How you can rent a property and still make capital gains

When it comes to growing personal wealth, Malaysians have plenty of opportunities and avenues. But the main objective you should focus on is how to maximise your wealth within your personal capacity. Malaysians are currently not saving enough for rainy days. According to a Khazanah Research Institute report in 2016, each household only saves 1.4% of their monthly income.

While this reflects a low saving culture, Malaysians are also wired to put money in various forms of investments, diversified in several formats to get your money to work for you. And there are plenty of investment avenues such as stock trade, unit trusts, investment accounts, insurance/takaful and property investments.

Among these are a few stellar investment assets that you will likely venture into in your pursuit to maximise your investment returns. Let’s view a few comparisons below to give some perspective on popular investment instruments’ performance over the mid to long term.

In essence, the highest potential for wealth creation will fall back on property investment. Asians in general are fond of investing in real estate to benefit their future generations and there is no need to question why. With land being scarce and as strategic locations get exponential benefits from urbanisation, property prices will continue to rise and be able to weather strong cyclical movements in the economy.

How can you do it all?

While the middle-age population has reaped the benefits of the growth in property prices since their first purchase 10 to 30 years back, the new and upcoming workforce in Malaysia is feeling the pinch. Properties are no longer a social need but an expensive commodity that few can invest in.

The traditional way to enter into a home purchase will be to pool all savings and investments as a down payment for a home. Seems like a big sacrifice for a piece of ownership of a home but the burden remains with the need to continue servicing the loan that could stretch for as long as 35 years. To purchase a home of RM500,000 value requires you to save up for that initial RM50,000 to RM60,000 (for down payment and miscellaneous charges), which is not an easy feat and will take years.

The first rule of investment is to never put all your eggs in one basket. If you have started small investments in a few avenues, continue to keep them and be disciplined to grow this investment pool. But how can all these help you to enter into homeownership or property investment? Can you find a better financing solution that addresses your current concern on the large upfront cost which is also in line with your current and future cash flow?

Financial opportunity

The optimal solution for homebuyers and investors is to have an easy entry into a home purchase that eliminates the down payment requirement and also helps to defer all the required upfront expenses such as legal fees, stamp duty on Memorandum of Transfer and so on. In addition, if the living expenses such as rent can be deemed as a monthly commitment for a home purchase, it helps many renters with good payment record to be able to own a home in one to two years’ time without additional costs. It may not be a norm in Malaysia but there is a rising need for a “rent first, buy later” scheme to support youths today to attain homeownership.

One of the latest initiatives by Maybank is the introduction of HouzKEY, a “rent first, buy later” programme that allows you to rent with an intention to purchase the homes you choose, at a minimal upfront requirement. Instead of a typical 10% to 15% upfront cost, you only need a 2% commitment as a form of a security deposit that is refundable when you exit the programme.

Imagine being able to own a home without having to part with a chunk of your savings or investments. It’s no longer a zero-sum game but a win-win situation for those who want the best of both worlds, without sacrificing their current or future retirement/needs.

Affordability, certainty and wealth creation

One major benefit for HouzKEY customers is that you are shielded from any property price rise in the market. What’s more, Maybank allows tenants under this programme to switch to buying the property without a need for down payment after just a one-year period at a price that could be lower than the initial locked-in price.

Apart from a buying option, customers who entered with an investment mindset can exit the scheme by exercising the option to cash out (as soon as after the first one-year rental period) and realise the investment returns from the price appreciation of the property.

How does that work? The participant will first buy the property from the bank on paper, after which the property will be sold to another buyer at the price set by the participant. As the “seller”, you gain capital appreciation without even owning the property! From an investment perspective, that sounds good, doesn’t it?

If you’re looking to own a home or invest in a property but think you can’t afford it, think again. This scheme could be what you’ve been waiting for.

Interested?

All you have to do is go to www.maybank2own.com, choose the property you want to rent and eventually own, submit your application online and get your approval in 24 hours! For more information on HouzKEY, go to www.maybank2own.com or chat with us on our live webchat.