(From second right) Reezal talking to Azam and Noorfathihah, who are looking to buy a house during the Jom Beli Rumah Carnival. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
VISITORS to the Jelajah Home Ownership Programme (HOPE) and Jom Beli Rumah Carnival at Dewan Milenium in Kepala Batas, Penang, are one step closer to their dream of home ownership.
A total of 92,000 affordable units were promoted by 23 housing developers at the event.
Self-employed Azam Firdaus Ahmad Yaziz and his wife Noorfathihah Mohd Noor Azam, both 27, were among the thousands of visitors looking to buy a house.
“We are presently staying in a rented house.
“Now that we have a child (a four-month-old boy), we plan to buy our own house,” said Azam.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who attended the event, said 1,253 developers in Penang, Perlis and Kedah were offering 232,000 units for sale.
“More than half of these units are priced below RM300,000,” he said.
On a related matter, Reezal said the Malaysian Government was planning to build 500,000 homes under the 12th Malaysia Plan from 2021 to 2025.
He said for Penang, the ministry was offering over 5,200 units under the Malaysia Civil Servants Housing Programme (PPAM), Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB), 1Malaysia People’s Housing programme (PR1MA) and Rumah Mesra Rakyat Keluarga Malaysia.
Reezal said the housing development industry had weathered the Covid-19 crisis and recorded a growth in transactions in the first quarter of the year.
Apart from property developers showcasing their projects, the event also featured food stalls and booths set up by small and medium enterprises to promote their products.
On July 15, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said Malaysians looking to purchase their first house in the coming year would enjoy stamp duty exemptions of 50% to 100% under the Malaysian Family home ownership initiative or i-Miliki.
The incentive under the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s new HOPE programme is aimed at helping more people to own homes.
