BY CAITLYN NG LI YUIN NURUL ASMUI MD AZMI
Master David Koh giving his talk on the feng shui prospects for 2016.
ALTHOUGH the property market in 2015 is considered soft, the recent StarProperty.my Fair in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was well-attended with visitors getting the chance to find out about a variety of projects from more than 50 developers.
Organised by StarProperty.my in collaboration with IJM Land Bhd, Tropicana Corp Bhd and Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd, the fair saw total sales transactions of more than RM100mil.
The top three developers with most sales transactions were SunSuria Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd and SkyWorld Development Sdn Bhd.
“I think going forward for next year, the market would be looking at smaller units which are affordably priced, especially in very well-planned townships with good infrastructure, highway connections and high-speed broadband ready.
The Thai booths also received good response from investors looking for opportunities to invest in Thailand.
Properties located in areas such as Bangkok and Pattaya, showcased by WinWin Property Link and The Urban Property, were considered affordable to prospective buyers.
Visitors were also able to attend talks by 10 speakers on various property-related topics.
One of the speakers was Chur Associates founder and managing partner Chris Tan, who presented a talk titled “Latest amendment on HAD, strata title and strata management”.
Tan spoke on how changes in the legal regime, especially in the home buying environment, had led to the public having to adapt to community living that involved strata titles and management.
He also stressed that people needed to learn how to become property investors instead of traders.
“A property trader is someone who buys property only to sell them off again in order to gain profit.
“A real investor is someone who looks at the potential value they can get from the property, such as how to churn out a better rental and how to manage the property to maximise returns,” he explained.
Tan said now was the best time to invest since the market still had relatively affordable projects.
“As Malaysia heads towards its goal of becoming a developed country, more and more people will turn to renting instead of buying.
“As such, the trend is that it will become a renter’s market where people would rather rent than buy, so the secondary market will be booming as less developers will put out new projects,” he said.
Elizabeth Siew, who is a partner in Messrs Iqbal Hakim, Sia & Voo spoke on “Smart property investors know the law in creative investment”.
Siew focused on how people should conduct due diligence as much as possible when it comes to investing in their own property.
She stressed that homebuyers should check on the parties involved in the buying and selling process.
She also echoed Tan, saying, “Right now is an interesting time for property investments as even though the market outlook in general is not so good, there are still plenty of opportunities that may pop up.
“Someone may have to exit the market quickly by selling the property at the developer’s price, for example, another person may stand to gain by buying a house that’s under market value and is already completed.
“So for those who are ready for the new direction that 2016 is going to bring, it is going to be a fantastic time,” Siew said.
At the fair, one MOCOF Transformer Wall Bed worth RM8,299, 30 MOCOF Flux Chairs worth RM679 each, six Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite, 120 one-year subscriptions of The Star e-Paper worth RM350 each, and numerous shopping vouchers were awarded to lucky visitors who completed a survey.
At the end of the fair, 50 Senheng cash vouchers worth RM130,000 were also handed to the lucky property buyers.
StarProperty.my is holding a three-day property showcase from today to Sunday in Setia Convention Centre from 10am to 9pm.
For more information, visit fair.starproperty.my
