CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd said that tender activities for Phase 1B of Sabah Pan Borneo Highway seem to be picking up with the award of several new contracts.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry has recorded 117 abandoned projects covering 30,840 units of houses as at January 31 with 81 of them comprising housing projects priced RM300,000 and below.

Concord Housing Development Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of UOA Development Bhd, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Trendcell Sdn Bhd, the operator of Jaya Grocer, for a potential collaboration to operate a premium grocery store at the developer's upcoming development — Bamboo Hills Residences, off the DUKE Highway and near Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

Noteworthy:

• Freehold
• Built-up size: 5,700 sq ft
• Land size: 11,055 sq ft
• Semi-furnished
• Layout - ground floor: factory, 1st floor: office
• Ceiling height: 30ft
• Power supply: 200 amps, 3 phases
• Nearby amenities: small businesses and F&B outlets, Kawasan Perindustrian Hi-Tech 6 & 7, University of Nottingham
• Accessibility: North-South Expressway, SILK, CKE, LEKAS, Jalan Semenyih, SKVE (via SILK), KL-Seremban Expressway

When: September 2023

Noteworthy:

• Built-up size: 2,800 sq ft
• Land size: 4,268 sq ft
• Freehold
• Semi-furnished
• 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
• Nearby amenities: UTAR, Sungai Long Golf & Country Club, Batu 11 Cheras and Bandar Tun Hussein Onn MRT stations, Sungai Long Specialist Hospital, various small businesses and F&B outlets
• Accessibility: SILK, CKE, Jalan Sungai Long

When: December 2023

This presents a “positive counterweight narrative to Malaysia’s comparatively low interest rates” when compared to median interest rates of 9.25% in the Americas, 5.25% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 3.5% in the Asia Pacific.

The Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) has expressed its support towards the Ministry of Housing and Local Government’s initiative to introduce the Urban Redevelopment Act.

More than 10,000 units of Residensi Madani and Residensi Wilayah are targeted to be developed in Putrajaya, starting this year, and expected to be completed in 2027.

Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) urges the government to provide tax exemptions for intragroup services in logistics and maintenance and repair services, and not only for the same taxable services under the logistics services. Intragroup services are any services provided by related companies, and these services should be tax exempted.

The government has decided to amend several requirements for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme to attract more foreign participants to the country.