Malaysia Property Trend

Part 1: The case for legalising and regulating booking fees The law prohibits collection of booking fees — but no one is enforcing it. For many unsuspecting purchasers, signing a booking pro-forma with a housing developer or its agent or lawyer, and paying a booking fee before the formal sale and purchase agreement (SPA) is signed, are considered part and parcel of the standard operating procedure to purchase a residential property. So it seems. Contrary to such popular belie

Gen Sphere has a gross development value of RM837 million and is situated on 1.25 acres of land within the Johor Bahru city centre. KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): Majestic Gen Bhd (KL:MAGEN) has achieved 100% take-up for its Gen Sphere freehold serviced apartment development in Johor since its launch in July 2025. The project, which has a gross development value of RM837 million, is situated on 1.25 acres of land within the Johor Bahru city centre. It comprises 996 residences with bui

Johor caters to a wide variety of property needs, making it an appealing destination for different types of buyers. Johor has steadily positioned itself as one of Malaysia’s most closely watched residential destinations, offering a broad mix of high-rise condominiums, serviced residences, and established landed homes across Johor Bahru (JB) and its surrounding townships. Urban professionals are drawn to the convenience of high-rise living close to key transport and commercial

At least 90% of players in the property development industry are estimated to be SMEs. (First of a two-part series) Property development is an "umbrella" industry, deeply linked to the construction and real estate sectors through shared business cycles. In the Malaysian context, it is defined as the business of acquiring land for the purpose of planning, constructing, and selling residential, commercial or industrial buildings or vacant lots — essentially the transformation

PETALING JAYA (May 6): EdgeProp Malaysia has collaborated with PropNex Malaysia to produce the Malaysia Property Market Overview 1Q2026 — a comprehensive, data-driven report that maps the state of the market across residential, commercial and industrial segments in Malaysia's four key property markets: Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, and Penang. Data-led intelligence where it matters most As a leading property data platform, EdgeProp brings to this collaboration a research inf

(Photo from Facebook of Dato Seri Sundarajoo Somu) GEORGE TOWN (May 14): The Penang government today denied claims that Chinese nationals had bought hundreds of homes in the state below the minimum price threshold set under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. State Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri S Sundarajoo (pictured) said the allegation was based on an inaccurate interpretation of the property transaction data involving foreign buyers in Pe

Nga announces the expansion of the Rahmah Cement initiative — a collaboration with the Cement and Concrete Association of Malaysia — to cover all affordable housing projects priced below RM300,000 per unit. PETALING JAYA (May 12): Despite a challenging global environment, Malaysia stands on comparatively firm footing. International institutions such as JPMorgan have recognised Malaysia as among the most resilient economies in Asia amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, said

KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): Malaysia’s central bank kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday as expected while keeping a close eye on the ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. The overnight policy rate is maintained at 2.75% following the third of six scheduled reviews for the year, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said in a statement on Thursday. The move was correctly predicted by all 25 economists polled by Bloomberg. BNM “acknowledges the uncertainties from

ISKANDAR PUTERI (May 11): The development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) is now one of Johor state government’s main pillars to address the issue of brain drain. It will do this by offering a high-income employment ecosystem capable of rivalling Singapore’s attractive labour market. In a Bernama exclusive interview here recently, Invest Johor chief executive officer Natazha Hariss said the focus has shifted to attracting high-impact investments that bri

PETALING JAYA (May 4): Malaysia has quietly cemented its position as the second-largest developing-economy recipient of digital foreign direct investment (FDI) globally, trailing only India — a milestone that carries significant implications for Grade A office demand, industrial land values and data centre real estate across the country's three primary digital investment hubs. According to a whitepaper jointly published recently by Knight Frank Malaysia and the Malaysia Digit

The pipeline of new office supply in Johor is already trending in the right direction. PETALING JAYA (May 4): Malaysia is sitting on one of Southeast Asia's most compelling digital investment stories — RM342.58 billion in approved digital investments, 114,854 projected jobs of which 97% are knowledge-worker roles, and a position as the world's second-largest developing-economy recipient of digital FDI. But a joint whitepaper by Knight Frank Malaysia and the Malaysia Digital E

Merdeka 118 already holds LEED Platinum certification, is targeting Green Building Index Platinum, and has achieved WELL Core Platinum (Photos by PNB Merdeka Ventures) PETALING JAYA (May 4): When Merdeka 118 was designated Malaysia's first building recognised under the MD (Malaysia Digital) Nexus category of the new Malaysia Digital Location Recognition (MDLR) framework in February, this year, most coverage treated it as a technology policy milestone. The property story, how

118 Mall (interior view), located within the Merdeka 118 precinct in Kuala Lumpur, is in its final stages of fit-out ahead of its scheduled August 2026 opening (PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd) PETALING JAYA (May 6): 118 Mall is on track to open this August, introducing a new retail and lifestyle destination at the base of Merdeka 118, the world’s second tallest building. The mall is owned and managed by PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Permodalan Nasio

JOHOR BAHRU (April 27): The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) facilitated the approval of tax exemptions and incentives for 220 projects in Johor, reinforcing the federal government's commitment to the state's industrial growth in 2025. Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Sim Tze Tzin said this fiscal intervention is a key component of the synergy between Johor’s natural geographic advantages and the federal government's unwavering policy support

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Accounting and Finance Department associate professor Dr Mohd Effandi Yusoff said Forest City, which is part of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, could position itself as a safe investment destination away from conflict-prone region. PETALING JAYA (April 28): The Forest City Special Financial Zone (SFZ) is well-positioned to draw global investors seeking stability, as geopolitical tensions in West Asia push ultra-high-net-worth individua

From left: EdgeProp managing director (MD) Alvin Ong, Qube Integrated Malaysia Sdn Bhd MD Jessie Tan, Qube Integrated executive chairman Richard Teo, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, GreenRE Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri FD Iskandar, Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) chairperson Datuk Seri Shareen Shariza Datuk Abdul Ghani, Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Federal Te

PropNex Malaysia head of capital markets Victor Lim KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): With Grade A office supply in prime locations experiencing high demand and occupancy rates, businesses are advised to adopt a more forward-looking and strategic approach when securing workspaces. Occupiers now need to plan earlier, PropNex Malaysia head of capital markets Victor Lim says. “In today’s market, especially for Grade A offices in the central business districts (CBDs), companies can no l

(From left) Malaysian Vacation Rental Services Management Association (MVR) president Ivan Chong, Asia Travel Technology Industry Association (ATTIA) managing director Mark Chan, PLANMalaysia Physical and Landuse Unit, R&D head Muhammad Anwar Ramli ,and (moderator) Zaid Ibrahim & Co partner Mohamad Izahar Mohamad Izham PETALING JAYA (April 17): Malaysia's short-term rental sector is expected to expand over the next five years, driven by regulatory clarity, tourism recovery, a

A historic landmark reimagined, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad reflects how heritage buildings can be restored and repositioned for public and cultural use. There was a time when Kuala Lumpur’s skyline didn’t change this fast. Buildings weren’t just built, they stayed. Offices became institutions, towers became landmarks, and entire careers unfolded within the same walls. Names like Menara Maybank weren’t just addresses; they represented status, stability, and the city coming in

We must give credit to Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh for her recent blunt reminder to those living in stratified buildings: if a fire breaks out, the bathroom is not your sanctuary. It is a message that needs to be repeated until it becomes common knowledge. As Malaysia’s urban landscape continues to stretch skywards, more of us are calling condominiums, serviced apartments, and high-rise public housing “home”. These buildings offer a modern, efficient lifestyle, b