buyers who prefer a building of similar-sized homes.
• Think twice if: you want a residential title, need three full bedrooms or more space than 1,001 sq ft, or want to move in before 2030.

Project facts (checked, updated October 2026)

Who is the developer?

The Lighthauz is developed by EXSIM Waterfront Sdn. Bhd., part of the Exsim group. Exsim has several other Penang projects in the same data set: Keeperz Suites, which sits on the same land parcel address and is described as standing beside The Lighthauz; The Capehauz in Gelugor, developed with Majestic Gen; and Noordinz Suites in George Town. Buying from a developer with several live projects on the island means you can compare how its other buildings are specified and how its sales team handles questions before you commit.

What is near The Lighthauz?

These are straight-line distances from the project's map coordinates. A walk or drive is always longer.

The developer's materials also name, without distances, the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, the Penang Bridge and the Second Link bridge for road access; Queensbay Mall and The Waterfront Shoppes for shopping; Gleneagles Medical Centre, Island Hospital, Loh Guan Lye Specialist Centre and Pantai Hospital for healthcare; KDU Penang University College and The One Academy for education; and George Town, Bayan Lepas, the Penang Free Trade Zone and the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre (PWCC) as nearby destinations.

What this means day to day: a supermarket and a mall are close enough for a short trip, the expressway puts both George Town and the Bayan Lepas industrial area within a drive, and the bridge to the mainland is on the same side of the island. This is a car-based address, which is why the two car parks per unit matter.

What do nearby homes sell and rent for?

My data set has no recorded sale or rental figures for completed buildings in this part of Gelugor, so I am not quoting any. Before you decide, ask for the recorded transaction prices of completed condominiums within a kilometre or two, and compare them per square foot with the launch price. A launch price for a 2030 building and the resale price of a finished building are not the same thing, and the gap between them is part of what you are paying for.

Which layout suits you?

What I would pick. The real choice is not A versus B, it is balcony versus no balcony. At the same built-up, a non-balcony layout gives you that floor area inside the home, which is useful in a smaller unit. A balcony gives you somewhere to dry clothes, place the air-conditioner compressors out of sight and, on the right stack, look at the sea. If you are buying the 732 sq ft unit to live in, I lean towards A1 for the balcony. If you are buying the 1,001 sq ft unit for a family, the "+1" room is the swing room, and the B and C plans differ in how that room and the kitchen are arranged, so look at both drawings side by side before choosing a stack.

What does it cost to hold each month?

The maintenance fee is RM 0.46 per sq ft including the sinking fund:

Quit rent, assessment tax, utilities and insurance come on top. For a full picture of what the fee covers and how the sinking fund works, see the maintenance fee and sinking fund guide.

If you take a loan, the stamp duty on the loan agreement is 0.5% of your loan. As a generic example, on a RM 500,000 loan that is RM 2,500. Stamp duty on the property transfer is separate; the stamp duty guide explains how it is worked out.

Price per square foot against other Penang launches

The last column is the starting price divided by the smallest unit size, so it is a rough entry figure, not the average across the building.

Against the other Exsim projects on the island, The Lighthauz has the lowest entry figure per square foot and the largest smallest unit. It is also the only one in this table where every home, including the smallest, comes with two car parks: Noordinz Suites units come with no car park at all. Its fee is about half of Keeperz Suites next door, which is priced and designed for short-stay letting. Lightwater Residences, inside The Light City, is a different class of home at more than twice the entry price.

Facilities

The developer lists a long facility deck with its own names: a Coastal Arrival and Arrival Bay drop-off, Horizon Lobby, a stargazing and yoga deck, the Firelight Grillbar, Breeze Walk and Breeze Lounge, a Mindspace and a Readery Deck, a children's discovery play area and Fun Hub, a Serenity Garden and Herbs Haven, Coastal Fit and a Coastal Gym, a Seaside Court, Lumina Hall (a multipurpose hall), an Aquora Deck, and the pool set: Astral Lagoon (a sky pool), Stargaze Soak (jacuzzi) and Mirage Bay (a wading pool), plus a Horizon Lounge.

In plain terms, that is a pool with a children's pool and jacuzzi, a gym and outdoor fitness, a court, a hall, BBQ, gardens, reading and work spaces and a children's play area. Ask which floor each sits on and how the lifts reach them, because in a 57-storey tower the route to the sky pool shapes how often people use it.

Buying as a foreigner

Foreigners can buy in Penang with approval from the state authority. Penang sets its own minimum purchase price for foreign buyers and its own approval process, so check the current figure and timeline with a lawyer before paying a booking fee. The foreigner minimum price guide explains why the threshold differs by state.

Pros and cons (my view)

How to view The Lighthauz

WhatsApp Shyan Yee (REN 46305, IQI Realty) at +60 17-279 8932 for the price list, floor plans and stack availability. Full specifications are on The Lighthauz project page.