Why John & Samantha Jones signed up for MM2H?
(Malaysia Newspaper 17th June 2006)

The article below gives an example of 2 Malaysia my second Home visa-holders, and why they decided to settle down in Malaysia.

Holiday in Langkawi

Samantha Jones, 38, remembers vividly that moment in 2002. "We were sitting on the lanai in Pelangi Resort and all of a sudden I just felt it … wow, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed in my whole life," recalls Jones. Samantha and her spouse, John, 50, were holidaying in Langkawi for 10 days.

"On the way to the airport, I cried all the way. I just didn’t want to go home."

The Joneses of Somerset County have always talked about emigrating overseas when John, a fireman, retires after 32 years of service. At first, they thought of moving to Spain. But on their second vacation to Langkawi, they made up their minds to move here. Back in the UK, they did some research and found out about the MM2H programme via the Internet.

Applying for Malaysia my second home: Easy!

"The programme was straightforward, we filled in our applications, sent them off and we knew in six weeks that we had been accepted," says Samantha who worked as an insurance clerk in UK. "It’s that simple."

In Langkawi, the Joneses also found their dream house - a Malay wooden house on
a hill amid a tranquil kampung. Though they are only renting now, the Joneses are excited about sprucing up the house with stuff they love and also shopping for furniture.

"I’m probably one of the youngest retirees around," smiles Samantha who quit her job to come here. "John’s pension is good but we both would still have to work if we stayed in the UK."

"Medical insurance for us would have cost £4,000 pounds (RM27,000) a year in UK," adds John. "Here, we managed to get insurance coverage for £800 (RM5,400) for both of us."

How great is Malaysia?

Costs aside, the Joneses gush about how great Malaysia is.

"In Langkawi, we can walk down a busy street and no one’s hassling you, selling you something or dragging you into a restaurant," says Samantha. "And the people - we love them. It’s hard to find anyone as generous or kind as a Malaysian."

"We walk down the street, people smile at you and they want to talk to you," adds John. "Sometimes it takes 10 minutes to drive past a place because the kids are waving at us."

The only thing Samantha finds   :. lacking is a place to shop on the island.

Convenient shopping in Kuala Lumpur

"I’m ready now to go to Kuala Lumpur to shop for girly stuff. I can’t find certain things here like nice leather sandals," says Samantha.

"And people here speak such  good English, it makes us lazy to learn Malay," confesses John who understands simple Bahasa Malaysia.

Adapting to Malaysia and Malaysian culture

The Joneses have adapted well to their new life although they have only been here less than three months (at the time of the interview).

When one of their cats, Tigger, went missing for two weeks, Samantha consulted a local bomoh (witchdoctor) from the village. "I was desperate and would try anything just to know if he was still alive. If the bomoh had said my cat had been eaten by a snake, I’d have come home crying but at least I knew," recalls Samantha.

The bomoh told Samantha: "Your cat’s alive, but its been taken and kept in a cage near the airport." Two days later, Tigger came home bruised and wounded, but very much alive.

How to spend your retirement in Malaysia?

How do the Joneses plan to spend their retirement years?

"The word, ‘nothing’ comes up," smiles John. The couple look forward to traveling more around the Asia Pacific.

"Well, John just wants to play golf and fish. I just want to sunbathe," Samantha chips in.

"What I would really love to do eventually is volunteer at the pet clinic (Langkawi Animal Shelter)."

Article By LEONG SIOK HUI, The Star newspaper 17th June 2006: Malaysia Newspaper

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Property news Malaysia: Summarized

Malaysian developers want to reduce the money needed in the savings account when you apply for the Malaysia My Second Home program. But in stead property developers demand for buying a Malaysian property.

Since most of us under the Malaysia my second home programme do need a property to live in, Malaysian developers are jumping on the bandwagon to target the Malaysian my Second home expats. Malaysian developers would like to see a lower amount of money go in the savings account so that a property has to be bought in stead.

Property news Malaysia: opinions

Looks great, less money to put in the savings account, but what if you already have a place to stay in Malaysia before applying for the Malaysia my second home?

Or you go for long term security and say: since the Malaysia my Second home is only valid for 10 years, will I take the risk of buying a property? Where is the guarantee that I will be around my investment for as long as the investment is mine? It will be quite difficult to manage a house when you are no more granted extension of your Malaysian My Second Home Visa. 10 years seems long, but houses do have a much longer life-span.

Although it is said that there is now less paperwork to do for Malaysia My Second Home holders when buying a house, I don’t hear anything about the waiting time for the paperwork to be done, which was until now almost double as long as for the local Malaysians.

For westerners, we feel the lack of security when we see that most Malaysian houses that have iron grils on doors and windows. This locked up in a gril house could give a bitter taste of "living like a king in Malaysia". Houses in gated surroundings and secured condominiums are already answering this challenge, yet this doesn’t take away the general feeling of lack of security. We know: we take the good things with the not so good things: you have to look at the whole package…

Last but not least: is Malaysia ready for the challenge to produce high end quality houses for people that are used of living in western countries? I heard a few times already when visiting looking for house purchases in Malaysia: Mister, bear in mind that our local workers are not paid much, so sometimes the finish is like it is paid for.

Property news Malaysia:

The STAR newspaper June 5th 2006

Read the whole article below:

Malaysia My Second Home Sceme spurs interest among foreign buyers

THE spin-offs from a highly successful Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme to the property sector would be tremendous if it spurred greater demand for residences from the participating foreigners.

Developers hope that allowing property purchase as an alternate to cash deposits will add a progressive dimension to the property market.

The Tourism Ministry is looking into injecting further flexibility to the programme by doing away with the need for a RM300,000 cash deposit so that the foreigners would be able to use the money to buy their houses priced at a minimum of RM200,000.

Under the recently introduced guidelines, residential properties purchased by foreign buyers under the MM2H programme are exempted from requiring the approval of the Foreign Investment Committee. The buyers only have to produce a letter from the Ministry of Tourism certifying that they are participating in the programme.

This hassle-free process makes it much easier for developers to market properties to this target market. Developers have given the thumbs up to the Government’s efforts and expect the programme to drive greater foreign interest in the local real estate sector.

E & 0 Property Development Bhd director of marketing and sales, K.C. Chong, said the programme would spawn more opportunities for foreigners to invest in the country.

"Certainly the idea of being able to own a home here, without all the previous hassles, is an attractive proposition for foreigners who work here or have some connection with this country and would like to have ‘roots’ here," he told StarBiz.

"We have customers who have worked or are working here who enjoy their time in the country. Although they will eventually leave, they want to plant some roots here so that they can return to this lovely country. This speaks volumes for Malaysian hospitality and the Malaysian way of life," Chong said.

According to Mah Sing Group Bhd president and group chief executive Datuk Leong Hoy Kum, with the updated and more flexible conditions, it would be easier for foreigners to set up home in Malaysia.

He said there was room for the MM2H programme to grow and contribute significantly to Malaysia’s property sales and FDI in the property sector.

"Many of these foreign buyers seem to prefer landed homes in gated communities or condominiums. Important considerations include security, facilities and proximity to facilities such as reputable international schools. While most of them appreciate locations with good accessibility and amenities, no doubt some would also like to live away from city centres, away from the hustle and bustle of life," he added.

The programme is also expected to spur more positive changes in the property fraternity, notably lifting the bar for developers who are keen to attract foreigners to their projects.

E & 0’s Chong said: "To ensure their projects are attractive, developers have to lift their current offerings a grade higher, as they are literally competing on the world stage.

"An obvious area is in the delivery system - the most glaring being quality. Developers really need to raise the bar in this regard. Our marketing skills are already of high calibre, but we will also need to be better to compete with the overseas players. We do have a price advantage in that our property prices are among the cheapest in the region."

Chong said the types of properties favoured by participants vary depending on their lifestyles and needs.

"Most of our (E&0 property) buyers liked our city developments, such as our condominiums in Dua Residency, and our semi-detached homes in Idamansara, which are located in well-known locations. I think this case is true with other developers - foreigners will always tend to buy in places that are known."

He said managed properties tended to be more attractive as buyers knew the properties were in good hands, and when rented, offered good yields on their investments.

"0f late, we have had some interest from foreigners in our Seri Tanjung Pinang project, which suggests that resort homes are equally attractive. The key point here is still familiarity and comfort with the location, as the project is very close to Penang’s Gurney Drive," Chong added.

All these buyers have tended to come from Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Britain and Australia.

Syarikat Permodalan Kebangsaan Bhd head of property division, Steven Lim, said that as the participants were mostly retirees, medium sized apartments or condominiums were the most popular.

Meanwhile, Mah Sing’s Leong said that with security being a main consideration, the company’s gated and guarded communities would be especially appealing.

Developers have to ensure they build quality homes in the relevant minimum price range of RM200,000 in all states except Penang, Malacca and Johor, which have a minimum price of RM250,000, and certain areas of Sarawak where the minimum price is RM300,000.

As for developments in good locations, Leong said most developers would build higher-end lifestyle homes that command better prices.

"The homes have to have certificates of fitness (CF), not built on Malay reserve land or reserved for bumiputra quota or agricultural land developed on the basis of the homestead concept," he added.

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