Kuala Lumpur, 7 September 2021 – PropertyGuru DataSense, the data analytics and solutions arm of PropertyGuru, released the Q1 Property Market Update report which features insights based on Malaysia’s residential property market transactions. The report found that the total number of residential property transactions in Q1 2021 saw a year-on-year (YoY) drop of 44.7%, compared to the same period last year.
Of the overall number of property transactions across Malaysia, a majority of 61.2% were found to be made by first-homebuyers (FHBs). In three of Malaysia’s major property markets – Klang Valley, Johor, and Penang, FHBs outnumbered purchases made by investors by 13.2%, 65.2% and 0.08% respectively.
Joe Hock THOR, Managing Director of PropertyGuru DataSense shared, “With increased worries over COVID-19 cases as well as a softer-than-expected GDP performance, it is no surprise that we observed a lower confidence in the market and a YoY dip in residential property transactions in Q1 this year. However, it is encouraging to note that incentives such as the My First Home Scheme and the Home Ownership Campaign have helped to drive first-homebuyers to take that step towards homeownership during this quarter.”
In November 2020, PropertyGuru Group acquired property data company MyProperty Data, advancing its mandate to serve Malaysians in their home ownership aspirations. Following the strategic acquisition, MyPropertyData is now rebranded as part of PropertyGuru DataSense. The Q1 Property Market Update report is a part of PropertyGuru DataSense’s continued commitment to champion property data democratization in Malaysia following its rebranding exercise.
Sub-sale Units Outsold New Developments
Sub-sales were found to have dominated the market during this quarter, with many property owners selling their assets at competitive prices for liquidation, offering both FHBs and investors alike an opportunity to purchase them at below market value. This is especially prominent in the Klang Valley, which recorded a three-year high for sub-sale transactions at 83.72%.
For FHBs, buying on the secondary market means being able to get a quality home in a good location on a smaller budget. This is in line with findings from the PropertyGuru H1 2021 Consumer Sentiment Study, which found that of those who prefer sub-sale properties, majority cited the ability to scout the location and environment before buying (55%) and ease of managing the purchase with a smaller budget (39%) as the top reasons for their preference.
“Sub-sale property has typically appealed to more seasoned investors largely due to the ability to place a down payment on the unit, making it easier for an investor to invest in several properties. The secondary market also allows greater access to property, particularly landed units, in better locations. As land banks are used up, new developments often must settle for more remote locations which may take investors a longer time to see a return on the appreciation value,” said Joe.
Buyers Preferred Landed Property; Increased Transactions in Suburbs
With a large portion of the nation’s workforce working from home since the start of the pandemic, the type of properties that buyers are purchasing has also changed. This is reflected in the transaction data from Q1 2021, which found that homebuyers are favouring larger, more spacious units in the RM300,000 to RM500,000 price range. Buyers preferred landed units over high-rise in Q1 2021, with terrace houses making up 54% of transactions in Malaysia followed by condominiums/apartments (18%).
Joe continued, “Now that many employees no longer need to travel to the office every day, they can opt for areas further away with lower density and more spacious layouts that could comfortably fit an extra room for a home office. We observed that the desire for larger, more spacious property has resulted in a shift towards terrace houses as well as properties in the fringes of city centres, driving up transactions in smaller townships in Q1 2021. We believe this trend is likely to continue into the second half of 2021.”
Many among the top 10 projects with the greatest number of transactions this quarter are areas located away from city centres in self-contained townships such as Bukit Sentosa and Bandar Bukit Beruntung in Rawang, Bandar Putra in Kulai.
PropertyGuru DataSense Continues to Promote Greater Data Transparency Following Rebrand
PropertyGuru DataSense is focused on joining data with transparency, creating an integrated property ecosystem by becoming the provider of the most comprehensive property data and insights to agents, financial institutions, homebuyers, credit rating agencies, valuers, and property developers.
“Our goal is to empower Malaysians with accurate and easy access to data for every step of their property journey so that consumers can buy or sell property at the right market price and capitalise on potential gains in the future,” said Joe.
He added, “In addition to integrating the business under PropertyGuru, the rebrand also represents the Group’s commitment in further building and growing its data business through PropertyGuru DataSense. We recognize that data play a vital role in the growth of the property industry, and thus, we aim to continue providing property players and homebuyers with access to big data analytics and solutions to help them make informed investment and property decisions.”
Besides serving the Malaysian market segments, PropertyGuru DataSense’s solutions are also available to real estate agents in Singapore, providing real-time market insights and market price estimates to help them provide valued consultations to prospective buyers and sellers. It will continue to advance and expand its data offerings to other segments in Singapore in the near future, followed by the other markets in the region.
For more information, please visit https://www.propertygurugroup.com/datasense.
