Big crowd checking out the housing project at the Ivory Properties Group Bhd booths.

ALTHOUGH Penangites have the disposable cash to buy property, they still feel cautious due to market uncertainties.

Many interviewed at StarProperty.my Fair 2015 in Penang expressed this sentiment.

They also felt that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on real estate purchases was not a vital factor but the weakening ringgit was.

Housewife Lee Wooi Ying, 47, was looking for a property in somewhere serene.

“I want a landed property in Balik Pulau. Tanjung Bungah is crowded.

“A property with ample space and fresh air is my preferred choice,” she said at the fair in Gurney Plaza yesterday.

The four-day fair at Gurney Plaza and G Hotel ended yesterday. It saw over 20,000 visitors dropping by.

More than 40 exhibitors set up booths to promote their latest property offerings both local and foreign.

Accountant Ooi Kok Keong, 31, said his wife Gan Chiow Woon, 29, and him were looking for an affordable condominium on Penang island.

“GST is not really a factor but location and price are important.

“We are looking at properties in Bayan Lepas and Sungai Ara because they are still affordable,” Kok Keong said.

Benson Ooi, 30, said he was looking for a second property as an investment.

“Any property in Penang will definitely appreciate. I bought a property for RM500,000 five years ago and it has gone up to RM1.1mil,” Benson said.

Joel Aw, 47, said he was in no hurry to buy.

“There are still a lot of uncertainties and I would rather plan carefully before buying,” said Aw, who runs a music school.

Landed properties on the mainland are much sought after by Penangites as they are attractively priced compared with those on the island.

For example, Tambun Indah Properties had locked in sales of about RM8.3mil for their Raintree Park project in Simpang Empat.

Its sales manager Khor Ghee Young said the units sold comprised double-storey terraces, double-storey linked units and duplex villas in the park.