Pages

Share This

Showing posts with label MM2H. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MM2H. Show all posts

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Property sales hit fresh record RM196.8 bil in 2023, Growth momentum set to continue

(From left): Director General of Valuation and Property Services Department Sr Abdul Razak Yusak, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan and Director of Napic Sr Norhisham Shafie during the launch of the property report. Photo by Mohd Izwan Mohd Nazam/The Edge

KAJANG (March 6): Malaysia’s property transaction value hit RM196.83 billion in 2023 — the highest ever recorded by the National Property Information Centre (Napic).

The figure was a 9.91% year-on-year (y-o-y) rise from the previous all-time high of RM179.07 billion logged in 2022, Napic said in a statement in conjunction with the release of its Property Market Report 2023 on Wednesday (March 6).

As for the number of transactions, it was largely flat at 399,008 in 2023, a 2.54% increase from 389,107 in 2022, with the bulk 62.8% or 250,586 units coming from the residential subsector.

Likewise, the residential sub-sector contributed the majority or 51.3% of 2023’s transaction value at RM100.93 billion, followed by commercial (19.5%), industrial (12.2%), agricultural (9.5%) and development land and others (7.5%).

“This positive growth trend is driven by a higher increase in transaction value in all subsectors, namely residential (up 7.1%), commercial (up 17.5%), industrial (up 13.1%), agriculture (up 4.6%) and development land and others (up 13.8%) compared wit 2022," Napic said.

The Malaysian House Price Index (MHPI) — a measure of Malaysian home prices — stood at 216.5 points (RM467,144 per unit) in 2023 with a moderate annual growth of 3.2%.

“All major states recorded positive annual growth in [MHPI] led by Johor (up 6.2%), Penang (up 3.8%), Selangor (up 2.9%) and Kuala Lumpur (up 1.8%) respectively,” Napic said.

Cautiously optimistic property market in 2024

Napic said that with the national economy expected to expand by 4% to 5% in 2024, the property market’s performance is expected to remain cautiously optimistic.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, who officiated the report’s launch, said that the property sector in 2024 is expected to continue its recovery momentum supported by government initiatives set out in Budget 2024, although the domestic economy is facing global challenges.

Outlining relevant initiatives, Amir Hamzah mentioned the RM2.47 billion allocation for affordable housing development, RM10 billion allocation to the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SKJP), stamp duty exemption for first-time homebuyers who purchase a home valued up to RM500,000, and more relaxed conditions for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

“Accommodative policies, well-executed measures outlined in Budget 2024 and proper implementation of strategies and initiatives under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) are expected to catalyse further growth in the property sector,” Amir Hamzah said.

Read also:
Shopping complex occupancy rises slightly y-o-y in 2023, office space remains flat
Overhang residential units down 7% in 2023, affordable housing the largest category


Growth momentum set to continue


 

Chester Cheng - Real Estate #malaysia2024 #malaysiarealestate #malaysiaproperty As the year 2023 comes to an ending, I wish everyone Happy New Year! This video sharing is my own personal opinions about the coming year 2024 for Malaysian real estate market.

The positive growth trend is driven by a higher increase in transaction values in all subsectors.

KAJANG: The Malaysian property market transaction values rose by almost 10% to a record of RM196.83bil in 2023 from the previous year, with its growth momentum expected to continue this year.

The property overhang situation had seen a slight improvement as the numbers continued to decline by 7% and 4% in volume and transaction values, respectively, from 2022.

Moving forward, the Valuation and Property Services Department (VPSD) said the property market performance is expected to remain cautiously optimistic this year. This is predicated on the healthy gross domestic product growth forecast for this year that’s supported by resilient domestic growth prospects.

Accommodative policies, well-executed measures outlined in Budget 2024 and proper implementation of strategies and initiatives under the 12th Malaysia Plan are expected to catalyse further growth in the property sector, the department said.

“The performance of the property market is encouraging with transaction values in 2023 having reached a record, which is an increase of 9.9% from 2022.

“The momentum of the property market will continue to be supported through Budget 2024 measures related to affordable housing and first home financing towards generating a stronger economic performance for the year 2024,” said Finance Minister II senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

The positive growth trend is driven by a higher increase in transaction values in all subsectors, namely the residential at 7.1%, commercial 17.5%, industrial 13.1%, agriculture 4.6% and development land and others at 13.8%, compared to 2022.

Newly launched residential units also saw an increase of 4.4% to 56,526 units with a better sales performance of 40.4% from 36% in 2022, the department said.

In his speech at the property report launch yesterday, Amir Hamzah also highlighted the reduction in the property overhang.

“The status for the overhang or unsold units have reduced to 26,000 units with a value of RM17.7bil compared with almost 28,000 units valued at RM18.41bil in 2022,” he said.

Amir Hamzah also said there will be an improvement in the requirements for applicants of the Malaysia My Second Home programme to increase its “flexibility.”

“This will encourage more interest into property transactions in the country that will also attract more tourists and foreign investors into the country,” he said.

This move is expected to help increase investments into the financial markets, of which also includes the national property market, he added.

The government’s present efforts to boost the property sector include the exemption of stamp duty on the transfer of documents for the purchase of a person’s first home up to RM500,000, which will be effective until December 2025.

On another matter, the minister also urged all data suppliers to ensure the data provided to Napic were always accurate and correct.

“Please continue the good working relationship with Napic and the VPSD as the data supplied has a big impact in the future formulation of government policies for the property market.

“I also ask all the others involved, especially the developers, planners or agencies that approve development plans to continue to refer to the data that is being published by Napic, which is accessible through a dedicated portal,” Amir Hamzah said.

Meanwhile, the report said the Malaysian House Price Index stood at 216.5 points or RM467,144 per unit in 2023, with a moderate annual growth of 3.2%.

All major states recorded positive annual growth, led by Johor at 6.2%, Penang at 3.8%, Selangor 2.9% and Kuala Lumpur at 1.8%, the report said.

Meanwhile the performance of shopping complexes witnessed moderate growth in 2023, as the occupancy rate increased slightly to 77.4%.

The available space reduced to four million sq metres, while the availability rate decreased to 22.6%, it said.

Commenting on the property overhang situation, Rahim & Co International Sdn Bhd real estate agency chief executive officer Siva Shanker said he expects the overhang will go down further this year as the market stabilises and improves.

“The biggest cause of overhang units is mainly due to oversupply.”

“A mismatch in location, pricing and developers not meeting the buyer’s demands” are causes of overhang and unsold residential units,” he added.

According to the property market report, the states with the highest rates of residential overhang and unsold units last year were Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor respectively.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents president Tan Kian Aun said the positive reduction in the overhang is a good sign, which shows the vibrancy of the market to be able to absorb the outstanding units in the market.

Tan said the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) last year showed good progress in the overhang statistics.

“Hopefully the government can consider extending the HOC to further reduce the overhang situation,” Tan told StarBiz.

When asked on the property market’s outlook, Siva said the days of phenomenal growth in the property market are over and he expects a slight growth in the property market for 2024.

Siva noted that “organic growth is a good thing.

“We want a market that is stable and sustainable in the long run as it will not fluctuate with unpredictable highs and lows.”

Real estate sector well on its way to recovery | The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2024/03/08/real-estate-sector-well-on-its-way-to-recovery#:~:text=According%20to%20data%20released%20by,expected%20to%20continue%20this%20year.

Foreign boost for real estate | The Star

0year.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/09/foreign-boost-for-real-estate#:~:text=The%20MM2H%2C%20initiated%20in%202002,with%20more%20rigorous%20application%20conditions.

Residential sector to enjoy growth in 2024 - The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2024/03/11/residential-sector-to-enjoy-growth-in-2024#:~:text=Anticipating%20favourable%20market%20conditions%20in,prices%20with%20wages%20and%20income.

Demand outstrips supply for rental units in Johor

Optimistic outlook for property stocks - The Star

Property overhang clearing up

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/insight/2024/03/16/property-overhang-clearing-up

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Relaxed MM2H a boon to property sector, More foreigners eyeing properties

PETALING JAYA: The relaxation of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, with changes to the eligibility criteria and financial requirements aimed at attracting a large pool of foreigners, may be a much needed boost to the property sector.

However, more needs to be done to encourage more uptake of the programme, given the competition from the neighbouring countries looking to woo foreigners with similar programme.

Professor Geoffrey Williams, who is an economist and Provost for Research and Innovation at Malaysia University of Science and Technology, agreed that the revised MM2H is better than the previous version, but still gives the impression that this is a revenue-raiser for the Immigration Department rather than a scheme to encourage expatriate residents in Malaysia.

“It is still relatively unfriendly, with a bad feeling for foreigners, and would only be attractive for tax avoidance to provide multiple residency for high tax payers to avoid paying tax at all in any single country.

“People with less than half a year’s residence pay no taxes so if you can get residence in three places you have one third residence in each and pay no taxes,” he told StarBiz.

He added that the MM2H programme will not have much of an impact on the economy.

Last Friday, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry unveiled a revamped version of the MM2H programme. introducing a three-tiered structure along with updated financial requirements. The revised guideline brings several changes to the eligibility criteria.

The government has lowered the minimum age requirement to 30 years from 35 years previously, widening the accessibility for individuals who seek to make Malaysia their second home.

A measure aimed at streamlining and fortifying the application process requires that applications are now exclusively accepted through licensed MM2H agents accredited by the ministry under the Tourism Industry Act 1992.

Another significant change relates to the expanded range of eligible dependents. The programme now covers children between 21 and 34 years old, who are neither employed in Malaysia nor married. Parents and parents-in-law are now considered eligible dependents.

“I do not believe it will boost the economy much. The claims of a big economic impact for previous MM2H were not really delivered, which is why the Malaysia Premium Visa Programme (PVIP) scheme was introduced to raise more money quickly,” Prof Geoffrey said.

PVIP, which was launched in September 2022, is a “Residency Through Investment” concept that allows wealthy foreigners to invest and reside in Malaysia for 20 years, with an option to extend for another 20 years.

“The damage done to Malaysia’s reputation is serious and competition from other countries with better schemes and lower costs of living is intense,” he added.

He explained that the changes under PVIP were to attract “the right type of people” with lots of money.

“These changes attract more people but even the rich are likely to choose the lower tier options because the main incentive is residential access not other perks. So you may attract the wrong type of people in the form of tax avoiders,” he said.

Prof Geoffrey stressed that the government needs to create a positive sentiment and a welcoming environment, which is essential for foreigners when choosing long-term options in life.

MM2H was launched in 2002 with the purpose of attracting foreigners to retire and live in Malaysia for an extended period.

The programme was suspended in November 2019 and was re-launched in October 2021 with more stringent application conditions.

According to RHB Research, the stricter conditions led to the collapse of the MM2H market whereby there were only 1,905 MM2H applications approved between November 2021 to September 2023 (23 months) versus 5,610 in 2018.

During the same year, there were 197,385 transactions in the residential market according to National Property Information Centre.

The research house said this meant the MM2H approval represented 2.8% of the residential transaction volume, which is a rough gauge of the potential addressable market from MM2H holders.

“PVIP struggled to gain traction given the large upfront processing fees of RM200,000 needed versus RM5,000 for MM2H. PViP had only processed 57 applications where 28 were approved as at October 2023,” RHB Research added.

Nevertheless, RHB Research believes UEM Sunrise Bhd, Sunway and Eastern & Oriental Bhd are key beneficiaries under the new MM2H programme.

“We reiterate our ‘overweight’ call on the sector, as government policies, investment flow, infrastructure developments and the US Federal Reserve’s signal of a potential rate cut next year are favourable to stimulate demand for property,” the research house said.

Meanwhile, HLIB Research said the revised MM2H programme, with better clarity on the relaxed conditions, gives developers a better picture and visibility of the market and could potentially translate to more launches in the high-end residential segment.

“The development is an overall positive for the sector, especially for the high-end residential segment. Maintain ‘neutral’ for the sector with top picks Sunway BhdOSK Holdings BhdSime Darby Property Bhd and IOI Properties Group Bhd,” it said.

The research house pointed out that given the main nationality of the MM2H holders are Chinese (32.8%), this may potentially benefit Sunway’s development in Velocity, Jalan Cochrane, as there is a high proportion of Chinese residents in the area.

It added that the MM2H programme should also have spillover economic benefits to tourism and healthcare, benefiting in particular Sunway through its senior living, healthcare and hospitality businesses.

“Having said that, we also cautioned about increased competition from neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia which had in recent years launched similar programmes.

“Thailand launched its Long-Term Residence Visa programme in September 2022, while Indonesia launched its 10-Year Visa Second Home Programme in December 2022,” HLIB Research said.

Similarly, TA Research, which maintained its “overweight” stance on the property sector, anticipated it to be a main beneficiary of increased domestic activities, driven by a surge in infrastructure projects and investments.

“This adjustment could attract more foreigners to our shores, positively impacting the real estate market.

“Moreover, by relaxing the MM2H programme, Malaysia can continue to vie for highly skilled foreign individuals, fostering their contributions to the nation’s growth through residency and investment,” it added.

However, TA Research suggested that the government remove the high RM40,000 monthly income requirement introduced in the 2021 revamp to enhance the appeal of the new MM2H programme.

“If the government reintroduces a monthly income requirement later, we propose setting it at RM10,000.

“This adjustment is particularly relevant when compared to countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia, which do not impose a stipulated minimum income for enrollment in their long-stay visa programmes,” it added.



More foreigners eyeing properties



GEORGE TOWN: There is a surge in demand for residential properties priced above RM1mil from foreign nationals this year compared to a year ago due to a weaker ringgit, say property experts.

Ideal Property Group general manager (sales & marketing) Nancy Teo said due to the current value of the ringgit, foreign enquiries for high-end properties had surged by a double-digit percentage.

“The enquiries are mainly from Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Chinese nationals who can buy property in Penang are those who have investments here,” he said adding that this year, the group had seen foreigners buying the completed Queens Waterfront 1 & 2 in Bayan Lepas priced above RM1.8mil to RM2.3mil.

“Projects in strategic locations generally sell better,” she said.

Teo added that the recently revised Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme guidelines to allow foreigners to buy properties priced from RM500,000 would help stimulate the local property market.

One Asia Property Consultants (Pg) Sdn Bhd executive director Chandra Mohan Krishnan said there were more foreigners buying industrial properties.

“This has to do with the weaker ringgit and maybe the new MM2H guidelines will help boost our sales later,” he said.

Eastern & Oriental Bhd assistant general manager (marketing and sales) Ramesh Gnanasegaran concurred that most of the enquiries were from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

“The interest is in properties below RM3mil. The increase in enquiries has translated into more robust sales in 2023. Locals still form the bulk of our customers, but we are also seeing an increase in foreign purchases.”



Related: