Expatriate buyers are eligible to buy a property in Malaysia without government approval provided the price is not less than RM250,000 (RM350,000 in some States). For this purpose, they are also entitled to apply for a loan from a local bank for up to 70% of the purchase price of their Malaysian real estate and sometimes more depends on the expatriate eligibility.

There is no upper limited to the cost of properties that may be purchased by overseas investors in Malaysian property. The standard procedure for an expatriate buyer purchasing a property is:

1) Sign a letter of offer and pay 2% of purchase price as an earnest deposit. This also ensures the Malaysian property agent (if any) gets paid by the vendor

2) After 14 days, sign a sale and purchase (S&P) agreement; pay the balance of 10% of purchase price

3) Pay the balance of the purchase price according to the terms of the S&P agreement.

Legal fees, stamp duty on Malaysian property and local agency fees (if used) are also payable. You can rent out your property if you are not using it and we would be happy to assist you in finding a tenant. Some Malaysian property developers offer guaranteed rental returns for a period of 3 to 10 years.

Opening a bank account in Malaysia is relatively easy. Once you purchase a property, you can open a bank account of your choice to start local banking transaction. With internet banking you can access your account in English at all times from anywhere, check balances, transfer funds and even pay utilities bills - all done online through the internet. You can appoint a lawyer of your choice or, if you prefer, we can recommend to you a local lawyer who can take care of all the documentation, approvals etc. and even arrange mortgage financing (if required) when buying Malaysian property. High-end residential real estate in Kuala Lumpur continues to dominate the residential market, but other favoured areas are Mont Kiara, Damansara Heights, Sunway Damansara, Penang and Langwaki.


Prices of property vary by quality and popularity of area but Malaysia property offers a very wide spread of pricing bands. A 30% deposit of the property value is usually required for overseas purchasers of of-plan investment property in Malaysia. Average condominium prices can range from less than £40,000 for a studio to £150,000.

Bungalows from £80,000 to £225,000 or more - depending (as usual) on location - and two storey houses (with 5 or 6 bedrooms and 3 or 4 bathrooms) £200,000 upwards. Currently, base lending rate is 6.5% per annum, but the mortgage market for Malaysian property is reasonably competitive and fixed rate and other discounted rates are available; loans are available up to a period of 30 years.