Make it easy for B40 folk to find cheap homes, Putrajaya told

PETALING JAYA: A consumer group has urged Putrajaya to improve the marketing of houses meant for the Bottom 40 (B40) income group.

Chang Kim Loong, the secretary-general of the National House Buyers Association, said he welcomed the establishment of a RM1 billion fund to enable property purchases by low-income earners, but he called for efforts to make information easily accessible to the target group.

“This financing for the lower income group to buy property under RM150,000 with the low interest rate of 3.5% is good,” he told FMT.

“But the government must take the initiative to identify where these homes are located, whether they are landed properties or flats, and what the exact prices are.

“We know they are spread throughout the country, but who has the data?

“We believe this information should be available in a data bank controlled by the housing and local government ministry, regardless of whether the homes are developed by the federal government, government-linked companies, private developers or state government agencies.”

Chang said the houses and funding should be marketed in the areas where the properties are located rather than through exhibitions held elsewhere.

Referring to the upcoming Home Ownership Campaign 2019 expo, which will be held in KLCC, he said: “It does not make sense for a low-income family to travel from, say Ulu Yam, all the way to the city to look at the properties.”

He suggested that the houses be directly marketed by MPs or state assemblymen representing the areas where the properties are located.

“The elected representatives know their areas and their people best,” he said. “They can promote the properties at community halls closer to the B40 communities.

“There is no use talking about initiatives for the B40 if we are not marketing to them.”

It was recently reported that 3,834 houses will be offered at discounted prices during the six-month home ownership expo.

Source : FreeMalaysiaToday