Buying a new home? Ask Why not Where. Safer decision.

Location, location and location. Well, it should be ask why not where instead. I am serious lah. All your friends love location A, so you also buy location A? Your office may be closer to location B. Your future mother in law’s home may be closer to location B. You found an undervalued property in location B. You will want to buy location A?

Location is not the only consideration

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we want to buy a property? Location choices? I think it should usually be the first because even the major property sites are also giving us the box for us to fill in the location first in order to start our search. Well, there is nothing wrong with this choice, especially if your parents are staying within the same location or your future wife or husband is staying within the same location (Haha) or because your favourite hair stylist for the past 15 years has her shop within the same location.

The first reason is VALID. Please let our parents stay where they like and we follow them, not the other way round. Your future partner is staying in the same location? Then, just rent a place in the same area lah. Once you get married, can stay in the same home anyway. 😛  As for hairstylist reason, stop joking. We go to a hairstylist once per few weeks. There is no need to stay nearby okay.

Anyway, location may not be the sole reason anymore. Especially for Klang Valley. First of all, look at all the huge integrated developments being built in new areas. Rawang on one end and Semenyih on the other side for example. (I have no properties in both Rawang or Semenyih) In between, there are many more new choices too and not just the usual few matured neighbourhoods lah. 

Prices are helping the push for more areas too because scarcity in many matured neighbourhoods would mean fewer qualified buyers too (high price lah). There are now so many expressways you cannot remember their names and MRT Line 2 is being constructed feverishly too. MRT Line 1, if you do not know is already operational. I have taken it many times too.

A better way of understanding where to buy is to ask one additional question beyond just location. “Why do you like that particular location?” Your WHY answer allows you to then step back and start looking at those reasons instead. Usually, it will yield many new results that you have never expected before. Some very valid reasons?

1. Schools (SJKC is one of those choices)  Seriously, there are still plenty. Some do not have enough students!
2. Malls – Actually as long as it is nearby, any mall above 500,000 sq ft is good enough for the weekdays. For the weekends, go anywhere you like.
3. Near MRT / LRT / KTM etc? (Please… the number of total stations for these are already over 120 I think..)
4.  Near our office. (Define near. 10 minutes? 20 minutes? Within an hour? Once we define, start looking by using google map too)
5. Low density (whether area or project).  Except for a few very high end areas, I do not find even some hotspots as low density. In terms of high-rise, this is my thought) 
6. I just like that area only.  (Haha.. Okay, buy that area only.  Engage more agents to keep looking. Seriously, nothing wrong. )

Home is where the heart is. Perhaps it is also important to build the content of that home too and not just that home itself. Even if we are buying a landed property today for example,making sure it is friendly for our parents would be important too. A huge room on the ground floor for example. (NOT the maid’s room okay). Design is important. Do you like a bigger kitchen, living room or bigger bedrooms? Often, it is a choice.

It is certainly not a wise move to pay premium on top of premium just to get some place which is steps away from the MRT, unless you are very sure MRT will be your only connection to the world. Oh yeah, should you feel low floors are bad, well…. Haha. Ask why not where. Your choice will be safer too. Happy searching the WHY to fulfil your home sweet home.

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written on 22 Oct 2017

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