Some time ago, a colleague complained to me. He said, ‘The units being offered these days are all below 1,000 sq ft. If I buy, what happens when I have 1 or 2 kids, would it not be too small?’ I laughed and replied, ‘Not really. In Penang, families have been staying in 700 sq ft apartments for years. It included me as well, for 4 years before I saved enough for a bigger place.’ In fact, today most of the affordable units are 850 sq ft or higher which meant that it’s already bigger than the apartment I used to stay previously. Yes, those four years were all happy years and my wife told me that she will miss the home after we agreed to sell it many years ago. I told her that we are both working professionals, without selling there’s little potential of more buying. She understood. We bought it for RM123k and sold it for RM215k. Not awesome but not too bad since we also rented it out for 4 years after we have moved out.
So, what happens if you really want only a bigger unit? I think waiting until the affordable units become bigger would not be possible. What about secondary units? What about finding one? Image for some choices attached. Over 1,200 sq ft and RM500,000 or lower. Yeah, some are older, some are farther and some are in areas without a mall. Haha. Tell me however, what choices do we have if we want below RM500,000 and above 1,200 sq ft today? For those still thinking about newly launched ones, it will not be easy. Think about older secondary units lah… Else, think much further away. More choices in the Klang Valley? Image beside. There are many more potential ones. Just search based on size first and then limit it based on what you can afford. Remember, Stay safe, buy within affordability and stop bubble building
Readers of kopiandproperty.com, anyone with knowledge about bigger and better units, please do share. I think we gain more by sharing. I always tell my friends that there’s no one who can claim to know every area. That’s just a big lie. Everyone tend to specialise so that they become an expert in a certain area. In Penang where I stayed for 15 years, buying a certain area meant getting stereotyped as ‘poorer’ since the popular areas could be 30-40 percent higher. I am quite happy with this stereotype though since it’s also how I get to pay less and stay in a bigger home. Just remember, the choice is really within us. Just need to think a little deeper so that we can accept the choice. Renting an expensive unit is really not the best option. Happy searching.
written on 18 Dec 2016
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