“Golden 5 Years Ahead“

By JAN YONG SPRINGING FORWARD: Great investment opportunity for next five years due to pent-up demand and globalised environment, says property consultant The next five years are crucial for property investors as they present the greatest investment opportunity ever, says property investment consultant Gavin Tee. “’The period from 2013 – 2018 is the best period within the “Golden 10 Years” from 2010 – 2020 for property investment in Malaysia,” he told NST RED after the general election (GE) results were announced. “This is because politically, we are getting more matured, and the country is adjusting to a more liberalised and globalised business environment. This will raise the profile of Malaysia in the international stage which will impact on demand for properties in Malaysia.” Malaysia is currently a laggard in terms of property prices and demand for property compared to its neighbours like Singapore, Hong Kong and even Thailand and Indonesia. “The general election has held back a lot of foreign investments and major policies for the last few years. But it was also a time when we built up the foundation for the next stage of our journey,” he says. “I have given a lot of forecasts months before the GE, for example, Iskandar is going to be the hottest market in 2013 while Greater Kuala Lumpur will peak as a property hotspot in 2017 – 2018. Those forecasts still stand after GE,“ he points out. Tee had two months ago forecasted an upward swing for the property market after GE13 (8 Mar NST RED) where he predicted that although a period of adjustment is expected immediately after the GE, the local property market is expected to continue its upward trajectory in the next five years. “After the GE, there will be about two months of adjustment period followed by six months of a lot of movement in the market due to pent-up demand,” he was quoted to have said. “The best time for property investors will be within the next five years. There will be a lot of pent-up demand to propel the property market to the next level. Many foreign and private investors of major projects have been in standby mode. The property market will see a lot of action in the next six months regardless of who is in power. Malaysia is now much more open and globalised in terms of policies and developments,” Tee was quoted to have said (8 Mar NST RED). Moving forward Now that the GE is over, Tee is positive that the next five years is a very definite time to move forward. “My forecast post-GE is that the next five years will definitely present the best opportunity to invest in Malaysia in line with my prediction of a “Golden 10-Year” period for property investment in Southeast Asia including Malaysia.” Tee had made that “Golden 10-Years” prediction way back in 2010 just before the property market in Malaysia surged to an all-time high in 2010 – 2011. Tee, who is an international speaker, predicted that after 2018, there will emerge a more positive and matured business environment in Malaysia underpinned by a more liberal political system which is “closer to international standards”. “The next five years and beyond will see more globalised cities emerging worldwide including cities in Malaysia such as Greater KL, Penang and even Johor Bahru. There will be a worldwide economic adjustment where economies will become more liberalised and borderless with an underlying shift of focus from the West to the East and from the North to the South. There will be great changes in the Southeast Asian market and politics. This will present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Malaysia to go up the next level into becoming a developed nation with world-class standards.” “International price tags” Tee, who is also the Founder and President of SwhengTee International Real Estate Investors Club is optimistic that property prices within the next five years will mature, and prices in Iskandar and tourism and globalised areas will start commanding international price tags. “The comparison is no longer with domestic cities but with the world’s globalised cities such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. As a result, potential globalised cities like Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu are the best places to invest in now as their property prices are still low compared with other Southeast Asian nations.” Tee adds that these five years in front of us before the next GE is the best time for Malaysians to take action as “our neighbours like Indonesia and even Myanmar are also coming up into the world stage”. “The last five years has seen a lot of adjustments, for instance, Iskandar has signed up a lot of foreign support and many of them are ongoing, while some are completed. So, from next year, there will be a lot of changes and activities, and this will go on for the next five years, therefore property investment will offer unbelievable opportunities. “Infrastructure spending will also increase within the next five years. When these are delivered, businesses can start to focus on growth and expansion, and more foreigners will come in. Examples of infrastructure which will have a huge impact are the MRT link between JB Sentral and Woodlands Singapore, the KL-Singapore High Speed Rail and the potential MRT Line 2 and 3 in KL.” Read more: “Golden 5 years ahead“ – RED – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.m…3#ixzz2StD6Dz5B Taylor Scott International