THE time is ripe for Malaysia to use the build-then-sell (BTS) system to eradicate industry problems. Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s verdict that an extension of time given by the Controller of Housing is illegal is a great victory for house buyers (“A win for house buyers”, The Star, Nov 27; online at bit.ly/star_homes).
Under the current sell-then-build (STB) system, most of the risk of property development is borne by the people while developers make profits. Home buyers have long suffered from delays, abandoned projects, inaccurate marketing and poor quality. With the STB system, a buyer has to make a commitment before actually seeing the house, and by then he/she is forced to put up with it even if it’s not as advertised by developers.
