Property Archives – Ringgit Freedom https://ringgitfreedom.com/category/property/ step-by-step towards financial freedom in Malaysia Sun, 05 May 2024 09:36:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://ringgitfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/hotlink-ok/ringgitfreedom-logo-120x120.png Property Archives – Ringgit Freedom https://ringgitfreedom.com/category/property/ 32 32 The True Cost of Owning Property in Malaysia https://ringgitfreedom.com/property/the-true-cost-of-owning-property-in-malaysia/ https://ringgitfreedom.com/property/the-true-cost-of-owning-property-in-malaysia/#respond Sun, 05 May 2024 09:36:06 +0000 http://ringgitfreedom.com/?p=5822 Owning a home is probably a dream that many of us have. Heck, I even had my story briefly describing this topic - how the dream of my mother (to own a home) had driven me to buy our very first property for our family's stay even if financially it doesn't make sense for me, […]

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Owning a home is probably a dream that many of us have. Heck, I even had my story briefly describing this topic - how the dream of my mother (to own a home) had driven me to buy our very first property for our family's stay even if financially it doesn't make sense for me, numbers wise.

These are probably some of the things that your property agent will never tell you. Otherwise, how would they close the deal with you!? Hence, most of the time all you hear from them is: "Eh, you qualify for mortgage loan, and it's ONLY RM xxxx per month so won't be too much of a burden to you!"

In all fairness, I have nothing against all the property agents out there, as not all apples are bad! Most importantly as with all things with life, educating yourself helps you to identify good from bad.


What Property Costs? Just a Monthly Mortgage right? No?

Let's first understand some of the costs associated with owning a property. If you're planning to get your first property, or don't have any idea how mortgage works, check out my previous article about Malaysian's Guide to Mortgage / Home Loan as I won't be talking about how mortgage works in today's article.

As naive as it may be, many of us only considers the Monthly Mortgage/Loan that we'll have to serve, but often neglect all other costs that comes as part of the Property Ownership Baggage. Yes, I'm gullible as well as I never had considered any other aspects than the monthly amount that I need to pay to my bank.

Here's a quick list of costs that you may incur when you own a property, in no particular order:

  • Purchasing Related Legal Fees/Stamp Duty
  • Mortgage Principal & Interests
  • Title Transfer Fees
  • Renovation Fees, Furniture & Appliances
  • Maintenance Fee & Sinking Fund
  • Servicing, Repair & Maintenances
  • Taxes
  • Insurances

These unfortunately were often neglected and some unfortunate buyers will end up running into cashflow issues, forcing them to sell their beloved property and recoup as much as possible, hoping also to make some small profits along the way.

But can they recoup their losses, let alone make small profits? I've made a handy calculator for those of you who enjoy calculating everything here so do check it out, it's free: My Property Breakeven Calculator


What with all these random costs!?!!?

Well, let's first take a step back taking myself as an example. When I first started renting places for my own during my early working years (to shave off time required due to the travelling distance to KL), I'll head to any property/room listing website such as iProperty, iBilik, etc.

From there, I'll look only for two things: (1) Monthly Rental Fees, and (2) Utilities Included or Excluded

Quite frankly, that is all that matters for property renters, as all other costs are supposed to be taken care of by the property owner hence I didn't bother that much. Fast forwarding to a few years later and applying the same concepts, it is no surprise that many of us (myself included) neglected the other cost, as all we thought about were the Monthly Rental Fees = Monthly Mortgage Fees.

As a property owner, you are responsible for any costs pegged to your property ownership and today, I'll go through them briefly to give you an overall idea.


There are a few potential costs that you will incur the moment you accept a deal to purchase a property. Depending on the price of your property, you'll need to park aside approximately: 2 - 3% of property value for these.

I won't go into too much detail here, as the value fluctuates depending on your property value and may change from year to year (due to reliefs etc.), but generally, they're made up by:-

  • Sales & Purchase Agreement (SnP) Legal Fees & Stamp Duty Fees
  • Loan Agreement Legal Fees & Stamp Duty Fees

If you're buying new properties, some developer will offer to waive it for you if you use one of their panel banks and also their lawyer in drafting up of SnP & Loan Agreement for you. I didn't have to pay for mine when I bought my first property back then.


Monthly Mortgage Principal & Interest Fees

Well, I don't think I need to further explain this. Basically, this will be the amount you owe the bank every month, and I'm sure all of us are well aware of this number before signing our names on the dot. But if you're interested, read more here: Malaysian's Guide to Mortgage / Home Loan

Most of us would require a mortgage loan of some sort when purchasing our property unless you are already multi-billionaire, which in that case you probably don't need to worry about these little costs anyway.


Title Transfer Fees

You'll need to park aside approximately: 2 - 3% of property value for these, depending on the value of your property.

Typically, for new properties, this usually will be a separate process that will be triggered AFTER the completion of construction where parcels/lots were sub-divided from the developer's land to individual ownerships. But if you're buying a sub-sale property, chances are, you'll already have to pay for this upfront so to transfer the "title" (a.k.a. ownership in a piece of paper) from the seller to the buyer.

These are also commonly known as Memorandum of Transfer / Perfection of Charge / Deed of Assignment. Basically, they're crucial to ensure that titles are officially transferred to you / your bank's name.

Personally, I've seen some of my neighbours getting caught by this in surprise as they were not expecting this bill to come, and have already spent their fortunes on renovation, leaving them no choice but to "delay" the title transfer process which itself is a huge risk since they legally don't "own" the title yet and if developer goes poof, they're subscepting themselves for a lengthy claims process.


Renovation Fees, Furniture & Appliances

Well, it's hard to estimate the amount here as it's vastly different for new unit vs. old unit, condo vs. landed, but give or take between RM10K all the way up to RM200K depending on what you are planning to do.

I can only say that this category is probably one of the easiest underestimated fees for first-time property owners - personally, I budgeted approximately RM50K for my furnishing / minor renovation on my new condo - nothing fancy, just the basic stuff - some custom cabinets and furniture/appliances. I ended up spending double the amount. Many people/friends that I know had the same issue where they spent easily 1.5x to 3x the initial estimated amount.

Another factor to consider especially for sub-sale units is the repair fees, as secondary market units may not always be in perfect condition and chances are, you'll have to fork out some money to make new the property.


Maintenance Fee & Sinking Fund

For strata properties such as high-rise condominiums/apartments or certain landed houses within a gated residential community, you'll be required to pay a monthly amount to the Building/Facility Management to upkeep the shared community space (i.e. swimming pool, badminton courts, multi-purpose hall).

Based on the size of your house, the amount that you need to pay may differ but the typical amount would be approx. RM0.25 to RM0.50 per square foot so for condos of 1000 sqft you'll need to pay RM250 - RM500 per month.


Servicing, Repair & Maintenances

As you start staying in your property, you'll eventually lose the privilege of "calling your landlord when something breaks" but instead, you'll need to start taking charges of engaging contractors / service providers directly yourself to have the stuff fixed.

Granted, even when renting places, the property owner may at times delegate the responsibility to you and get your help to manage it, with fees being absorbed by them. And all these small little servicing, repair or maintenance fees will add up over time so make sure to factor them in your household budget.

As for the amount, it'll be hard to estimate as it depends on the stuff in your house so generally it'll come with experience. In my case, I just budget approximately RM250-RM400 per month as a form of sinking fund and kept it aside for all kinds of unexpected repair needs at home.


Taxes

Last but not least, something that will never leave us even after our death: Taxes.

As a property owner, you'll be liable for all these random taxes - Cukai Tanah (Quit Rent) for the land titles, Cukai Petak (Parcel Tax) for strata titles, and Cukai Taksiran/Pintu (Assessment Rates). Amount may differ from one property to another so it'll be difficult to put estimates here. You'll know when you receive the e-bills every year.

Also, should you choose to sell off your property early, you may also be subjected to the Real Property Gains Tax (RGPT) so make sure to check those out!


Insurances

Last but not least, you'll need insurance whether it is meant to secure your outstanding Mortgage Loan balances through MRTA/MLTA/Life Insurance, Fire Insurance for your Building, or Home Contents Insurance to protect your valued goods. The amount will differ depending on the policy that you sign up for.


Conclusion

I hope that this helps first-time owners to have better clarity to know about the upcoming commitments that they will need to bear, shall they choose to own their first property. Unfortunately, many of us have to learn these the hard way when we receive the bill and are shocked.

Only when you have better clarity on what's to come, you can better plan your household budget against these upcoming home-related expenditures to keep it well under 50% of your net income so that you have enough breathing space for yourself and your future.

As always, thanks for reading and I will see you again in my next post! If you haven't already, be sure to follow me on my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for the latest updates!

Cheers,
Gracie

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Malaysian's Guide to Mortgage / Home Loan https://ringgitfreedom.com/property/malaysians-guide-to-mortgage-home-loan/ https://ringgitfreedom.com/property/malaysians-guide-to-mortgage-home-loan/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2021 07:03:45 +0000 http://ringgitfreedom.com/?p=2527 For many, home ownership is the biggest commitment. Hence it is important to understand mortgage and home loans in-depth before committing.

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In one of my previous posts, I explained various different concepts of interest rate ranging from simple/flat interest to effective/compounding interest. Today, we will dive deeper into the mortgage loans available in Malaysia.

Mortgage loan for most of us, would be one of the biggest commitment we will ever have in our lifetime, typically up to the day we retire from the workforce. Hence it is extremely crucial for us to have thorough understanding before signing the dotted lines, worse if under time pressure (to avoid late payment fees charged by Developers, for example)

Personally, I was under "time pressure" back then and rushed through my researches for my entire home purchase / mortgage - trying to be as thorough and comprehensive as possible but at the same time meet the deadlines to avoid late-payment penalties from the developer. Thankfully it didn't go too bad as I was manage to work it out with a plan that suits me and walked away with only some damages (due to late payment).

I hope that with this article, it will help others whom are in midst of their journey in purchasing their first home to accelerate the understanding of home loan / mortgage as a whole, or if better, to understand the whole concepts in-depth before committing to a home purchase (don't be like Gracie).

This article will be part of my Home Ownership Series (in the future lah...). Let's get started!


Table of Contents

  1. What’s a Mortgage?
  2. Different Type of Mortgage Loans
  3. Mortgage Amortisation
    • Fixed Total Payments
    • Fixed Principal Payments
  4. Interest Rate… Does it Change?
    • Overnight Policy Rate
    • Base Lending Rate
    • Base Rate
  5. Other Consideration Factors
    • Your Current Commitments
    • Financing Additional Costs into Mortgage
    • Pay Down Mortgage Early vs. Investing
  6. Wrap Up

What is a Mortgage?

As with all my articles in the past - let's start by first ironing out what exactly does a mortgage mean, shall we?

a legal agreement by which a bank or similar organisation lends you money to buy a house, etc., and you pay the money back over a particular number of years; the sum of money that you borrow

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

Simply put, a mortgage or mortgage loan or home loan is a type of loan provided by lenders to you, helping you to make a home purchase.

Through this process, lenders will typically require collateral to secure the loan in the event of defaults. Hence there's always a saying where the home is never truly "yours" until you fully pay it off.

In most cases, the lenders such as bank will offer up a mortgage loan package, charging an interest rate on the loan amount which may fluctuate over loan tenure in line with economic situations. The borrowers then can use the money in exchange for a property to stay in (or invested in for rental), with promises that they will promptly repay the bank over a period of several years or decades.

However, in the event of default (i.e. the borrower consecutively fails to pay back the bank the promised monthly repayment), the bank will then exercise their rights to the property putting it on auction or "lelong" to recoup the amount owed by borrowers - also known as the Property Foreclosure process.


Type of Mortgage Loans

In Malaysia, there's quite a few type of mortgage loans available for us to choose from but they generally fit in either one of these categories:

As always, there's never a one-size-fit-all solution even when it comes to mortgage loans. Depending on your circumstances, one may be more suitable for you than the other but before we get there, let's first establish our understanding on the different type of mortgage loans.

But before we move on - it's important to establish the understanding where regardless of loan types, all mortgage / home loan will be calculated following the reducing balance principle. If you don't quite understand the meaning of reducing balance - I strongly recommend to first read my previous post on Understanding "Interest Rate" Calculations in Malaysia.


Term Loan

Sometimes also known as the basic loan / traditional loan. As it name implies, it is the simplest form of housing loan available where the repayment period is already calculated and agreed upfront, with fixed payment schedule throughout the tenure.

Interests are calculated on a reducing balance basis, where principal will be reduced during the monthly repayment. In case if the borrower wants to pay an additional amount as an pre-payment to reduce the capital (or full early-settlement of the loan), there will usually be penalty or fees charged as the borrower is breaching the contractual "term" on initially-promised repayment period.

Since these loan usually comes with more attractive rate than semi-flexi / full-flexi, they are most suitable for those purchasing lower-value property for investments/rental purposes already planned out their repayment periods in advance.

The case is even stronger if they also have no plans to accelerate the loan repayments due to lack of cash or plans to redirect any additional cash proceedings elsewhere (e.g. reinvested in other assets).


Semi Flexi Loan

Similar to term-loan, the interests are calculated on the reducing balance where the principal outstanding will be reduced during monthly payments. However, semi-flexi provide the borrowers the flexibility to make an additional contributions / payments to further reduce their principal outstanding.

By doing this, it will subsequently reduce amount of outstanding principal owed hence ultimately reducing the terms required to complete the mortgage repayment as well as reducing interests charged in the subsequent month.

However, semi-flexi are "semi"  because they usually come with a boatload of terms and conditions which you have to strictly pay attention to, such as but not limited to:

  • May come with separate "loan account" number (or combined with a 3-in-1 Current Account for some banks)
  • May have monthly account maintenance fees (e.g. RM5 / RM10 per month to maintain a current account)
  • May requires cumbersome processes before pre-payments can be made (i.e. approvals required or only can perform over-the-counter)
  • May have minimum deposits requirement before it can be used to offset principal balance (e.g. in chunks of RM1000 or RM2000)
  • Usually do not have fees for pre-payment / additional-payments, but will charge fees per withdrawal (e.g. deposit however much you want, but if you plan to use the money and cash out, you'll incur RM25 per withdrawal)
  • Usually comes with specific terms to allow minimum interest charges / minimum loan period / early settlement fees if full settlement before meeting the minimum loan periods a.k.a. early exit penalty / early settlement clause (i.e. to avoid potential abuses such as cash-rich people taking up mortgage with low effective interest, then park their entire cash there as their "flexible FD" to offset the entire loan amount incurring 0% interests from banks but doesn't require commitment to buy the property cash-upfront)

Still, even with some of these strings attached - it is good for those buying their property with intention to ramp up payments in the later year (in proportion to income growth) which will help them to achieve the peace-of-mind earlier by being debt-free.

As long as there are possibilities where you will plan to shorten the home loan tenure by making additional payments, semi-flexi (or full-flexi) will always be the preferred option. Note that unlike term loan, these may not have the "lowest" interest rate but reducing tenure will almost always save more interest in the long run.


Full Flexi Loan

The differences between semi-flexi and full-flexi is really minimal - with the one key differentiator being the less-restrictive terms and conditions / hidden strings in the full-flexi loan. It will typically still retain conditions such as early exit penalty / early settlement clause, and in most cases they will always have a monthly account maintenance fee of RM5-RM10.

As its name imply, full-flexi loan typically provides the maximum flexibility to the borrowers to make pre-payments at any time with any amount, which will directly offset the principal amount. The borrowers can also opt to withdraw any excess amount from the account with no minimums or fees charged.

Most (if not all) banks achieve this by taking the whole concept of loan account one-step further - by combining the loan facility into a 3-in-1 account which will be acting as your home loan, current account with Online Banking and ATM facility with Debit Card (i.e. Maybank Maxi Home Flexi Loan). During the month end, the bank will simply deduct the predetermined/agreed monthly deductions from your bank account along with the calculated interests.

I am currently using such home loan facility and it's really worth the convenience fees paid. Since I can transfer my payroll here and have my both my floating funds (which will be spent later) or emergency funds sitting there, it helps me to reduce my overall monthly interests charged as the interests are calculated on a daily rest basis with better interest rate than Fixed Deposits (that's how bank gets their cash to "lend" out)

The only extra thing I did was to cut-off my debit card on this account as I find it risky to use this card - considering that this is my "basket of all cash" so I'd rather go through the hassle of transferring funds to different bank's ATM card when I need to withdraw funds.


Mortgage Amortisation

Another important concept that we must first understand - the "Amortisation Schedule". Why is this important, you may ask. Understanding the amortisation schedule allows you to better understand how your loan repayments are being structured and whether if it may potentially choke up your cash flows.

Amortisation Schedule, in simple terms, is basically your schedule of monthly repayments from first month (typically upon complete draw-down of loan amount) until the end of agreed tenure (e.g. 420th months for a 35-year loan).

The monthly repayments are the total sum paid to the lender, consisting of the principal repayment as well as interests charged. However, the exact amount distributed between principal repayment and interests charged will vary depending on which amortisation schedule are used.

Just to better illustrate the point, think amortisation schedule as a table listing the exact amount paid on a month-to-month basis, with the assumption that no additional payments were made to reduce loan tenures (for semi-flexi / full-flexi loans)


Fixed Total Payments

This is the most common amortisation schedule which most of us already know today. Fixed Total Payments is kinda like the de-facto standard offered by most of the banks when it comes to mortgage. In simple term, the borrower agrees to pay a fixed total amount from the first month until the end of loan tenure.

Having a fixed monthly repayment helps the borrower to accurately predict their month to month cashflow as the repayment amount stays consistent throughout the loan tenure. Having said that, while the monthly repayment is fixed, the ratio of the contribution to be spent towards Principal vs. Interests will differ throughout the loan tenure.

Unfortunately, the banks will typically weigh heavier contributions toward interest payment in the earlier months and later on gradually increases the ratio of amount paid towards principal repayment. This helps to ensure that banks will collect their portion of interest as early as possible.

For example, assuming that a borrower purchases a RM500,000 property with 10% downpayment, with the balance funded via 35 years home loan at 4.45% interest (more on interest rates in next chapter). The expected monthly repayment will be flat RM2,115.75 per month from Month 1 up to Month 420 (35 years).


Fixed Principal Payments

However, there's another type of amortisation schedule which not many of us are aware of - Fixed Principal Payments. Unlike the fixed total payment, this method locks down the "principal repayment" amount to be paid on a monthly basis (rather than the total repayment). On top of that, the borrower agrees to also pay interests which will be calculated based on the outstanding principal amount at that point in time.

As such, the total monthly repayment amount will vary according to the outstanding principal - since higher outstanding balance will incur higher interest charges. Due to the varying interest charges, it makes it hard for the borrower to predict the exact cash flow for the month. Since the interests are calculated on the outstanding principal, it will result in significantly higher monthly repayment during early tenure.

This may may put a significant strain on the borrower's ability to manage their cash flow. If borrowers can afford the higher monthly repayment during early years, then it may not be a bad thing at all as it will result in savings on total interests paid - since principals are reduced at a more consistent rate early-on.

If the borrower takes up semi-flexi or full-flexi loan and have the cash-flow ability to maintain "higher" commitment throughout the loan tenure, it can even shorten the total loan tenure resulting in even more interest savings!

For example, assuming that a borrower purchases a RM500,000 property with 10% downpayment, with the balance funded via 35 years home loan at 4.45% interest (more on interest rates in next chapter). The expected monthly repayment will be varying from RM2,740.18 - RM1079.38 per month from Month 1 up to Month 420 (35 years), with higher commitment in earlier months and gradually lowering the monthly repayment amount as outstanding principal reduces.


Interest Rate... Does it Change?

Most home loans offered in Malaysia will come with floating interest rate - which means that interest rate may change (either increase or decrease) throughout your loan tenure. Albeit rarely, there are still mortgages which are offered at fixed interest rate where the interest rate stays constant throughout the loan tenure.

Ultimately, before we go about comparing interest rates, it's crucial to first understand how these Effective Interest Rate (EIR) are calculated. If you are not sure what an EIR is, do check out my previous post on Understanding "Interest Rate" Calculations in Malaysia to at least first have general understanding on interest rates.

There are few factors that will determine interests to be charged on our mortgage, and frankly these topics itself are deep enough that it warrants an article of its own. For now, I will keep it brief enough with resources for further reading.


Overnight Policy Rate (OPR)

For banks to lend out monies to borrowers, they first must have sufficient liquidity in place in line with Central Bank's requirement on Statutory Reserve Requirement (SSR).

But what if they don't have sufficient liquidity / cash reserves from others' savings / deposits? They will resort to borrowing it from their peers (banks) and then lend the amount to you. In simpler words, OPR is basically the general interest rate bank charges one another.

Overnight Policy Rate in Malaysia (source: Bank Negara Malaysia)

Since OPR fundamentally affects the general interest rate where bank operates and gets their source of fund, any changes in the OPR will definitely affect the rest of the financial systems - including mortgages or fixed deposits rate.


Base Lending Rate (BLR)

Base Lending Rate (BLR) was the de-facto standard used when advertising home loan packages, at least before January 2015 and has since been deprecated. In simpler words, Base Lending Rate is determined by the central bank based on the overall efficiency of the financial institutions across Malaysia.

Whilst the original intention was to provide a consistent and predictable interest rate across several banks - it lacked transparency to the consumers as to the spreads charged by the respective bank for consumer loans. This is especially since most (if not all) banks offered discounts to the base lending rate as the efficiency improved and competition strives.


Base Rate (BR)

This is where Base Rate (BR) was introduced in January 2015 to help boost transparency. Base Rate is basically the net reference rate, bench-marked against respective bank's general lending cost and Statutory Reserve Requirement (SSR). In simpler terms, Base Rate is the bank's baseline rate to "secure" the funds to be lent to borrowers.

Other components of loan pricing such as borrower credit risk, liquidity risk premium, operating costs and profit margin will be reflected in a spread above the Base Rate. In other words, these are the "premiums charged" by the bank on top of their base rate as a baseline. This increases the visibility of the factors underlying changes to the Base Rate.

In order to find out the Base Rate for respective banks, you can visit either your bank's website or Central Bank's compilation here.


Effective Interest Rate (EIR)

What does it mean to us consumers? To get the effective interest rate of the loan, depending whether if it is BLR or BR:

  • Base Lending Rate:  subtract the discounts applied on top of the BLR to convert into effective interest rate
  • Base Rate:  add the premium charged on top of the BR to convert into effective interest rate

Bank Negara Malaysia summarised it well with the below illustrations, which you can find more here:

What's important to remember is that with mortgage loans, unless you have signed up for a fixed interest rate package, in most cases the package would be on floating interest rate which means that when OPR goes up - so does the interest rate charged for your mortgage (and vice versa)


In the hard times of COVID-19 like today, with lowest-ever-seen OPR rate throughout the history of Malaysia, do factor in the future possibility of rising OPR rate in the long run which will result in higher interests payable for your loan repayment.

For example, when I signed up for my loan packages in January 2015, I was charged a +1.25% spread premium on top of Maybank's Base Rate (which was 3.2% in 2015). This effectively puts my mortgage's effective interest rate at 4.45% back then in 2015.

Fast forward to January 2021, with the negative outlooks projected by central bank, the OPR remains at the lowest throughout Malaysia's history and thus Maybank's Base Rate are currently sitting at the level of 1.75% from July 2020. With this, my effective interest rate for mortgage have been sitting at 3% since then which helped me to greatly reduce the interests charged.

Eventually, what goes down will come back up. In May 2023, the OPR went back up to 3.00% which makes my effective interest rate to be approximately 4.25%. Hence, it is very crucial for you to consider these factors when taking up a mortgage loan - and not solely looking at only the interest rate at the point of sign up.


Other consideration factors

Before deciding on the mortgage, aside from the more common stuff like the interest rate, l


Your Current Commitments

Or in the financial world, what they call the Debt Service Ratio. Simply put, review your current budget and debts - always ensure that your total debt to be below 40-45% of your net income. General advise is to keep the monthly instalments of mortgage at maximum of 30-35% of your net income - after factoring in the possibilities of rising OPR in the future.


Financing Additional Costs into Mortgage

There are certainly many other costs when it comes to purchasing our home on top of the listed property price. Whilst I won't be able to go through all the details today, I would focus on the common offerings of financing additional costs into the mortgage (i.e. MRTA / MLTA insurance)

Before making such a decision, one important point here is to always consider the consequences of compounding interest working against you. By increasing the amount of principal owed, you will naturally incur more interests in the long run.

Even if it's just RM10K, by financing it through your mortgage, this RM10K amount will be compounded at the loan's effective interest rate throughout the tenure and you'll end up paying more interests which may even be close to double of the original amount (assuming 4.45% EIR on 35 years tenure)


Pay Down Mortgage Earlier vs. Investing

There's no right answer for this as it really depends on individual circumstances. For some, the peace of mind of being debt free is worth it; but for the others, there's no mathematical reason to pay down mortgage especially if the EIR is around ~3% today, where we can easily generate investment returns above the EIR and hence putting the money into better use.

Marcus wrote a very comprehensive post on his thoughts on this subject so instead of me rewriting on this topic, I'll leave you to his post "Should We Pay Off Mortgage or Invest First?" by Marcus Keong


Wrap Up

I hope that this article have helped you to establish deeper understanding on the topic of mortgage / home loans available in Malaysia. As with all financial decisions, you have to understand what suits you the most.

For example, if you're rotating cash flow and maximising number of mortgages of flat/apartment with good rental yield with target to pay it off within 10-15 years (as per loan schedule), and do not foresee any additional cash to be put back into reducing the loan, then getting the best Term Loan with lowest Interest Rate may be the most appropriate case. 

On the other hand, if you are buying your first property (like I was back then) and are committed to reduce interest as much as possible, but requires flexibility for loan schedule just in case of active income could not catch up as quickly as expected - then a semi-flexi or full-flexi loan may be more suitable for you. Make sure to also factor in possibilities of OPR adjustments in the future which will impact the amount of interests payable throughout the loan tenure.

Don't forget to read and understand all the fine prints / clauses as well - as some loans will have petty conditions (favourable to banks, not for borrowers) embedded into the loan offer. For example, some semi-flexi imposes restriction on withdrawal and/or fees upon withdrawal; whereas some will impose minimum qualifying amount to reduce principal.

If you haven't already - I highly recommend you to download Karl's Mortgage Calculator [Apple App Store / Google Play Store] which you can play around with different mortgage loan settings which to calculate various stuff like repayment, amortisation schedule, etc. - and this will definitely helps you with better understanding.

As always - thanks for reading and see you again in my next post! If you haven't already, be sure to follow me on my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for latest updates!

Cheers,
Gracie

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