Small house seekers face tough decision

JAKARTA (JP): A 10-day housing exhibit was still crowded on its ninth day on Friday, with one day left to make use of discounts and other offers. Many visitors said they could not make up their minds.

Although double-income families could meet the installments, they complained of long distances and complicated public transportation routes between home and workplace.

The exhibit, organized by the Indonesian Developers' Association at the Jakarta Convention Center, ran from April 5 to April 14 (yesterday).

Hari Prasetyo, a private bank employee and his wife, a psychologist, said they were worried about traveling more than 90 minutes from Tigaraksa in Tangerang to their workplaces in Central Jakarta.

"We might have to take a bus from home to the main road for another bus to the Kalideres terminal. From Kalideres we take at least another ride to reach Jl. MH. Thamrin," Hari said.

Hari said he was already tired of taking the crowded train for five years from his current home in Bojonggede, Bogor.

Herman, a civil servant and his wife Iko, a pharmacist, said they were not prepared to wake up at 4 a.m. on a housing estate in Cisoka, Tangerang, to reach Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, in time for work. Herman also said he studied at a college until 9 p.m. in East Jakarta.

"Apart from the transportation problem we think we can afford the installments," he said. He was pondering the purchase of a 21-square meter house for Rp 108,400 in monthly installments for a period of 15 years.

A large number of the 105 participating developers from Jakarta's surrounding areas advertised proximity to bus and train terminals. (anr)