If we are buying a new place with two car parks and there are available car parks for sale, should we buy one more? These days, all condos should come with 2 car parks. Read here: Condos should NOT come with just one car park A lady wrote in to ask about this. She had just bought a new apartment in Penang. It came with two car parks and she was offered the opportunity to buy one more for RM35,000. Her reason for buying? Her son would most probably be driving to college next year. In other words, that third car park would be for her son’s use.
I wrote her an answer as below:
Start of reply
I think emotionally you believe another car park is needed so that your son can also park his car within the condo. Let me tell you the financial aspect. If you rent a car park instead of buying. Typical rental per month is RM80 if not higher, depending on the condo. If it is RM80,then it’s RM960 per year. This is a total loss every year.
Assuming, you take out RM35,000 from your FD to pay for this car park. This RM35,000 FD would give you about RM1,400 per year. This is about RM117 per month. If the car car rental does not change at all and remain RM80 forever, you lose RM37 per month or RM1.23 per day. I would definitely choose to lose RM1.23 per day for the following:
1) Safety (instead of parking far away and walking when I come back at midnight etc.) – For your son, might be weekly….
2) Convenience (Rain / park faraway etc.) – Nearly daily….
3) It’s impossible for car park rental to stay at RM80 forever…. (In KL, the car park rental is typically Rm160 per month) – proven in KL.
4) You can afford it. (For those who couldn’t and needed to borrow money from relatives etc, I think better not buy lah)
5) In future, three car parks would be advantage if u want to sell your place.
End-of-Reply.
One important point I missed. This is in Penang. Car parks are definitely a premium today and in the future. Actually, there are lots of other reasons why more car parks would always be better. Seriously, if we can afford it today, better buy today because we may not be able to afford it in the future. RM35,000 per one car park slot? It may not stay this way forever. Happy buying and enjoying the 3rd car park.
written on 9 Jan 2016
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