Photo Credit: FullofTravel, Flickr

Finding a place to settle in a new country can be a daunting experience, particularly when one is confronted with the confusing array of websites, magazines and listings that provide only limited amounts of information. In order to take some of the hassle out of making Malaysia your new home, here are a few of the most reputable and clear-cut resources available for the prospective buyer, renter and/or investor.

1) Property in Malaysia

With its user friendly interface, extensive database of properties for sale or for rent, and clear-cut market insights, propertyinmalaysia.com should be the first port of call for the prospective expat. In addition to breaking down regulation guidelines and tax information into easy to understand nuggets of information, propertyinmalaysia.com also contains a section for invaluable expat insights. Such insights include where the best property hotspots in Malaysia are located as well as property surveys. However, what really sets propertyinmalaysia.com apart from the other online property resources for the Malaysian market is its being geared specifically for the needs of expats. The prospective immigrant is not simply bombarded with empirical data relating to price-ranges and finance sourcing. Personable advice from current expats as well as a section outlining exactly why Malaysia is such a popular destination for living and working, will be much appreciated by anyone considering taking up residence.

2) The Expat Property Guide

Propertyinmalaysia.com is supplemented with the annually published Expat Property Guide. This plush magazine, complimented by colorful photos that will no doubt kindle the interests of the potential buyer, contains a highly readable no-nonsense rundown of the best places to invest in around Malaysia, as well as overviews of important development trends and property types. The Expat Property guide functions in close tandem with the Malaysia My Second Home visa program: the likes of which is clearly explained in the publication.

3) iproperty

It is not difficult to see why iproperty.com is the number 1 real-estate webpage in Malaysia.  The site’s colossal database of properties for rent and purchase can be easily navigated thanks to the advanced search specification options, which allows the user to find properties of perfect size, occupancy and furnishment with the click of a mouse. iproperty.com’s excellent ‘find an agent’ option is streamlined in a similar fashion to the advanced search property options, and takes a lot of the guesswork out of finding some human help when it comes to buying or renting Malaysian property (including putting a face to a name).  

The research tab at iproperty.com contains a wealth of renting and buying guides, as well as the ultra-convenient “ask the iExpert” option: a Q & A platform that provides quick and relevant answers for potential buyers, sellers or renters (you will have to register with iproperty.com to use this function).

4) Propwall

Propwall.com is the largest free property resources website in Malaysia. In addition to its 4,000 home analysis articles and colossal archive of real-estate pictures, the site is divided up into easily searchable lists which cover the top properties for sale, recent updates on the market and the hottest locations for buying and renting. What truly distinguishes propwall.com as a top site for house and apartment hunters is its ‘Answers’ sections at which the user can derive valuable insights from other peoples queries or ask their own questions. It is set up almost like a traditional forum, but it is more easily navigable and less bogged-down with useless ads and misleading contacts.
   
Propwall.com also has an extensive classified section with full color photos, a star rating system and a ‘number of times viewed’ tally that aptly indicates the properties popularity.

5) RealEstate Investments in Malaysia (Blog)

This savy blog, regularly updated and containing professionally archived postings, will give the potential buyer a personable insight into the world of Malaysian real-estate that is not so easily accessed at other sites. Though the visitor will not find properties to rent or buy, the blog is replete with articles outlining the do’s and do-not-do’s when it comes to finding property in Malaysia. The blogs most popular post, put up in March, contains a black list of developers that should be avoided at all costs.  
   
Questions to the blog’s author, sinleong, are welcomed, and the visitor cannot help but feel refreshed by the down-to-earth language and useful graphics used to illuminate the intricacies of the Malaysian property market.

6) Malaysia Property Inc

Perfect for the foreign investor, Malaysian Property Inc (or MPI) is a government initiative that helps to forge networks and connections between the best Malaysian Industrial companies and prospective financiers from all around the world. MPI possesses the very latest data when it comes to tracking trends and fluctuations in the Malaysian real-estate climate, as well as vital investment information (for both individuals and corporations), which is divided up into easily comprehendible categories on their website.
   
The testimonials visible on MPI’s homepage all affirm that the initiative should be the first destination for the potential investor who wants a thorough and detailed survey of the property market, as well as information relating to tax, immigration (which can at times seem dauntingly complicated) and infrastructure.

Read More:

• Higher Tax Rates for Foreigners who Own Property in Johor
• A Foreigner’s Guide: Buying a Home in Malaysia

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