Should you buy an abandoned house?

According to reports, there ar e 177 private housing projects that have been abandoned as at May 31.

BUYING property and then selling (or renting) it is often viewed as a good form of investment by many. This is especially the case for strategically-located homes that are either new or have been well maintained by a previous owner.

However, sometimes, an abandoned house or even an old, dilapidated one, could be worth investing in. Admittedly, reviving an abandoned house can be a daunting task. But with a little bit of patience, effort and money, the home you're looking to revive could just end up being a diamond in the rough.

Abandoned house

According to reports, there are 177 private housing projects that have been abandoned as at May 31.

Finding abandoned houses is actually not that difficult, as they tend to stick out like a sore thumb! The main issue, however, comes after you've found one, and then need to locate its owner.

“One simple way is to ask the neighbours,” says James Wong, director of international property consultants, valuers and estate agents, VPC Alliance (M) Sdn Bhd.

Wong: ‘One simple way (to find out about the owner of an abandoned house) is to ask the neighbours’.

However, a house could be abandoned for so long that even the neighbours might not know of the owner's whereabouts.

“The official way is if the house is within the jurisdiction of the municipality, local council or district council, and to go to the assessment section to check the owner and address,” says Wong.

“If the house is outside the jurisdiction of the municipality, local council or district council, then you need to go to the land office to do a title search on the property, which will reveal the ownership of the title. Then, you have to check the owner's contact details and contact,” he adds.

But what if the owner is deceased?

“In a situation where the owner is deceased, one can appoint a lawyer to make checks at the central probate registry at the High Courts to verify whether the family members of the deceased have filed for a petition for a grant of probate (where the deceased died leaving a will) or for letters of administration (where the deceased died intestate),” says National House Buyers Association (HBA) secretary-general Chang Kim Loong.

Chang: ‘Checks about an abandoned property could be made at the related land office’.

He says checks could also be made at the related land office to ascertain whether an application has been filed (at the land office).

“They could also make enquiries at the Amanah Raya office for confirmation. Having established the identities of the beneficiaries to the deceased estate, one can approach them and negotiate the offer to purchase.”

Cheaper price

Elvin Fernandez, managing director of property consultancy firm Khong & Jaafar Sdn Bhd, points out that abandoned houses, or homes that have deteriorated over the years, tend to be cheaper.

“When you buy a home, you are buying it for the land and the building. The value of a property is what the building and the land are collectively worth.”

He says that the value of a property is affected when the condition of the building has deteriorated.

“If the house has been left unattended for a long time or has depreciated quite substantially, then usually the land value remains the same but not the building value.

“The greater the depreciation, the lesser the value. In fact, there might actually come a time when the building will have no value at all,” Elvin says.

He says in rare instances, the building's deterioration level could be so bad that it could create a spillover effect on the land and affect the land's value as well.

“It's not a rule that's set in stone, but usually it's the building value that drops,” Elvin says, adding that even the location of the property could play a role in the property's value.

“It depends. A house in Damansara Heights that's been abandoned for a while could still have its value intact, while a house in a poorer (rural) neighbourhood that has been left unattended for just six months could already see a substantial depreciation in its value.”

A good buy

Elvin believes that buying an abandoned house is definitely worth the investment, seeing as these homes generally retail for a much cheaper price (compared with new properties or lived-in ones in the secondary market).

Elvin: ‘The value of a property is affected when the condition of the building has deteriorated’.

“Abandoned properties could be worth a good buy and definitely a must to look at,” he says.

Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) deputy president Siva Shanker also feels that purchasing an abandoned house is a “great investment opportunity.”

“You have a lot of this going on nowadays, especially within Petaling Jaya. There are a lot of old houses in that area and many people are buying them either to move in or to flip it (resell) for a profit.

“It's a great investment opportunity. People buy the home for between RM600,000 and RM700,000, then spend RM500,000 on refurbishing it and then selling it for about RM1.3mil. You can easily make a profit of between RM200,000 or RM300,000 right there!”

Siva believes that refurbishing an old or abandoned house is much more cost effective than buying a brand new one (or a lived-in one in the secondary market).

“The Malaysian property buyer is such that once he's bought a house, whether straight from a developer or an existing buyer, he's going to tear it down and make renovations of his own.

“And this is not at all cost effective, because the developer (or previous owner) has probably already given the buyer everything he needs. But after buying the house for say, RM1mil, he's then going to spend another RM500,000 on renovations. Better to buy an old house, which is cheaper, and then install whatever you need.”

MIEA president Nixon Paul, meanwhile, feels that it's “safer” to buy a house from the primary or secondary market.

“Buying an abandoned house will be cheaper, but think of the refurbishment that you're going to have to do, which could cost a lot more than what you would normally do for a new one.”

Siva: ‘Purchasing an abandoned house is a great investment opportunity. You have a lot of this going on nowadays.’

“You're going to need to spend a lot of money on a lot of things that have either deteriorated or are totally gone.”

Siva asserts that although buying an abandoned house and refurbishing it is a good investment opportunity, he does add that it's not for everyone.

“If you have the money, the holding power and the property know-how, then it's a good way to generate income.”

On a personal note, he does wish that it would be possible for buyers to “pre-customise” their homes when they buy it from a developer, and not purchase a “finished” product that will not necessarily appeal to everyone.

“Wouldn't it be nice if the buyer had a choice on the level of fixtures that go into a home, so that the price could be reduced accordingly? Because most people are going to move in and make changes that will end up being a waste of money.

“We need to slowly move into a more mature market where there can be more flexibility in the property that we buy,” he says.

By The Star

Do crime rates affect property prices?

ALIA bought a house in an established neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur a couple of years ago. There were security personnel patrolling the area. Two months after formalising the purchase, the guard patrols stopped because more than half of the residents in the area did not want to pay the monthly RM60 security fees.

Street crime and break-ins occurred, one of which resulted in the death of a youth who charged at an off-duty police personnel with several others with parangs. It was not that the neighbourhood was crime free before. It was just that some residents wanted a higher level personal security and had hoped that the rest of the community would support the cause.

Alia decided to rent out the place instead after the security services were discontinued.

In another part of the Klang Valley, a young family paid the deposit to rent a landed property after having lived for years in a condominium. They changed their mind after a drive to their “new” home one evening and discovered the area to be rather dark even at 7.30pm, despite the street lights.

While the above may be anecdotal, does the fear of possible crime affect property prices, and their yield? While there is no empirical evidence to suggest the affirmative, research in Britain and the United States between crime rate and property prices suggest that crime and the fear of possible crime does have an effect on urban property prices. The studies were not just referring to ghettos but took a broad look at different areas and types of properties.

If we consider the current property prices and the rate of crime in the Klang Valley and major cities, there does not seem to be a correlation between the two. Crime is rampant despite what the crime index indicates. And prices have moved up considerably, despite what many consider to be a general increase in crime in various parts of the Klang Valley and major cities.

Notwithstanding that, the question whether crime rate has an effect on property prices is an interesting one.

According to a 2003 research The Costs of Urban Property Crime by Steve Gibbons, published in The Economic Journal 114 (November), urban crime has effects “over and above the direct costs to victims, the costs of deterrence and the costs of law enforcement. The fear or crime', while not a uniquely urban phenomenon ... has ... a powerful influence on perceptions of area deprivation.”

The research paper divided crime into criminal damage to properties and burglary in dwellings. Gibbons concluded that criminal damage to dwellings which includes “vandalism, graffiti and arson have a significant negative impact on prices” while “burglaries have no measurable impact on prices.” He based his research on London.

He writes that while it is “surprising that prices respond more to acts of criminal damage than to burglaries given the apparent physical and emotional costs”, Gibbons explains that “vandalism and graffiti are important factors” that motivate “fear of crime in the community,” even though “these types of crimes are not strongly correlated with incidents of a more serious nature.”

Gibbons also quoted earlier studies in 1978 and 2001 which concluded that “crime rates do affect property values, although the effects may be small ...”

Another study by Stephanie Swift in 2005 found that “crime, violent and non-violent, has an affect on housing prices.” Swift chose a Florida setting.

Swift concluded that “crime does affect housing prices.” She also concluded that “residents are willing to pay more in order to keep themselves and their families out of danger.”

This may explain the emergence of gated and guarded strata projects and its non-strata variant. The more established neighbourhood has also taken to cordoning off certain roads and hiring their own security personnel although there is a tendency for such ad hoc arrangements to be temporal as not everyone in the community may want to contribute to the monthly security fees. In a strata project, owners are legally bound.

The demand for security stems from the perception that they and their loved ones will have a certain measure of security, although this is open to dispute.

If we were to broaden the question, does crime rate affect a city's liveability, the affirmative may be more apparent, although factors contributing to liveability include other variables, just as house prices are determined by various factors.

In Triumph of The City by Edward Glaeser, an urban economist and professor at Harvard University, Glaeser writes about the importance of cities. One of the features of liveability, besides a string of other factors, is the importance of personal safety and security and the perception of this security.

Concerns about personal security have been noted in a survey of international firms by the American Chambers of Commerce in South-East Asia, published in September 2012.

In that survey, 38% of Malaysian-based respondents registered concerns with personal security, a higher proportion than in the other Asean countries surveyed.

This argues for a closer look at crime prevention, for the sake of enhancing Malaysia's competitiveness so as to stimulate foreign direct investments and exports, and to give greater fundamental basis to property price increases.

In another press report, Rajiv Biswas, senior director and Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Global Insight Singapore, said foreign investors need a sense of comfort and security that Malaysia is a better place to do business compared to its neighbouring countries.

Hence, despite claims that the crime index is down, increasingly people near and close to us are experiencing it.

Since budget day on Sept 28, four of The Star employees have been robbed of their new car and belongings, and two of them have their houses broken into. A fifth related the incident of a brother being robbed while having drinks in a pub. The lack of personal security is no longer a perception. It is real.

Deputy news editor Thean Lee Cheng is of the view that there is a need for greater police visibility, among other crime management strategies.

By The Star (by Thean Lee Cheng)

How affordable housing can succeed

IMAGINE a cook without his pots, pans and utensils, can he still perform his duties of cooking a delicious meal for his clients?

We need essential tools and resources to accomplish our tasks even if we are skilful in our own profession. Same goes to the property industry.

With the market demanding more low and medium-cost housing, all stakeholders should look for the most effective ways in maximising the usage of our resources to build affordable housing and to meet the ever increasing housing demand.

In my article last month, we identified the root causes that influence the pricing mechanism of a housing project. These include the rising land acquisition cost, lengthy approval period, holding cost of unreleased bumiputra units and cost of building utility infrastructure.The next questions are:

What are the remedies available?

Which parties have the ability, expertise and resources to implement the remedies?

First of all, to address the issue of high land cost, the Government could tap onto the expertise of the private sector to develop government land as the land acquisition cost is much lower. Land can be fairly distributed to property developers through open tenders. This way, more homes can be built on a more affordable and effective manner for the people.

To increase the supply of affordable housing, the Government should also conduct a study to accelerate the development's approval process by reducing the number of steps and the time involved (sometimes two to three years) in the approval process, have an automatic release mechanism for unsold bumiputra units, and remove the burden of utility infrastructure costs on developments, which should be borne by privatised utility companies themselves instead.

In the recent budget announcement, it is encouraging to see that the Government has proposed several measures to tackle the issue of affordable housing in Malaysia. The efforts include the allocation of RM1.9bil to build 123,000 affordable housing units nationwide and a RM500mil fund to build 80,000 houses priced between RM100,000 and RM400,000.

People and organisations that work on their areas of expertise are most likely to deliver outstanding results. Government agencies that have been working on affordable housing can build these housing effectively as they have both the expertise and resources.

On the other hand, though private developers have the expertise, the challenge of high land and material cost are the main hurdles in meeting the demand, just like the cook without his pots and pans. To meet the desired outcome, it is important for the Government to fund more government agencies with expertise and resources to embark on this initiative. I still recall in 1974, when I joined the Selangor State Development Corp (PKNS) as a director, the main objective of PKNS was to build mass housing for the people and to eliminate the shortage of affordable housing.

However, according to a recent article in The Star, PKNS today has also ended up venturing into high-end developments to subsidise its low-cost housing projects and infrastructure, as it no longer receives grants from the Government. This has inevitably distracted the corporation from delivering more affordable housing projects to the public.

Therefore, it is important for the Government to constantly revisit the original objectives of corporations such as PKNS and other SEDCs (State Economic Development Corporations), Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd, and 1Malaysia People's Housing Scheme (Prima) that have relevant expertise, and continue funding them to build low and medium-cost housing.

Generally, people and organisations perform best in their areas of expertise. However, this must be backed with essential resources. If both the Government and private developers can leverage on each other's expertise and resources, I believe we can work towards a more sustainable and affordable housing policy, and realise the rakyat's dream of having their own homes.

In that way, the cooks can equip the kitchen with the right utensils to cook up a delicious meal.

FIABCI Asia Pacific chairman, Datuk Alan Tong, has over 50 years of experience in property development. He was FIABCI world president in 2005/06 and was named Property Man of The Year 2010. He is also the group chairman of Bukit Kiara Properties.

By The Star

UDA to kickstart new housing concept in 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: UDA Holdings Bhd is among the four government- linked companies (GLCs) spearheading the build-and-sell housing concept.

“We’ll be having a meeting with UDA next week. They are scheduled to kickstart this initiative next year,” Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said.

“From now until 2015, we encourage all property developers to adopt build-and-sell. We’re aware there’ll be teething problems as we transition from the current system to the 10:90 concept,” he told reporters here after officiating at the launch of ERA Malaysia real estate business system pilot programme late yesterday.

“For one, the banking sector needs to reform the end and bridging financing arrangements with property developers. The build-and-sell concept is more riskier for developers and there’s a chance bankers may ignore smaller ones. We’ll need to address this issue,” Chor said.

The build-and-sell concept, already implemented in Australia and Singapore, only requires a buyer to place a downpayment of 10 per cent of the purchase price while the balance is paid after the house is completed.

He noted that Islamic banks have so far agreed to provide syariah-compliant financing and undertake construction risks, with installments only commencing after the house is completed. This scheme is meant for houses costing RM600,000 and below.

Early this year, Chor said the government had tightened laws through an amendment to the Housing Development Act (Control and Licensing) 1966 (Act 118).

Among others, the deposit was increased from RM200,000 to 3 per cent of the cost of physical development, including professional fees for the Housing Development Account, and a maximum penalty of RM50,000 has been set compared with RM20,000 previously for offences under any provision of Act 118.

Asked if the government is offering incentives for property developers, Chor said: “For build-and-sell properties, we can waive the deposit. There’s also a dedicated green lane for faster approvals”.

By Business Times

MK Land to launch luxury hilltop projects in prime sites

KUALA LUMPUR: MK Land Holdings Bhd is upbeat on the real estate market and is planning to launch exclusive hilltop developments and commercial projects in prime locations to meet demand, its key official said.

According to group chief executive officer Lau Shu Chuan, the hilltop developments will feature luxury bungalows and town villas.

MK Land currently has nine projects in Selangor, Perak and Kedah.

Its flagship project is Bandar Damansara Perdana, a 303.5ha township development in Petaling Jaya, comprising landed commercial and residential properties.

The Damansara Perdana project is expected to take another 10 years to be completed and is destined to be a premier centre for business and living in Petaling Jaya.

Lau said Damansara Perdana is currently one of the biggest developments in Petaling Jaya, with sales of RM2.82 billion derived from the launch of condominiums, high-end apartments, a range of commercial buildings and semi-detached bungalows.

MK Land is planning to launch new phases at Damansara Perdana, Lau said after handing over keys to its buyers for its The Rafflesia @ Park project last week.

The new phases include The Rafflesia @ Hills and The Rafflesia @ Peak, featuring semi-detached bungalows, he added.

The Rafflesia @ Park, meanwhile, is a residential project with prices ranging from RM2.6 million. Lau said the development is expected to be completed by June 2014.

MK Land is offering a five per cent discount to buyers, with no legal fees on SPA and loan documentation.

By Business Times

Menara Binjai wins sustainability award

KUALA LUMPUR: Menara Binjai has emerged as the first Malaysian building to win the Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets 2012 for the Best Sustainable Development Award (Built).

Designed by award-winning Malaysian firm Veritas Architects, Menara Binjai, clinched the top spot in the coveted sustainability category, beating two other finalists; the award-winning UAE Pavilion in Abu Dhabi by Tourism Development and Investment Corp and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (M.I.S.T) by MASDAR. Both buildings are designed by Foster and Partners of the UK.

The award ceremony was held on October 3 in Dubai.

Chua Guan-Hock, a director of the developer Khor Joo Saik Sdn Bhd attributed the win to the board and consultants who worked hard as a team.

"This award is extremely meaningful and a stamp of approval of the tower's outstanding sustainability, as a market leader in Malaysia and the Asia Pacific region. Competing and winning against outstanding developments adds to the satisfaction of this acknowledgement," Chua said.

Menara Binjai, a 35-storey green office tower, located right next to Ampang LRT station, is the first dedicated officer tower in Malaysia to be awarded dual green certification - Malaysia's Green Building Index Design Assessment for GBI Certification and a Green Mark Gold CerPficaPon (Provisional) by Singapore's Building and Construction Authority.

The office tower was completed in July 2012 and new tenants, which include the British High Commission have already begun moving in.

Menara Binjai's energy-efficient operations through the materials used and features allow up to 25 per cent savings on electricity and air-conditioning consumption.

Cityscape Awards reward excellence and celebrate outstanding performance in real estate and architectural design across emerging markets globally.

Regions and countries considered emerging markets are Asia Pacific (excluding Japan, New Zealand and Australia), Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Africa and Latin America.

By Business Times

Glomac looking to expand its landbank

KUALA LUMPUR: Glomac Bhd is looking to increase its landbank to further expand its property development business.

"Currently we have about 1,000 acres in landbank and we at constantly looking at opportunities," said group managing director Datuk FD Iskandar after the company's AGM on Tuesday.

He said the company had gone through a few economic cycles and it was now on a new growth plane.

"Our unbilled sales figure will improve with the RM1.1bil in GDV launches in financial year 2013," he said.

By The Star

Expo offers latest trends to homeowners

HOMEDEC is celebrating its 10th successful year with more attractive offerings for visitors.

The exhibition that gathers all renovation-related needs under one roof will be held over two consecutive weekends at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The first part themed Design and Renovation is from Oct 18 to 21 while the second part on Furnish and Decorate will be from Oct 25 to 28.

It features 1,500 exhibition booths set up by over 430 leading companies in the home industry, the exhibition space is spread over six halls.

Homedec organiser, C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd president Vincent Lim said the exhibition had further boosted awareness on interior design among Malaysians.

“When we started the exhibition 10 years ago, our study showed that less than 50% of homeowners would engage interior designers when they needed to renovate their homes. However, our latest study showed more than 70% of homeowners would do that now,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur recently.

“Homedec is the platform to meet face-to-face with industry experts or to gather the know-hows about renovating and decorating your homes. The industry players are all here,” he said.

He added that this year Homedec had been pushed a notch up with the introduction of the Urban Loft concept exemplified by a show house designed by award-winning interior designer Lai Siew Hong and his team from Blu Water Studio.

“Homedec also plays a role to introduce future trends and new lifestyles to homeowners. With that, we also hope to stimulate the industry to come out with better designs and products,” he added.

Lai was the winner of the Malaysia Interior Design Awards (MIDA 2011) the Residential Category of by the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID). He and his team also won the Design Excellence for Show Units (Residential) Category in MIDA 2011.

“Loft is a concept popularised in New York and London where warehouse space was converted into residential units. Moving on, Urban Loft is a space where function and aesthetics merge, we hope it will become the foundation for the future of the urban community,” Lai said.

“The 600 sq ft show house constructed on-site is a seamless open space. It is small but compact, and it meets all living needs,” he said, adding that the Urban Loft will sport a night ambience in the second part of the exhibition.

Lim said they were partnering with MIID for MIDA where the Homedec award will be bestowed to the winner of the Residential Category. The award comes with an air ticket to Milan.

Part 1 of the exhibition features the ID Showhome where 10 interior design firms showcase their works, while Part 2 provides the opportunity for visitors to experience sights and sounds in a custom-built home cinema.

The Homedec Quality Award and the Good Design Award are also at stake to reward products of excellence in an effort to raise the standard.

The underprivileged are not forgotten, too. The Homedec Care Programme will bring better and improved living condition to the Shelter Home for Children (3).

Visitors also stand a chance to walk away with cash prizes with a minimum purchase of RM100 in single receipt. A total of RM80,000 is up for grabs, RM10,000 will be given away daily.

The exhibition is open to public for free. The opening hours are from 10am to 8pm. For details, call 03-7982 4668 or visit www.homedec.com.my or www.facebook.com/homedec.exhibition.

By The Star

Tradewinds in land status swaps

KUALA LUMPUR: Tradewinds Corp Bhd said it has exercised the option to enter into agreements with Northern Gateway Free Zone Sdn Bhd and Benua Perdana Sdn Bhd for the exchange of the Malay reservation status of several pieces of land for a total consideration of over RM28.7 million.

These lands, measuring more than 40.5ha, are calculated at RM5 per sq ft.

“The proposed land status swapping exercise is initiated to enhance the value of the lands involved in the exercise,” said the company in its filing to Bursa Malaysia.

By Business Times

2nd and 3rd MRT lines for KL awaiting Govt approval

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is already conducting feasibility studies on the construction of the second and third mass rapid transit (MRT) lines and will make the decision on the lines in early 2013, said the Performance Management & Delivery Unit (Pemandu’s) director of urban public transport & greater Kuala Lumpur Datuk Ahmad Suhaili Idrus.

He said the second line called the ‘Circle Line’ was an orbital line around the main Kuala Lumpur city while the third one was quite similar to the first line (the Sungai Buloh to Kajang line).

“The routes for the third line are shifted a little bit north and runs from Selayang to Seri Kembangan from the northwest to the southeast trajectories,” said Ahmad.

He said the MRT mega-project was aimed mainly at “decongesting traffic in Kuala Lumpur” as there were too many new cars on the roads.

“The number of new cars that enter our roads every year is about half a million. There are also nine million motorcycles.

“This is a very big number to cope with and no amount of new highways can cater for all new (vehicle) registrations every year.

“That is why we need a significant increase in rail capacity to achieve the 50% public transport (ridership) share in 2020,” he said.

He admitted that today’s public transport ridership levels at around 17% was “very low” compared to other cities such as Hong Kong at 87% and Singapore at almost 60%.

“The MRT project is the largest infrastructure project that this country has ever undertaken. The last big one was the KL International Airport.

“The first 51km-long line from Sungai Buloh to Kajang will cost around RM38bil,” he said at the GCC-Malaysia Trade Investment Forum 2012.

He said whenever a new highway, high-speed rail or a new MRT line was built, properties along the alignment would appreciate as people liked to live near public transportation terminals “so that they do not have to drive to work,” which was apparent in most developed countries.

He also said the government was also seriously considering the high-speed rail link between KL and Singapore.

“These are very high speed trains and depending on the design (of the trains) the speed range is from 350 km/h to 450 km/h but we will probably start with the lower (speed range) one. It is very efficient and can also reduce the travel time to between 2 and 2.5 hours. “This is nothing new, as countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan and in particular Europe have so many of them. This is a project that will transform the way people travel between KL and Singapore and it will benefit both countries immensely in the longer run,” he added.

Meanwhile, International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said in his speech at the same function that the signing of the Malaysia-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Framework Agreement in the areas of economic, commerce, investment and technical cooperation early last year would eventually pave the way for a Free Trade Agreement between Malaysia and the GCC sooner rather than later.

Mukhriz, who officiated at the function, said that areas such as Islamic finance, property development, infrastructure and education could be investment opportunities for both Malaysia and the CGG countries.

By The Star

Jalan Sultan Ismail projects will unlock value in the prime location in KL

Tradewinds will demolish Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel and Kompleks Antarabangsa to make way for a mixed-development project, called Tradewinds Centre.

PETALING JAYA: The redevelopment of some of the buildings in Jalan Sultan Ismail, one of the longest and main arteries in the heart of the capital, is gaining further traction to unlock the value in the prime location and meet the future demands of the Greater Kuala Lumpur.

Just last week, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), which acquired the former MAS building in late 2006 for RM130mil in cash, awarded a RM673mil contract to Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd to demolish the podium building and build a 50-storey tower hotel with six levels of basement parking. PNB also intends to refurbish the 35-storey office building on the site.

And in June, Tradewinds Corp Bhd confirmed in a news report that it would demolish the Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel and Kompleks Antarabangsa to make way for a mixed-development project, called Tradewinds Centre. It is reported that the project might cost around RM6bil.

The redevelopments in Jalan Sultan Ismail is not only to further unlock the value of the land there but also to catch up with the growth and development of nearby prime areas such as Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and Bukit Bintang.

Tradewinds group chief executive officer Shaharul Farez Hassan told StarBiz that the company planned to develop Tradewinds Centre as an iconic building as well as a destination.

“Key to the development will be the concept of urban and environmental harmony.

“As one of the few green buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Tradewinds Centre's outstanding architecture will be complemented by a central Grand Plaza covering a large area of about one acre. This plaza will feature broad open spaces, breezy courtyards, lush landscaping and much more,” he said.

Shaharul said the company had consciously allocated a Grand Plaza in the centre of the development, much like to the sunken plaza in Rockefeller Centre in New York and Roponggi Hills.

“The Grand Plaza would be a focal point for the public and users to enjoy the stunning environment, socialise and relax.

“It can also be used for festive events such as New Year countdowns or other celebrations.

“Its signature profile will greatly contribute to the overall composition of the city skyline.

“Its large scale and memorable public plaza unites neighbourhoods in the urban fabric, creating a dynamic focal or meeting point that is systematically linked via pedestrian-friendly walkways and public transportation,” he said.

On how the multi-billion ringgit project would further unlock the value of the land, Shaharul explained that the existing buildings were conceived during a period of lesser competition.

“Since then, the city and its buildings have grown to meet future demands for better quality, larger spaces and added features.

“While such buildings can be retrofitted and enhanced to address competition, there are limits to such a strategy. Looking towards the future, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to totally remake this location to serve the city's needs far into the future,” he said.

Furthermore, Shaharul said, the plot ratio of the existing buildings was small, at about five, thereby resulting in gross under-utilisation of the potential property value.

“Planned as an iconic, integrated and modern redevelopment with grade A building features, Tradewinds Centre would maximise its potential more than doubling the amount of allowable high value space,” he said.

Real estate consultant Rahim & Co group of companies executive chairman Senator Datuk Abdul Rahim Rahman said that in his opinion based on market demand and environment, hotels were more likely a better decision than office building as there was a oversupply of that now.

“And the Government is also confident that tourist arrivals would be good. Furthermore, the hotels rates in Kuala Lumpur are more competitive that in Singapore, Hong Kong and even Jakarta,” he said.

As for Jalan Sultan Ismail, Abdul Rahim said it was the prime location before the development of the KLCC which was now fetching better rates.

He added that Jalan Sultan Ismail was a long stretch where rental rates were RM5 per sq ft (psf) as opposed to RM8 to RM10 psf in KLCC.

“Although Jalan Sultan Ismail is not the prime location anymore, it will still remain as one of the prime locations in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Nevertheless, Abdul Rahim said it might be easier to get better yields in Jalan Sultan Ismail.

“For instance, if one wants to get a good apartment in KLCC area one has to pay around RM1,500 psf, but in Jalan Sultan Ismail due to its long stretch one can get a good apartment at RM800 psf, where it would be easier to get 5% to 7% returns.

By The Star

MKH to gain from MRT project as its property developments are close to the rail line

Mass appeal: Chen posing with a model of the company’s property development project in Kajang.

KAJANG: MKH Bhd (formerly Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd) will derive considerable leverage from the mass rapid transit (MRT) line which runs close to its property developments and the two MRT stations that will be coming up here.

The MRT project aside, group managing director Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi said the company was also seeing improvement in its financial figures as a result of its rebranding exercise undertaken a few years ago.

“The quantum leap is waiting to happen for MKH given our strategic landbank of 500 acres to 600 acres in Kajang and Semenyih, excluding the 550 acres turnkey project in Puncak Alam, Selangor,” Chen told StarBiz.

The company is planning to launch properties with an estimated gross development value of more than RM5bil over the next seven years in Kajang and Semenyih, including its Puncak Alam RM135mil turnkey project from Puncak Alam Resources Sdn Bhd.

Chen said:“We are targeting to launch our Puncak Alam's mixed development which will include affordable housing by year-end or early next year.

“The year 2017 will be significant as our Puncak Alam project will be completed and the MRT line in Kajang will be up and running thus enhancing the value of our residential and commercial developments.

“At the same time, our plantation will attainfull maturity with expected yields of between 28 and 30 tonnes per ha per year,” he pointed out.

MKH, which used to derive its revenue from property development and investment, has added oil palm plantation to its current core business. The plantation division will start to contribute positively from 2013 onwards.

“All these years, we wanted to go into the plantation sector to balance the ups and downs characterised by the property development market,” said Chen. It has a total of 15,000 ha planted as at June 2012. Harvesting area as at June this year was about 7,740ha .

Its plam oil mil commenced crude palm oil production at a rate of 60 tonnes per hour and this can be upgraded to 90 tonnes in time to come, he said.

He said the company's earnings momentum was also gathering pace, boosted by higher property development activities which saw its third quarter revenue for the 2012 financial year reaching RM376mil, or a 73% increase compared to the same period a year ago. Property development saw an increase to RM274.1mil from RM118.7mil for the nine-month period a year ago, representing an increase of 130% year-on-year.

The key contributing projects are Hill Park Homes, Pelangi Semenyih 2, its Kajang 2 township developments and the Saveille@Melawati condominium.

Its property investment division, with a value of RM216mil, contributed RM22mil revenue for the third quarter under review, reflecting a marginal increase of 2.8% compared to the same period a year ago.

“This division is providing a steady income, contributing between 12% and 13% to our group profit,” said Chen.

MKH's third quarter net profit is expected to reach RM47mil compared to RM21mil for the same period last year, representing an increase of 124%.

Property development and construction division contributed the largest segmental portion of the profit for the three quarters, at RM66mil, compared to RM12mil for the same period a year ago, reflecting an increase of 447.5% increase.

“We saw a four-fold increase profit from property development and higher average rentals and lower operating costs,” said Chen.

Despite competition heating up with the entrance of new and bigger players in Kajang and Semenyih like SP Setia Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd and Sunway group, Chen said MKH's cutting edge would be its land cost, which was considerably lower than its competitors and its reputation on a home turf.

By The Star

Iskandar properties will stay hot

Booming: Upgrading of existing roads and construction of new highways within Iskandar Malaysia in recent years have improved connectivity and accessibility within south Johor.

Improvement in connectivity and accessibility attracting more investments

JOHOR BARU: Developers can expect the “feel good factor” in the Iskandar Malaysia property market to continue in 2013, based on the number of transactions taking place this year.

KGV International Property Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd director Samuel Tan Wee Cheng said most new property launches in the area were well received by buyers.

He said completed but unsold properties or property overhang was no longer a dilemma faced by developers in south Johor unlike 10 to 15 years ago, and local developers had learnt their lesson well from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis as they were caught unaware, resulting in many abandoned projects and unsold properties.

“Iskandar Malaysia will continue to drive the growth of the property market in south Johor in years to come,'' Tan told StarBiz.

From 2006 until end-June 2012, Iskandar Malaysia had recorded total cumulative committed investments of MR95.45bil in various sectors with 43% of the investments already realised.

Domestic investments constituted 62% (RM58.95bil) of the total investments of RM95.45bil, while the remaining 38% (RM36.50bil) were from foreigners.

Tan said Iskandar Malaysia was more viable compared with other economic growth corridors economic growth corridors in Malaysia, including the Northern Economic Region, East Coast Economic Region, Sabah Development Corridor and Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.

Located in the southernmost part of Johor, Iskandar Malaysia covers 2,217 sq km and is three times bigger than Singapore.

Tan said as a government-backed economic growth corridor, Iskandar Malaysia had strong backing fin terms of funding for infrastructure development projects.

The Government had spent RM7.31bil on infrastructure in Iskandar Malaysia since 2006 on the upgrading and construction of new roads and highways, flood mitigation, river cleaning and public housing.

“Improvement in connectivity and accessibility makes most areas within the Iskandar Malaysia flagship zones attractive to house buyers,'' said Tan.

The completion of the New Coastal Highway, the Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway and the Southern Link would help to push demand for properties, Tan said, adding that among the areas benefiting from better road linkages were Bukit Indah, Perling, Sutera Utama, Nusa Bestari, Seri Alam, Kempas, Setia Tropika, Senai, Kulai, Nusajaya, Skudai and Tebrau.

He said one advantage about Iskandar Malaysia was that most the of roads and highways were toll-free unlike in the Klang Valley.

Tan said prior to the inception of Iskandar Malaysia, property prices in south Johor had not seen many changes but now the prices were on the upward trend. He said, for instance, the price tag for an intermediate double-story link house now ranged from RM200,000 to RM500,000 each while a bungalow was now selling at between RM1mil and RM5mil.

“We anticipate that the property prices in south Johor will continue to be on the upward trend due to several factors such as the Singapore factor,'' said Tan.

Johor Baru continued to be a prefJohor Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda) branch chairman Koh Moo Hing concurred with Tan that the property market would remain positive next year.

He said Iskandar Malaysia would continue to contribute to the positive growth in the Johor Baru property market as it helped to boost demand for houses in south Johor.

With the completion of most flagship projects this and the next couple of years in Iskandar Malaysia, they would bring economic spills over to the property sector, Koh said, adding that the influx of domestic and foreign investors and the presence of new residents and workers in Iskandar Malaysia would create demand for residential properties as well as office spaces.

“Our Rehda members with projects in Iskandar Malaysia have reported good response for their new launches with no slowdown or property overhang,'' said Koh. He said statistics compiled from developers taking part in the Malaysia Property Expo (Mapex) Johor Baru in 2009, 2010, 2011 and up to May 2012, showed that they recorded better sales.

“The last four to five years were considered good for our members as they were able to keep the number of unsold properties to a minimum,'' he added.

Koh said while Tebrau and Skudai would remain the traditional hot spots for property development projects in Iskandar Malaysia, others areas were becoming popular with buyers.

By The Star

Sunway on track for RM1.3bil sales

Artist impression of the Sunway Wellesley Phase 1, which consists of 31 units of three-storey shop offices.

SUNWAY Bhd's property development division is on track to achieve its targeted sales of RM1.3bil this year.

The property development and construction group has done RM1bil in property sales to date, says managing director of property development division (Malaysia) Ho Hon Sang.

The major drivers of Sunway's property sales this year include new phases at Sunway South Quay in Bandar Sunway, and Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur.

Ho: ‘Diversification means mitigated impact and warranted performance.’

Ho points out that the group's recent commercial property offerings Sunway Geo @ Sunway South Quay, Sunway Velocity's Phase 3C1 and Sunway Wellesley Phase 1 in Penang had recorded take-up rates of more than 80% during previews.

The gross development value (GDV) of these projects' phases is RM700mil.

“Besides the strategic locations, these developments are well-planned, with good facilities, infrastructure, security features and incorporate great concepts. They have great potential for excellent capital appreciation,” says Ho.

Ho says the recent preview of Sunway Geo's 31 units of retail shops and 220 units of flexi suites, priced at RM7mil and RM400,000 onwards per unit respectively, has received overwhelming response. “The shops recorded take-ups of more than 80%.”

The retail shops are sized at 4,975 sq ft onwards while the flexi suites are sized at 462 sq ft onwards. They have a combined GDV of RM400mil.

Sunway Geo will benefit from the proposed elevated Bus Rapid Transit-Sunway Line.

Sunway Geo is a 23.4-acre mixed development consisting of retail shops, flexi and office suites, serviced apartments and condominiums. It is located next to the award-winning Sunway Resort City, which was recently certified as Malaysia's first green township by the Green Building Index.

Sunway Resort City is home to 200,000 residents and 33,000 students. It welcomes 36 million visitors yearly.

Sunway Geo is an enhanced version of the group's successful retail concept at Sunway Giza and Sunway Nexis located in Dataran Sunway (Kota Damansara), which featured a covered central boulevard and vibrant alfresco food and beverage dining concept.

Ho says the success of Sunway Geo was due to its innovative retail concept, accessibility and connectivity.

It also enjoys a large catchment pool due to its proximity to Sunway Resort City with amenities such as Sunway University, Monash University, Sunway International School, Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Lagoon and Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa.

“Access routes are available from Sunway South Quay to Sunway Resort City amenities. These are via free shuttle-bus service, pedestrian-friendly walkways and elevated canopy walk.”

Sunway Geo is also expected to benefit from the proposed elevated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Sunway Line that will run through the township and connect to Setia Jaya KTM Komuter station and an upcoming light rail transit (LRT) station at USJ, Subang Jaya.

Meanwhile, strong sales were also seen recently for Sunway Velocity's Phase 3C1, which consists of 276 designer offices and 12 retail shops priced from RM537,000 and RM3mil respectively.

The retail shops are sized from 2,244 to 4,268 sq ft while the office units are sized from 678 to 1,297 sq ft. They have a combined GDV of RM251mil.

Sunway Velocity is a freehold 23-acre integrated development that is located 3.8km from Kuala Lumpur City Centre. It will feature an integration of five elements retail, office, residence, boulevard and garden.

Sunway Velocity is also planned with a one-million-sq-ft lifestyle shopping mall that will be managed by the group. The development is bordering Jalan Peel, Jalan Cheras and Jalan Shelly, and is reachable via Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Loke Yew and Jalan Pudu.

It will benefit from two upcoming MyRapid Transit (Cochrane and Maluri) and two existing LRT stations (Maluri and Chan Sow Lin).

Ho also says there was strong response to Sunway Wellesley Phase 1, which consists of 31 units of three-storey shop offices priced from RM972,000.

The 60-acre Sunway Wellesley is surrounded by the Jit Sin Independent High School, AEON Seberang Prai City shopping centre, KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital and Bukit Mertajam High School.

It enjoys accessibility to North-South Expressway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway and the Penang Bridge and is located within half a kilometre from Bukit Mertajam town centre.

Sunway has undeveloped land bank of 2,780 acres, with a possible GDV of RM32bil. About 93% of the group's undeveloped land bank is in Malaysia (mainly in the Klang Valley, Ipoh and Johor), with a GDV of RM24.5bil. The balance is in Singapore (one acre with GDV of RM95mil), China (95 acres with GDV of RM5.4bil) and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region (103 acres with GDV of RM1.3bil).

The group's launch plans in the Klang Valley in the final quarter of this year include townhouses in Sunway Montana (phase two) at Desa Melawati in Kuala Lumpur, cluster homes in Sunway Alam Suria (phase 2C1) in Shah Alam and three-storey park residences in Sunway Eastwood (phase two) in Puchong.

In Penang, it plans to launch three-storey terrace homes in Sunway Cassia (phase two). Meanwhile, in Singapore, the group has been involved in residential developments with Hoi Hup Realty Pte Ltd since 2007.

Sunway's ongoing projects in Singapore are Vacanza @ East (high-rise development with a GDV of RM1.23 bil), The Miltonia Residences (low-rise development with a GDV of RM952.5mil), Arc @ Tampines (high-rise executive condominiums with a GDV of RM1.17bil), Lake Vista @ Yuan Ching (high-rise development with a GDV of RM915mil) and Sea Esta, Pasir Ris (condominiums with a GDV of RM897.5mil).

The projects have a take-up rate of 92% to 100%, except for Lake Vista @ Yuan Ching which has a take-up of 71%. They are expected to be completed from end-2013 till 2016.

In China, Sunway is presently involved in joint-venture property developments in Jiangyin City (in Jiangsu Province) and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City.

In Jiangyin City, the group, via a joint venture with Shanghai GuangHao Real Estate Development Co Ltd, is developing a 1,200-unit condominium project with a GDV of RM466mil. It is Sunway's maiden project in China and has achieved a take-up rate of 80%.

In the 7,500-acre Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City, the group is developing a 98-acre site which has a GDV of RM5.3bil over the next five to seven years. Sunway has plans for this project to be launched in 2013.

Ho is confident about Sunway continuing to enjoy strong property sales despite talk by industry researchers and analysts about a perceived slowdown in transactional activity within the luxury residential market, due to tougher lending guidelines imposed this year.

He points out that Sunway has a diversified portfolio of properties in different price categories as well as different geographies, catering to various target markets.

“Diversification means mitigated impact and warranted performance. We maintain that strategic properties, which have great value, will always be in demand.”

Ho says Sunway's properties come with well-planned facilities and infrastructure, comprehensive security features, and are strategically located in prime locations.

“These are properties that have excellent potential for capital appreciation and most of our customers, especially the repeat clientele, see the value of these properties.”

He says that in the near future, Sunway will launch products, especially landed units, priced below RM1.5mil. “As for the high-rise segment, we have products worth about RM350,000 and above.”

By The Star

SDB adopts its own approach

Sitting in the vicinity of Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Windows on The Park will be one of the few in the area which is still surrounded by greeneries.

WHILE it is a common strategy for most property players to have a certain amount of land bank, Selangor Dredging Bhd (SDB) has a different approach when it comes to property development.

Managing director Teh Lip Kim says: “We don't have a land bank. We buy and develop based on what is not available.

Teh: ‘You go high-rise so that there is a lot of space for trees and a park.’

“We look at the locality, income of the people and population around the area to decide what to build.”

Windows on the Park is another project that follows the company's niche to provide products with a strong concept.

Sitting in the vicinity of Bandar Tun Hussein Onn in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, the planned high-rise residential will be one of the few in the area which is still surrounded by greeneries.

Currently, there is an 11-storey apartment developed by Yuwang Development Sdn Bhd next to SDS's showroom. Besides that apartment, Yuwang has other products like double-storey semi-detached houses, 2-storey terraced houses and three-storey shop offices in Bandar Tun Hessein Onn. Uda Holdings Bhd too has projects near SDB's site.

“We do something different and give customers what they want that is not available in the area,” Teh says.

The highlight of the project is the park which was planned before the building. “You go high-rise so that there is a lot of space for trees and a park,” she quips.

There are three parks: a quiet park, an active park for teenagers and the central park where shared amenities like the gym, swimming pool and a multi-purpose function room are.

One can tell how much emphasis the company places on the 4.2-acre park when Teh shows the landscape model even before she starts.

“We want to come out with a park that is more natural, with multiple layers of terrain as compared with a flat landscape,” she enthuses.

With the different undulation created, one would be able to see a park that resembles a jungle.

“We have a three-tier planting. When residents look down (from their windows), they see three different layers of rooftops which include three-tier planting for trees and three-tier planting for shrubs,” she elaborates.

There is a 800-metre jogging track at the park so people can feel like they're running in the jungle, she claims.

One may wonder if it costs a lot to maintain parks that cover more than 40% of the total surface area?

“We know the types of plants to choose. We even have horticulturalists to help us choose plants that are easy to maintain and does not affect the ground,” she assures.

“Retaining the park will be important because it is the concept that appeals to buyers. We don't want the trees to die after one year!” she exclaims.

The whole idea is to provide city dwellers an opportunity to own a piece of the park without having to go to a public park.

“Basically, we want people to be able to come out from the confines of their own homes to enjoy nature,” she explains.

The apartments were planned in such a way that every unit can oversee the parks surrounding them.

“To symbolise this, there are big openings in the blocks that allow visitors to see through the greeneries when they drop off someone,” she says.

As for the unit, she emphasises on spatial planning so that the space within a unit is well-balanced.

According to Teh, natural lighting is an important element in SDB's projects.

In terms of safety, the area is gated and guarded. The buildings were also earthquake resistant.

The development consists of three blocks totalling 540 units with a gross development value of RM513mil. It sits on 8.98-acres of freehold land.

Selling prices start from RM550,000 for the 916-sq-ft unit which works out to be about RM600 per sq ft. Prices go up to RM2mil for the penthouses.

The site is accessible via SILK Highway, Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang and Lebuhraya Sg. Besi. There are two proposed MyRapid Transit stations within 4km from the project site.

By The Star

Top property firms bidding for prime Penang plot

GEORGE TOWN: At least three major property developers are believed to have put in bids for a prime plot of land on the island, which currently houses a residential and training centre for the visually handicapped.

Business Times understands that the three that have submitted bids for the land in Pulau Tikus, where the St Nicholas' Home now stands, are SP Setia Bhd, Sunway Group, and Penang's very own BSG Property, the property arm of the Boon Siew Group.

"The bidders made their presentations to the island-based landowners the Anglican Church. They are awaiting word for a second round of presentations in Kuala Lumpur to the Anglican Church," said an industry source.

It is further understood that the earliest a decision will made on the status of the land sale by the Anglican Church will be next year.

The 74-year-old home (which used to be known as St Nicholas School for the Blind) sits on a 2.4-hectare piece of land, which serves as the nation's first education and rehabilitation institution for the blind.

The source said that the proposed sale will likely involve a land swap and the successful bidder will also have to build a new school for the home at an alternative site.

"The owners are also insisting that a new church be built at the existing site to replace the Bagan Jermal Anglican Church," added the source.

The 2.4ha site, which is currently zoned for education purposes, is valued at about RM300 psf, according to property experts.

The location is considered to be prime, as it is nearby major amenities such as the Penang Adventist Hospital and the Penang Chinese Girls High School.

Other assets owned by the Anglican Church in Penang include the landmark St George's Church along Lebuh Farquhar which was built in 1816 and serves as Southeast Asia's oldest Anglican church.

In 2007, the federal government declared the building one of 50 National Treasures of Malaysia and it underwent a major restoration exercise in 2009.

By Business Times

Affordable housing – let it be a reality not fallacy

DURING the major festivals in this country, we see the authorities conduct vigorous enforcement activities on various price-controlled food items. This is to prevent unscrupulous traders from exploiting the situation by increasing prices of what are deemed as essentials. Sometimes they even secretly stock up such items to create artificial shortages. It is outright profiteering.

We often read about wayward traders being taken to court simply for failure to display prices. Whether such measures breach our free market policy may be open for debate. The bottom line is that it does curb profiteering to a certain extent. Having said that, we would now like to refer to the present scenario in the housing arena.

Affordable housing is now the buzzword. There is no denying that the price of suitable housing has reached a crisis level, beyond the affordability of the average wage earners. This is a highly undesirable situation and, if left unchecked, it can lead to adverse and far-reaching problems. We will end up with a whole generation who will be tenants, subjecting themselves to the whims and fancies of landlords, or who have to commit a vast proportion of their household incomes to service house mortgages.

Bear in mind that the Malaysian household income to debt ratio is among the highest in the world and that the bulk of these debt is incurred in the servicing of house mortgages.

Those who are tenants face the uncertainties of landlords either increasing their rentals or even evicting them. The mortgage group faces a delicate and risky situation where they may get into financial trouble if events do not turn out well. These include the raising of interest rates by financial institutions, any downward trend of property prices, drops in their incomes or the cropping up of other emergencies.

Yes, house prices will go up given any period of time due to natural inflationary forces. This is probably beyond the control of any party. But the recent spate of price escalation is certainly not due to natural forces, the cost of building materials or construction costs, much as industry players would like to make us believe. In the case of land cost, it is a chicken and egg situation.

If house prices have been pushed up (either speculatively or naturally), it goes without saying that land owners would expect higher prices for their land. It is also not due to shortfall of supply over demand as National Property Information Centre (Napic) figures show otherwise.

Rather, it is due to unbridled speculative forces.

On the real property gains tax (RPGT) in Budget 2013, it is unfortunate that our Prime Minister has been ill-advised on the true situation. The rakyat can expect to see an increase in speculative property investments which will in turn further drive up the prices.

Typically, if the property is purchased directly from the developer, it takes 2 years (for landed properties) and 3 years (for strata properties) to be completed. During these construction stages, house buyers are not allowed to sell their properties without the consent of the developer and can only sell the properties after they have been completed.

What the revised RPGT means in lay-man terms is that speculators can purchase properties from property developers upon launch and then flip these properties on after 2 years and having to pay only the proposed 10% (i.e. within the 3rd to the 5th year). After the 5th year, all profits are not taxable. With additional attractive financing packages, very often these speculators just need to pay the 10% downpayment and walk away with a lucrative gain at the end of the construction period.

Stronger and more positive governmental intervention is critically required. We are not suggesting that houses should be subjected to price control like other commodities. But we would like the Government to put in measures to discourage speculation. Alter the landscape to make it less encouraging and less worthwhile for speculation to take place.

We have heard housing developers claim credit for having built X-million number of houses and having created immense wealth when the houses appreciate in value. We also see large numbers of speculators who reap immense profits by just buying/booking and flipping over their purchases and reaping enormous profits. While industry players have cited a host of other causes not all are justified. In any event, the escalation of house prices is good for them as it encourages quick sales brought about by an artificial shortage. On the humanitarian side, there is nothing to feel good about.

Speculative profits are not real profits. Speculators are, in effect, taking money from our future generations to enjoy today. Our future generations and under the prevailing circumstances, even the present generation as well will suffer the effects of exorbitant house prices that have resulted in the high household income to debt ratio. This may be legal but it is downright immoral!

The country's economy will be an unbalanced one because with such a large proportion of family income committed to house mortgages, a typical household will be compelled to be stingy on other expenditures. Thus, the other industries will suffer.

Statistics have proved that the present high income to debt ratio is brought about primarily by house mortgages. It looks like the proverbial horses have already bolted and we are still dragging our feet in closing the barn door!

We do not see the logic when the Government is so serious about controlling the prices of essential items such as cooking oil, sugar, chicken and a host of other essential items but yet on the subject of house price, it has allowed the situation to remain laissez faire.

We believe that the issue of affordable houses is even more crucial than some of the price-controlled items because one can always find alternatives or reduce the intake of some of those items. But the alternatives for a roof over one's family are the squatter areas, the shelters under our highway flyovers or the five-foot paths in front of shophouses!

While PR1MA is a good move (barring some of our apprehensions), it is also a typical case of treating the symptoms rather than the cause. In this case, the cause is unbridled speculative activities.

Chang Kim Loong is the honorary secretary-general of The National House Buyers Association, a non-profit, non-governmental, non-political organisation manned by volunteers. For more information, check www.hba.org.my or e-mail info@hba.org.my

By The Star (by Chang Kim Loong)

Singapore acts to prevent housing market bubble

SINGAPORE introduced yesterday measures to prevent a bubble in its housing market and ensure more prudent lending by banks after property prices rose at a faster pace in the third quarter.

Beginning today, the maximum tenure of all new residential property loans will be capped at 35 years, with loans exceeding 30 years facing significantly tighter loan-to-value limits, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement.

Other measures introduced by the authority, the country's central bank, included a lower loan-to-value ratio for residential property loans taken up by companies and other non-individual borrowers.

"We are taking this step now to require more prudent lending, and will continue to watch the property market carefully," MAS chairman Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in the statement.

"We will do what it takes to cool the market, and avoid a bubble that will eventually hurt borrowers and destabilise our financial system."

Tharman, who is also deputy prime minister and finance minister, said quantitative easing by central banks and low interest rates had resulted in easy credit but the situation would eventually change.

Singapore interest rates are near record lows and home buyers can pay as little as one per cent per annum on their mortgages.

"Over the last three years, the average tenure for new residential property loans has increased from 25 to 29 years.

More than 45 per cent of new residential property loans granted by financial institutions have tenures exceeding 30 years," the central bank added.

Singapore did not previously set a maximum duration for property loans and the longest maturity currently available for homes in the city-state is a 50-year loan offered by United Overseas Bank.

Singapore private home prices rose 0.5 per cent in the third quarter from the April-June quarter when prices increased by 0.4 per cent, while resale prices of government-built Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartments leapt 2.0 per cent quarter-on-quarter following a gain of 1.3 per cent in April-June.

Private residential prices have risen 55 per cent since hitting a trough in the second quarter of 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. HDB apartment resale prices have jumped 43 per cent after a relatively mild correction in the first quarter of 2009. Reuters

The last comprehensive set of real estate cooling measures were introduced in December last year when the government imposed an additional 10 per cent stamp duty on the property value that buyers who were not Singapore citizens or permanent residents had to pay.

By Reuters

Singapore tightens home loan rules

SINGAPORE: Singapore's central bank yesterday tightened rules on residential property lending amid fears that the city state's real estate market could be heading into a dangerous bubble.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement it was imposing a maximum tenure of 35 years for new housing loans with effect from Saturday.

By AFP

Dijaya MD to take optional retirement?

PETALING JAYA: Dijaya Corp Bhd managing director (MD) Datuk Tong Kien Onn has decided to take optional retirement after more than 25 years with the property development company.

Business Times understands that Tong, 53, will be replaced by Dickson Tan Yong Loong, 31, who is currently the deputy managing director.

Tan is the son of Dijaya founder and major shareholder, Tan Sri Danny Tan Chee Sing, who is the younger brother of the high-profile Tan Sri Vincent Tan, founder of Berjaya group.

It is unclear when Tong would be leaving the company. He was not available for comment.

Tong and his team, under Danny Tan's leadership, have helped build Dijaya to its current size.

Dijaya gained fame for turning a 260 hectares of secondary jungle in Tropicana into a luxurious gated community, known as Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, where the property value has increased by 10-fold.

The company's market capitalisation is about RM1 billion and Danny Tan is aiming to triple that with a slew of property projects lined up for launching.

"It is the close working relationship that both Tong and Danny Tan have since 1983 that has made Dijaya successful.

"Danny Tan has been instrumental in building Dijaya and giving Tong and his management team the opportunity to help achieve his vision for the company," said a source close to the parties concerned.

Tong joined Dijaya in 1991 as senior finance manager, primarily responsible for the group's finance, accounting and treasury functions.

He was then promoted as general manager of finance and administration in 2000 and to a more senior position in the same year, before being appointed as the executive director in 2002.

Tong was appointed to the board of Dijaya on January 18 2002 and managing director on May 10 2007.

He currently sits on the board of Tropicana Golf & Country Resort Bhd, Berjaya Corp Bhd and several other private limited companies.

Dickson Tan, meanwhile, was named to the board of Dijaya on May 20 2009 and made the company's executive director on April 1 2010.

He was designated as deputy MD of Dijaya on October 8 2010 and is currently overseeing group corporate strategy, planning and risk management of the company.

By Business Times