Penang ranked third in unsold properties as of Dec 2022
As of December 2022, the number of unsold completed residential properties has decreased to 27,746 units, worth RM18.41 billion, compared to 36,863 units worth RM22.79 billion at the end of 2021. Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan revealed that Johor has the highest number and value of unsold properties, with 5,258 units worth RM4.33 billion, followed by Selangor (3,698 units: RM2.74 billion) and Penang (3,593 units: RM2.74 billion).
According to Ahmad, residential properties priced between RM500,000 and RM1 million account for the highest number of unsold units, with 9,323 units valued at RM6.29 billion or 33.6% of the total unsold completed units. Unsold completed residential properties priced below RM300,000 stood at 6,509 units worth RM1.34 billion, while those priced between RM300,000 and RM500,000 stood at 8,128 units valued at RM3.29 billion.
Ahmad cited a report by the National Property Information Centre that showed many affordable homes, specifically those priced below RM300,000, are still available.
He added that the large number of unsold completed units can be attributed to the people’s low ability to purchase houses and the unpopular location of available units. Melaka is the only state that matches the ratio of affordable homes with the purchasing ability of buyers, according to Ahmad, who suggested that housing developers assess the people’s affordability in a particular state before embarking on housing projects.