Corner Lots and T-Junction Houses: Pros and Cons for Buyers

On a housing estate plan, certain plots always catch the eye: the units on the corners of blocks, and the units facing straight down the end of a road. The first are called rumah hook or rumah pojok, corner houses. The second are often called rumah tusuk sate, after the satay skewer.

Both have their fans and their sceptics, and both are usually priced differently from ordinary units.

This guide is for first-time buyers weighing one of them, so your decision rests on the numbers and not only on the impression at a viewing.

What a hook or corner house is

A hook house sits on the corner of a block, where two roads meet. Because of that position, it has two sides facing the road.

Corner plots are often larger or not quite rectangular, because they follow the bend of the road. Each estate only has a limited number, since every block has only a few corners. Developers usually charge more for hook units, sometimes with a surcharge for the extra land.

The term is sometimes used loosely. Some people call a unit at the end of a block a hook even when only one side faces a road. Confirm the exact position on the site plan.

Advantages of a corner house

• More light and air, because two sides are open rather than pressed against neighbours.
• Two street frontages, so the entrance, carport and garden can be arranged more freely.
• Extra space, if the plot really is larger than an ordinary unit.
• Easy to see, which helps if the house is ever used for a small business.
• Easier guest parking, with road along two sides of the house.

Orientation still matters. With two open sides, there’s a better chance one of them faces west and takes the afternoon heat. The trade-offs are covered in considerations for choosing a house orientation.

Disadvantages and extra costs

• A longer fence and facade. Building the fence, painting and maintaining the outside walls all cost more.
• Less privacy. Two sides of the house are visible from the road, so you may need a higher fence or screening plants.
• Noise and dust from two roads, especially if one is the estate’s main road.
• More sides to secure, since two sides of the house are open to the street.
• A higher price, usually. Make sure the premium matches the extra land or other benefits you actually get.
• Setbacks on two sides. The GSB (Garis Sempadan Bangunan, the building setback line) generally applies to each side facing a road, so the buildable area can be smaller than it looks. The figures are in the local spatial rules or the KRK (Keterangan Rencana Kota, a planning statement for the plot).
• Water from two directions. In heavy rain, runoff from two roads can head for your plot if the drainage is poor.

To judge whether the premium is fair, work out the price per square metre of the extra land.

Worked example (illustrative numbers only): an ordinary 36/72 unit costs Rp 400 million and a 36/96 hook unit costs Rp 450 million. The difference is Rp 50 million for 24 m² of extra land, or about Rp 2.1 million per m². Compare that with the price of land per m² around the estate. If it’s much higher, you’re paying for the position, not the land.

Remember too that part of the extra land may fall inside the setback and can’t be built on.

What a tusuk sate house is

A tusuk sate house sits right at the end of a straight road, at a T-junction. Seen from that road, the road seems to skewer the house, like satay on a stick.

That means every vehicle driving down that road heads straight toward your house before it turns.

You’ll find this position outside housing estates too. A house at the end of a straight lane (gang), or facing a junction on a village road, sits in the same spot.

Buyer beliefs and resale

Some people believe a tusuk sate position brings bad luck or poor energy. In feng shui it is also often considered unfavourable. Other buyers never give it a thought.

You don’t have to share the belief. But it is real in the market: some buyers cross tusuk sate houses off their list straight away. With fewer interested buyers, such houses can take longer to sell or need a lower asking price.

For a buyer, this is both an opening and a caution. The entry price may be more negotiable, but you will face the same thing when you sell. Use the position as a fair point in negotiation, as covered in tips for negotiating a house price.

If you plan to sell again within a few years, this matters more than if you plan to stay for a long time.

Practical risks of a tusuk sate house and how to reduce them

Beliefs aside, there are risks you can measure:

• Headlights at night shine straight into the house, especially front rooms.
• Vehicles that fail to turn can hit the fence, more so if the road slopes down, gets slippery, or traffic often moves fast.
• Noise from vehicles braking and turning right in front of the house.

Ways to reduce them include:

• A solid fence and, where possible, a barrier or planting in front of it.
• Bedrooms at the back, away from the lights and noise.
• Placing the gate and carport so you don’t pull out straight into traffic.

Ask the neighbours whether a vehicle has ever hit a fence there. Visit at night and at rush hour too, as suggested in what to check about a home neighborhood.

Using it for a business

Corner houses and tusuk sate houses are both easy to see from the road. For some people that makes them attractive for a small shop, a food stall or a home office, since a sign is visible from a distance.

Before planning a business, check two things. First, the land use allowed for the plot in the local spatial plan. Second, the estate’s own rules, since some estates limit business activity in homes. Ask the developer or the neighbourhood association about customer parking and signs too.

A business also brings vehicles and people, which can bother the neighbours. Good relations with the neighbourhood matter as much as the permits.

Checklist before you buy

• Measure both frontages and check the area against the certificate or site plan.
• Ask about the GSB for each side at the local spatial planning office.
• Compare the price with an ordinary unit in the same block, then work out how much extra land you get.
• Estimate the cost of the longer fence and facade.
• Visit at night and after rain to see the headlights, the traffic and where the water goes.
• Think about the next buyer, because this position affects how quickly the house will sell again.

If you’re weighing a corner or tusuk sate unit and want a second opinion on the price, the Vorneo team is on WhatsApp.