Everyday, when I open my Facebook, there would be a lot of FB marketing stuffs about property investment potentials. From those who are now multi-millionaires from their property investments and wanting to share their tips to people to “some new launching which must not be missed” and all the way to those promising you that some other countries are much better than Malaysia and therefore you must by a property there so that you can move there in future etc. First of all, there is nothing wrong with FB marketing and all these sharing, trainings and even listening sessions. Many have profited and gained from them. However, be reminded again that the actual situation will be different for everybody. There is no such thing as a guarantee. Be reminded also that when it comes to property investments, it is usually slow or not really moving fast.
Property investment is not that different from holding a blue-chip stock versus a potential upcoming stock. Buying to wait is better than waiting to buy. The former usually has a stable business and provides you a very stable dividend stream while the latter may or may not give you that surge in price that you are looking for. Anyway, let’s remember that ANY investment at all, it is usually ‘per annum’ basis. I repeat ‘per annum’ which is also 12 months basis. Try not to think of any investment as a get-rich-quick scheme because if it is, then stop calling it an investment. It’s just a scheme which may really work well and you become very rich very fast. Too bad for me, I am a slow learner plus a slow saver. I have just a full-time job which meant a fixed salary every month. So, whenever anyone asked me for any hotspot to buy, I just tell them to google for some hot areas and start evaluating all those choices. Buy one that meets all our expectations.
Remember, no developers would build in a place without connection. The development will just fail. However, buyers should not blame them squarely for it though. Many times, if we drive to the site and it is very very VERY far from our office and we believe the developer who promised that once MRT starts, everything will be smooth, who is to be blamed? Maybe not even the developer! Maybe it is the sales person who were over-promising as his commission depends on it. An ex-colleague once told me that buying in Malaysia is too dangerous and risky. He lost all his money when he invested in a failed project in a town in Malaysia over 10 years ago. Nearly the whole project was bought by Singaporeans. Frankly, if we are buying a home and nearly all the buyers are investors, we need to be aware that should 50 percent of these investors stop paying their maintenance fees and thinking that they will only pay when they sell their home, then the facilities would start deteriorating and in the end, no one benefits.
Property investors must always be cautious and really understand why they buy, what they buy and who they buy from (there are definitely fake developer agents for example..). In terms of when to buy, I think that is a question that you will never get an objective answer. Developers would definitely tell you it is the best time to buy. The naysayers would tell you the crisis is coming soon. Those who has NEVER bought before would tell you all the horror stories. Those who bought a few units during the best times and was lucky to sell them off may just give you the wrong advice. Listen more, read more and seriously, your own judgement matters much more than any stranger on the road. Happy starting your journey.
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written on 20 Oct 2017
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