More to Xandria than one could ever imagine!

Find out what happens when she decides to settle down

We’ve all seen her in various events and hosting various Malaysian programmes on television. Like any other viewer, we were wowed by the positive vibe that she exudes and the sunshine smiles that she’s ever so generous with. So much so that she leaves behind such an impression!

In this issue of Property Buyer, we’re given the opportunity to meet the proud Malaysian (and the pride of Malaysia) for a quick chat on her new home.

ON XANDRIA

Born and bred in Petaling Jaya, Xandria Ooi hails from a Chinese education background (she studied in SMJK Yuk Choy and then went on to finish her tertiary education in Catholic High School). After high school, she applied for further studies in Melbourne University in Australia and finally graduated with a degree in Finance and Management.

During her 3-year stay in Australia, she had her first taste in being completely independent as she rented a place in the city with a housemate and also worked part-time on Lygon Street!

However, having a job was not entirely new to her as she had previously kicked off her stint as a budding writer with The Star newspapers’ BRATS, at the tender age of 16. It landed her an opportunity to explore her talent in writing and, as great talent would have it, she continues to write for The Star as we speak. Most avid Malaysian readers are probably familiar with Xandria’s column, “Sights and Sounds”.

She also went on to publish a book (Love, Work, and Everything in Between) in 2009.

Of course, all the above are on top of juggling her other projects that she currently has on hand such as hosting and emceeing (her television career began when she won Astro’s UVJ Search contest in 2005), directing, and so on.

By the way, Xandria is only 27!

ON HER INVESTMENTS

At such a young age, you would think that she would have minimal commitments and is entirely carefree. Yet, the notion is far from right. To date, Xandria has investment in a car of her own and more recently, she is a proud and young owner one-half (the other half is her fiancé, Yuri) of a double-storey link home in Bukit Jelutong.

“I bought my first home in August 2009 and we just got our keys in January this year. I’ll be moving in sometime later this year with my fiancé, Yuri. Yuri and I were dating for about one and a half years before he proposed in the most beautiful sunset setting at Lake Kenyir in May 2009. So we decided, okay, time to get a house together! And when we say ‘together’, we really do mean together! In terms of house-hunting, buying, loan repayment, renovations, furnishings, and even right down to the chores”, she said with a bright smile.

Xandria went on to add, “We’re doing it very 21st century style so we’re working as a team on this. It’s great!”

ON HER CURRENT HOME

They settled on a humble abode in the Bukit Jelutong area after a little bit of house-hunting. While others think that the housing development is a little too far, Xandria found it perfectly fitting for her first home.

“When you really think about it, traveling to and from Bukit Jelutong is easy. With the NKVE, it only takes me about 15 minutes to get to, say, Bandar Utama. The one thing that Yuri and I loved about the neighbourhood was the fact that it is very suburban, much like the suburban lifestyle in Melbourne. Everywhere you look, there are playgrounds! Lovely”, she said.

Perfect for newlyweds who plan to have a family of their own soon?

Xandria added, “Yes, I absolutely like the idea of it being a ‘family’ home in such a suiting environment; very conducive to have kids. We’ll definitely have kids, maybe not now but I would say in 2 years time.”

We then asked if, being first-time aspiring homeowners, it was a difficult process for the both of them. To which she replied, “It’s not as hard as you think. In fact, my family home is within the same area so in terms of environment, it was easy to decide. Then we had to take our budget into consideration and we knew we didn’t want anything that would cost us more than RM500, 000 especially if it was only going to be our first home. After that, we juggled between deciding on a brand new home or a secondhand one. We actually went to the older part of Bukit Jelutong to look at a secondhand one but it was already quite done up and not really our style plus it was priced at almost RM500, 000. So we decided, let’s look at a brand new one instead, loved it and that sealed the deal.”

 

We have to say though, that for someone as young as Xandria, she sure makes buying a home look easy! Needless to say, she could just be the next big inspiration to the next aspiring homeowner as there are just so many things to learn from her.

ON HER DREAM HOME

“My dream home is to have a place where Yuri and I can really kick back and chill, and be ourselves completely. It has to be the kind where you know you’re just looking forward to go to after a long, hard day at work; a place where you look forward to being at, day in, day out. So, yes, this is my dream home because we’re doing it all up from scratch, just the way we want it!”
 
INSIDE TRACK
Name: Xandria Ooi
Age: 27
Occupation: Host, emcee, writer, business owner (XO Productions)
Biggest Achievements: What really stood out was my time in college when I got my valedictorian. It was then I realize that with enough belief and hard work, you can achieve anything. You can!
Property Status: Found!