The state government should exempt developers from paying compliance costs for all affordable housing units in the state, a backbencher told the state legislative assembly today.

Kebun Bunga assemblyman Ong Khan Lee said such exemptions would further reduce affordable home prices here.

He also urged Penang to apply big data analytics to its housing information system, saying this would reduce mismatches between buyers and available affordable homes.

It would also reduce the incidents of rich buyers exploiting loopholes to purchase low— and medium-cost homes with cash.

He suggested that the state government also appoint an independent party to audit the application process and approval for public housing, low-cost, medium-cost and affordable housing units.

Ong also spoke about road congestion on the island and proposed a fee for vehicles from out of state.

“This will encourage visitors to use the public transport to enter Penang and this special fee will reduce the number of vehicles entering Penang,” he said.

He said 10 years ago, Penang has about 300,000 vehicles on the road but now, it is flooded with one million vehicles.

Source: Malay Mail

Foreigners do not own more than one percent of property in Malaysia, revealed Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Zuraida said that in March 2014, the government had imposed a RM1 million minimum property purchase price for foreigners.

She noted that the state government has the right and power to add to the RM1 million property price purchase minimum, which led to non-homogeneity in the policy.

“Currently, from Perlis to Johor, the minimum price differs. Therefore, my ministry will review the quota for foreign ownership of property so that a detailed guideline can be implemented by the state governments,” she said at the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was answering a supplementary question from Dr Hasan Bahrom (PH-Amanah-Tampin) on the latest figure on Malaysian property ownership by foreigners.

In reply to a supplementary question from Che Alias Hamid (Pas-Kemaman) on the rationale behind the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme which purportedly affect Malaysians’ ability to buy property, Zuraida said that the programme set down several conditions by the Home Ministry.

“It is limited to foreigners aged 50 and above, and has tight guidelines which the applicants must comply with.

“Among criterias which we allow foreigners to apply for MM2H is that they are receiving medical treatment in Malaysia or they have children studying here.

“The period given to them to stay here is only 10 years and is subject to review from time to time, and the foreigners need to put down a RM3 million monetary deposit,” she said.

Source: NST Online

The first phase of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) will proceed as planned, the state legislative assembly heard today.

Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo said all infrastructure projects under Phase One of PTMP will proceed after obtaining the relevant approvals.

The state local government and housing development committee chairman said relevant assessments will be conducted including social impact assessment (SIA) before the projects are implemented.

“The SIA for PTMP will look into any social impacts and existing issues while recommending steps to mitigate these issues,” he said.

He said the state is committed to only implement the project once the SIA is approved.

“We will take steps to mitigate any social impacts caused by the project,” he said in response to an additional question by Opposition leader Muhamad Yusoff Mohd Noor (BN— Sungai Dua).

Muhamad Yusoff asked if the first phase would proceed if it is found to negatively affect areas surrounding the project such as schools and cemeteries.

The proposed alignment of the 10km PIL1 that consists of hill tunnels and elevated highways will affect nine schools along the highway.

Earlier, Jagdeep was replying to an oral question by Ong Khan Lee (PH — Kebun Bunga) on whether the state government will conduct SIA before implementing massive infrastructure projects including the PTMP.

Jagdeep said the state government will ensure that the PTMP fulfil all criteria and obtain the relevant approvals under the law before it was implemented.

“This includes complying with the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 which provides the compulsory preparation and submission of SIA,” he said.

Jagdeep said Phase One of the PTMP included the Bayan Lepas Light Raul Transit project, PIL1 and several main highways.

“SIA was already submitted for these projects by the relevant technical departments for approval,” he said.

He stressed that the state will comply with all laws and regulations in implementing the PTMP.

Source: Malay Mail

Be the first to discover the new 1,675 acres mega township by S P Setia – Setia Fontaines, from 70ft above ground. Save the date and join the Hot Air Balloon Carnival at Setia Fontaines (Project site) on 17 & 18 November 2018.

Event Date: 17 & 18 Nov 2018 (Sat & Sun)
Time: 8.00am – 7.00pm
Location: Setia Fontaines (Project site), Bertam

Want to know more about the peer-to-peer home financing scheme announced in Budget 2019?

By using FundMyHome scheme as an example, here we have extracted the summaries of key points by Malay Mail below:

What is it in a nutshell?

Quite simply, FundMyHome allows a person to buy a home by paying an upfront 20%of the house’s price, with investors such as banks committing to fund the remaining 80% in exchange for a share in future profits.

Under the scheme, the buyer does not have to make any monthly payments — unlike a housing loan — for five years. After the five years is up, the buyer can choose to take up a housing loan to buy the property or sell it off to make some profit. This is assuming the property has appreciated in value.

Do you qualify?

First up, you have to be a Malaysian aged above 18 years who is not bankrupt and who is a first-time homebuyer. You can even buy a house together with another person who is also buying a house for the first time.

The scheme is not for those who just want to make quick profits or for those who don’t plan to own the home for a minimum of five years.

How does it work exactly?

First, a buyer will have to pay a 2% booking fee to reserve a unit in the housing projects listed on FundMyHome’s portal, with the reservation on a first-come-first-served basis.

Houses offered on FundMyHome fall into two categories: “Fully Funded” and “Funding in Progress”, with those in the former category requiring the buyer to pay the 20% and all fees to FundMyHome within at least 14 days.

As for the “Funding in Progress” category, the buyer will again have 14 days to make the same payments, if funding from investors that are typically banks meet the funding target of 80% of the house price within 30 days.

But all funds will be refunded without interest if the funding target is not met within the one-month period.

If all goes well, the legal process for the home purchase from the developers will then take an estimated two to three weeks, according to the FundMyHome portal.

The ownership arrangements, according to FundMyHome’s terms and conditions, is that the buyer becomes a property owner after entering into a sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with the developer, and after other agreements are made.

Rights and obligations

You as a homebuyer under the FundMyHome scheme have become the legal owner of the property. Here’s what you can now do besides staying in the property: Rent the property out until the fifth year of the purchase subject to FundMyHome’s terms and conditions; or renovate the house using your own money subject to the property development’s house rules.

But you will also, as a homeowner, have to pay for all related fees such as management fees, quit rent, assessment tax, insurance, repairs and maintenance costs.

What happens after five years?

The catch is that the house cannot be sold during the five-year period, with the buyer and banks also barred from exiting the scheme during this lock-in period.

About four years and three months from the date of purchase, FundMyHome will appoint an independent and qualified valuer, with the buyer then given two months to arrange for the property’s inspection by the valuer.

FundMyHome requires buyers to have the valuation completed six months before the end of the lock-in period at the buyers’ own cost.

At the end of the five years, the buyer will then have two options: To keep or sell the property.

OPTION 1: Stay on

The buyer can choose to be in the FundMyHome scheme for another five years, with the condition that the buyer tops up with additional money to fulfill the 20% portion if the property’s value has gone up.

As for investors such as banks, they can choose to stay on or sell their 80% share to other institutions. The buyer can alternatively use his/her own money or take out a bank loan to buy off the 80% share from the investors.

OPTION 2: Sell

If the buyer chooses to sell the property, he/she has to leave the property and hand it over by the end of the fifth year, or pay rental based on a 5% rental yield. The property will be advertised for at least three months, with FundMyHome cautioning that it is not guaranteed that the sale process will not be longer than the usual three to six months.

The homeowner will have to bear all third-party costs related to the sale, with the property sold to include developer-provided furniture and fittings in good condition subject to the usual wear-and-tear, while buyer-purchased furniture and fittings can be excluded.

And the catch?

The biggest downside would be the risk of the property depreciating in value at the end of five years, with FundMyHome noting that they could lose some or even all of their capital if the property price falls.

When the property is sold after the fifth year, the order of priority for the distribution of sales proceeds is: Investors or bank to receive their original capital first (80% of purchase price), buyer to receive buyer’s original capital (20% of purchase price).

As for the order of priority for the profits after the original capital is paid out, the investor receives a preferential share of the capital gain or profits (equivalent to 20 per cent of purchase price), while the remaining capital gain will be split to the investor at 80% and the buyer at 20%.

FundMyHome provided an example based on an initial house price of RM300,000 where the buyer pays RM60,000 (20%) and the investor or bank pays RM240,000 (80%), with scenarios of the property value either going up, remaining the same or going down at the end of the five-year lock-in period.

The table below will illustrate how the calculation works:

Don’t forget the new tax rate

Note: If for some reason, you decide at the end of the five-year period to sell the property instead of continuing to own it, there will no longer be zero tax on your profits from the sale.

In the recent Budget 2019 speech, the government said it will now impose a 5% Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) on profits from the sale of properties that were purchased more than five years ago, unless the property is valued at below RM200,000.

There may be another crowdfunding platform in the future. You just have to read the terms and understand your risks.

*Regulations for the property crowdfunding framework that is expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2019*

Source: Malay Mail

Note: As stated in Malay Mail, this story is based on the latest available information on the FundMyHome portal as of the time of writing, and is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information on the terms and conditions of the FundMyHome scheme. You may read the full article from the link above.