Malaysians are finding it increasingly harder to get housing loans as banks have less money available to lend out, financial expert Gary Chua said today.

Chua, who heads financial education firm Smart Financing, said the housing loan approval rate, which was at least 65 per cent about seven years ago, has been showing a downward trend this year with banks rejecting a higher number of applications.

He said statistics show that the 53 per cent of loan approvals by banks in the first quarter slid to just 47 per cent for residential property loan approvals in the third quarter.

“To me this is one of the key points affecting the market as well, where the banks are tightening their belts and consumers are finding it difficult to get financing from the banks to fund their dream homes, so this would definitely get even tougher moving forward,” he said during PropertyGuru’s Property Market Outlook 2016 forum here.

Chua said that banks in Malaysia are suffering from low liquidity as they have lent out most of their money to Malaysians.

“And at the moment, at the industry, it’s over 90 per cent, meaning 90 per cent of the banks’ money have been lent out to consumers. That means banks are having difficulty or stress in terms of getting more money to lend out,” he explained.

“For the banks, mortgage or housing loan is the lowest yielding business to them, hence if they have limited funds to lend out to consumers, housing loans will be the first one that they will pull back,” he said, comparing housing loans to the banks’ products with higher profit margins such as credit cards and car loans.

Chua said first-time house-buyers with monthly incomes of RM5,000 also face challenges in securing loans, as banks impose a 60 per cent lending cap, which means they can only borrow a total of up to RM3,000 per month for items such as credit cards, car loan, mortgages.

Noting that current laws require banks to set aside 4 per cent of their funds and deposit this reserve in Bank Negara Malaysia’s accounts, Chua suggested that this figure be brought down as it was done in 1998 and 2008 to enable the banks to have more cash to lend out.

He also said bad loans are at a “historical low” as only 1.2 per cent of borrowers have failed to repay their bank loans.

Developer Datuk Dr Vincent Tiew, who was also on the six-man panel of speakers, said that less banks in Malaysia are giving out loans now as some of them are trying to merge.

Tiew, who is the managing director of Andaman Property Management, said between 35 per cent to 65 per cent of loan applications by his prospective buyers are turned down, which meant his firm would have to approach 16 buyers to sell off 10 units.

He also spoke of the banking industry’s weaker support to the housing industry, where banks would slowly roll out loan approvals in piecemeal fashion for a development even if they had confidence in the project.

Siva Shanker, CEO of property agency PPC International, said it was time for the government to stimulate the property market, noting that past cooling measures to slow down the “mad increase” in property value have been effective and are no longer required.

Source: TheMalayMailOnline.com

Rare and precious like the four-leaf clover revered as a symbol of good luck by many cultures around the world, its iconic architecture and layout is designed to bring residents all the privileges of wholesome living.

Located in Sungai Ara, The Clovers auspiciously signifies living in a sanctuary blessed with showers of good fortune, abundance of love and bountiful hope. It will be the source of joy for the entire family.

Click here to find out more about The Clovers

‘To be in clover’ is a common idiom that means living a carefree life of ease, comfort and prosperity, and in the project’s 892 elegant condominiums, Asia Green has created something special that allows you to do just that.

In conjunction to this festive season, we are finally launching our last tower – the premium tower C “Fortuna” represent the fortune in English. Not only it can bring fortune to you but every typical unit also comes with fully air-conditional, ready with down lights and beautifully designed plaster ceiling.  Fortuna tower is the last tower that has the best view of the airport, penang bridge, and facilities.

Every unit comes with two private lift accessible from the foyer and a luxurious layout with villa finishing. The build-up area ranges from 1,598 sq.ft. and up to 2,907 sq.ft. for the Duplex. Pricing is around RM480 per sq.ft. onward.

Best attribute of living in The Clovers is the unparalleled nature that seamlessly entwines the whole project, with the distinct highlight being a lush 14,000 sq ft Jungle Trek that forges a path of serene tranquility through leafy surroundings. Inside the jungle trek area, we have the picnic, meditation, and yoga areas that enhance the healthy and nature lifestyle. Not only will it be your personal haven where you can relax at your pace, it will be a retreat for the whole family.

The Clovers has an undeveloped small piece of open space land next to the project which eventually would be turned into a landscaping & community garden solely for the residents use.

Click here to find out more about The Clovers

On top of that, The Clovers also provides the widest car park rams with 6 meter width, making your journey home comfortable and with ease. Making sure everyone in the families can drive without stress and safely home.

With Fibre connection to home, The Clovers assures top digital media and entertainment experience for you and your family.

The Clovers is also an ideal choice for multi–generational living. Most Penangites would prefer to live with their parents and grandparents because it gives the latter a sense of security and safety, instead of leaving it to the hands of others. That’s why our development adopted the concepts of multi-generational and wellness living to provide the residents of all age groups a comfortable and homely living environment.

The most convenient features for the senior citizen and the children would be the private lifts directly access to the unit, not only for privacy reason but also less hassle of walking through the common hallways or corridors. The typical unit itself would be prefect size for a modern family of 3 generations which is 1,598 sf and it comes with 3+1 rooms. This spacious area allows lots of movement for the family without compromising individual space privacy. Penthouse type J is the dual-keys design that allows partition to separate another unit for the elderly so they can live together in the same roof with their grandchildren while enjoying own privacy.

We are building a community where multi-generation families get to live together harmoniously and safely. The residential units and facilities are designed to cater for both children and the elderly with safety features. Such features include one of the biggest podiums at level 7 that’s allocated for greenery and recreational facilities with no vehicular obstruction, making it safe for both toddlers and the elderly to roam the area.Children pool with water plays and children playground are dedicated for the children and the parents get to enjoy the parents-children time. Dance room, entertainment room, reading and study room, games room, basketball court, lap pool and leisure pool are perfect for teenagers and even adults. For adults who prefer to have their alone time, there’s always the floating gym, cabanas and lazy Jacuzzi for them. As for the senior citizens, we have prepared the Physiotherapy room, jungle track and garden areas for them to enjoy the nature and be healthy.The Clovers come with extra open space that is equipped with features such as extra handrails, handicap ramps, handicap parking and other accessories specifically designed for senior living.

Click here to find out more about The Clovers

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More than 500 fishermen today rallied against the proposal to reclaim land off the Permatang Damar Laut coast for the RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) project.

Spokesman Nazri Ahmad, 50, said reclamation will affect the livelihoods of fishermen from Sungai Pinang to Pulau Betong, the southwest coast of Penang island.

He said marine ecosystems will be affected thereby jeopardising their catch and their incomes.

“Reclamation will have massive repercussions on us and on the environment,” he said prior to leading the rally at the Sungai Batu Beach in Teluk Kumbar near here where 14 fishermen associations took part.

Rally organisers also managed to obtain more than 1,000 signatures from fishermen to oppose the reclamation where a 930ha plot and a 445ha are proposed to be reclaimed.

Nazri said the signatures will be sent in a protest memorandum to the state government and to the Department of Environment (DOE).

He rubbished suggestions fishermen were anti-development, noting development was not meaningful if their livelihoods were threatened.

“What is the use of development if we cannot maintain our traditions and daily lives,” he said adding the well-being of fishermen must be thought off.

Seri Jerjak Fishermen Association member Ooi Ah Lee, 67, urged the state to reconsider as reclamation will result in a the narrowing of the Penang straits.

“There will less sea for us to go out to catch fish,” he said while Rodzi Ahmad, 55, called upon the state government not to proceed.

Musa Shariff, 57, meanwhile said he did not want to be relocated from his home in Teluk Kumbar if such an alternative was offered.

“I want to remain where I am for the rest of my life to fish where I am at,” he added while Abdul Rasyid Yop, 63, stressed they were not against development but wanted their livelihoods should not be affected.

Source: TheSunDaily.my

In about 3 weeks’ time, we will be celebrating the New Year.

Each New Year comes with new resolutions and new goals. Some would plan to own big ticket items such as a house or a car as part of their resolution. If your plan is to own a new car, finish reading this article before nailing down that resolution.

Owning a car in Malaysia is expensive. In one of my previous articles, I highlighted that Malaysia was ranked second in the world where owning a car is expensive.

But what many do not know is by how much, relative to homes. Yes, homes in Malaysia are expensive too, but relative to Australian homes and cars, our cars are 10 times more expensive than those sold in Australia compared to homes. Let’s do some simple math together.

Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) reported that the median house price in Malaysia is about RM250,000. This is the cost of two Honda Civics (priced at RM110,000 per car).

In Australia, the median house price is A$660,000, while a Honda Civic costs about A$30,000. This means, a median-priced Australian house of A$660,000 can buy 22 Honda Civics, versus a median-priced Malaysian house of RM250,000 which can only buy two cars of the same model. Yes, our homes may not be cheap but our cars are more expensive in comparison.

I further compared Malaysia against the United States and United Kingdom. A median-priced house in US and UK can buy 12 and 16 Honda Civics respectively, which is still more affordable compared to the two which can be bought with a median-priced Malaysian house.

The story does not end here. In addition to the cost of purchasing a car, there are many other financial commitments that comes along with owning a car. These include petrol, parking, toll charges, maintenance, and repair costs. Then, there is the cost of depreciation which ranges from 10% to 20% per year. It does not help that most of these supplementary expenses are frequently being increased. Our cars are indeed costing us a lot.

It is undeniable that a car is a necessity to those who have limited access to public transportation. Until our public transportation system is good enough, people will still need private vehicles to move from one place to another.

Unfortunately our cars are so expensive that the rakyat, especially the younger generation, are forced to put off buying a home until they can afford it. In the meantime, that “wait” causes house prices to appreciate, thus making it even more unaffordable for these people to own a home. This vicious cycle will continue until the government has a permanent solution to address both public transportation and affordable housing.

Perhaps, it is also timely to revisit the rationale behind our National Car Project which was introduced in 1982 to bring a higher level of industrialisation in Malaysia. Since its inception, the price of national and non-national cars have progressively increased through increase in car taxes and excise duties.

The price of non-national cars in Malaysia generally cost 50% to 100% more than the price of the similar make of car in other countries. On the other hand, one of my managers came back from his Aussie trip and shared that a Proton Preve in Australia is RM11,000 cheaper than one that is acquired in Malaysia.

Originally, the National Car Project was a form of protectionism for the national car industry. After more than 30 years since its inception, it has now become a burden to the rakyat, by eating more and more into our disposable income. The National Car Project has served its original purpose, and it is time that we review it.

So now, instead of jotting down my resolution, my wish list for 2016 is for the Government to rationalise and reduce the taxes imposed on cars. This will put more money back into the rakyat’s pockets to start their home ownership journey much earlier. Concurrently, the Government can continue to channel and reinvest some of these funds to build a comprehensive and effective public transportation system in Malaysia which will greatly reduce the rakyat’s dependency on private vehicles.

And for those who still wish to buy a car, think twice as owning a car is too expensive and unaffordable – it may also cost you your home.

Datuk Alan Tong has over 50 years of experience in property development. He was the world president of FIABCI International for 2005/2006 and awarded the Property Man of the Year 2010 at FIABCI Malaysia Property Award. He is also the group chairman of Bukit Kiara Properties. For feedback, please email feedback@fiabci-asiapacific.com.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Sunway Property Penang will be organizing a Garden Fest on December 12, 2015, from 5pm to 9pm at its Sunway Wellesley Show Village in Bukit Mertajam.

The Garden Fest aims to offer a nature-rich, fun-filled, experience for families in Bukit Mertajam to enjoy the evening together as part of the “Living Sunway, Living Community” series of events. The festival will include a wide variety of exciting performances, such as live bands, magic shows, and jugglers. The Garden Fest follows the success of the “Christmas in Wonderland by the Lake” community carnival recently held in Sunway South Quay in Klang Valley which drew close to 2,000 visitors.

In addition to the performances, families will be able to participate in exciting games, give-aways, and a share and win contest while enjoying the refreshments which will be served.

Sunway Property’s partner, Astro, promises to delight everyone, especially children with appearances by “movie superstars” – the friendly Autobot warrior Bumblebee and Marvel’s invincible Ironman.

Sunway Wellesley is one of Sunway Property Penang’s most popular developments spanning over 82 acres of freehold land. With a gross development value (GDV) of RM 800 million, the strategically located development combines urban conveniences with lush green spaces, and features luxurious homes supported by a robust commercial component. The development is located 0.5 km to Bukit Mertajam Town Centre, 6 km to Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, 7km to North-South Highway, and 9km to the Penang Bridge.

Currently, Sunway Wellesley’s second phase is under development. The entire phase consists of 60 units of three-storey semi-detached homes and 154 units of three-storey townhouses, set in a gated and guarded community with lush thematic gardens.

Sunway Wellesley’s townhouse and semi-detached show homes will also available for public viewing. The townhouses are the first of its kind to be introduced in Penang and provides a great option to multigenerational living. The semi-detached homes are spaciously designed with generous ceilings, and family friendly layout and are located in a gateless compound that fosters community interaction.

“Sunway Property has been building communities in Penang for the past 23 years. With the Garden Fest, we would like to welcome our community to celebrate the year-end with us and enjoy a nature-rich evening out at Sunway Wellesley,” said Tan Wee Bee, Deputy Managing Director of Sunway Berhad, Property Development Division for Malaysia and Singapore.

Sunway Property Penang welcomes all to join in the fun time with families and friends. For more information about Garden Fest or to view the show units, please contact May at 012-476 5496 or Koay at 012-433 3636.

For more information on Sunway Property, please log on to www.sunwayproperty.com.