Organising committee sees good prospects for its 22 nationwide trade shows
DESPITE uncertainties in the property market, Malaysia Property Exposition (Mapex) is set to make its biggest mark with 22 nationwide trade shows this year.
The first of the many expositions, themed “Greater Connectivity for Better Affordable Living”, will be held from April 14 to 16 (Friday to Sunday) at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Mapex organising chairman and Real Estate & Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) past president Datuk Ng Seing Liong is confident that Mapex 2017 will be a success.
Mapex organising chairman Datuk Ng Seing Liong
“Mapex has been in existence since 1998 (when it was known as Home Ownership Campaign), and has improved tremendously over the past 19 years. We started off with only one property exhibition; this year we have scheduled 22 exhibitions.
“In the early days, there were only 10 to 20 participating developers. Today, one Mapex at Mid Valley can bring in more than 50 property developers,” Ng stressed.
Mapex is expecting some 50,000 potential home buyers to show up at the event.
Connectivity and affordable housing
As connectivity and affordable housing continue to be hot topics of discussion within the property industry, Mapex will focus on the two matters at upcoming expositions in order to serve the public’s needs.
Ng said that Mapex received good feedback from various sectors for its theme, and is pleased to have Transport Minister Datuk Sri Liow Tiong Lai to launch the event on Saturday (April 15) at 2.30pm.
In the quest for developed nation status, our cities have to be transformed by using mega-infrastructure to accommodate an ever-growing population and increasing congestion. Ng therefore reckons that connectivity must be a priority for all stakeholders.
“When we talk about affordability, we first need suitable land to locate affordable homes. These land parcels are usually not within the city, hence we must improve connectivity via railway lines like LRT and MRT.
“If you observe the developed countries, you will notice many forms of public transportation moving from the outskirts to the city. People have the option of living farther away,” Ng said.
"This is what we are aiming for when adderessing connectivity and affordable housing,” he added.
Ng asserts that developers can reduce the cost of building homes simply by going back to basics.
“While we cannot bring down the standard of the homes, we can reduce the standard of the amenities. For example, it is not necessary to have so many car parks as well as other facilities such as gyms and swimming pools.
“The main thing is to help people own a roof over their heads.
"People need to survive first. They can consider living in a bungalow or luxury condominium later on,” said Ng.
To improve connectivity, Ng feels that we must look at access to railway links.
“Feeder buses have to be provided to get the people to the train stations. And at these stations, there must be a schedule to indicate the timing of buses leaving and arriving at various destinations.
“If we make it convenient, people will not mind taking public transport,” said Ng, adding that developers should also take proactive steps to help residents rely less on personal vehicles.
“If shopping centres or other amenities are located 10 minutes away from their projects, developers should provide hourly shuttle buses to bring residents to these places,” Ng said.
Cold response from the banks
Despite overwhelming response from the public towards the property market, Ng is perplexed as to why financial institutions are not giving their full support for such a big exhibition like Mapex.
“There is a huge demand for affordable housing but banks are holding back on their lendings.
“Developers have played their part in building affordable homes. By right, the banks should also come forward to help the industry and the nation.
"So far, only two banks have confirmed their participation,” said Ng.
He urged the banks to help firsttime home buyers by way of a bigger loan amount, longer repayment or even preferential interest rates.
State-related agencies such as Rumah Mampu Milik Wilayah Persekutuan (Rumawip) under the Federal Territories Ministry will be at Mapex to offer special schemes on affordable housing.
Plenty in store for visitors
Visitors will get a chance to participate in a forum featuring industry experts including Datuk Ng Seing Liong, Datuk Wan Hashimi AlBakri, Elvin Fernandez, Datuk Pretam Singh and Ernest Towle.
Property talks will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Speakers include Khairudin Ya’cob, Sam Helmy, Gary Chua and Gunaprasath Bhupalan.
Rehda will give RM1,000 each to the first 30 purchasers, coupled with various discounts offered to home buyers from participating developers. Moreover, visitors of Mapex stand a chance to win tickets to the Legoland Theme Park.
The renowned developers who will participate in this event include Ecoworld Development Group Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd, Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd, SP Setia Bhd, Malaysia Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB), MKH Bhd, IJM Land Bhd, and Putra Nilai Development Sdn Bhd.
For more information, visit www. mapex.com.my
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