Results of two separate polls, which were carried out from 22 January to 26 February 2009 in three countries – Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong - reveal that amongst the three countries surveyed, Malaysians are the most optimistic with majority of respondents waiting for a turnaround in the market before selling their properties, in order to get better prices.

Poll 1: Should I wait for market conditions to improve before selling my property?

• On selling properties, out of the total 104 respondents who participated in the first poll, 39.4% felt that market conditions would improve and that it is not a favourable time to sell their properties.
• 39.4% of respondents felt it is better to let go of properties now and cut their losses as they felt that market conditions will worsen.
• 21.2% felt that market conditions may not be ideal, but remain confident about getting good prices for their properties.

Chart 1: Malaysia, poll results

Poll 2: Considering current market conditions, do you think this is the best time to buy property?

• On buying properties, the second poll - which had a total of 137 respondents – 69.7% of respondents felt that the timing was not right to purchase property, as they believed that chances of property prices dipping in the next six months are high.
• 32.1% felt that property prices are at the lowest, hence it would be a good time to buy.

Chart 2: Malaysia, poll results



Malaysians are the most optimistic about the property market, with majority of respondents believing that the market will improve, while some remain confident about selling their properties at good prices despite current market conditions. In comparison, Singaporeans are the most pessimistic, with majority of Singaporean respondents believing that market conditions will worsen and that property prices will fall in the next six months. Meanwhile, Hong Kongers are taking a wait-and-see approach; with majority of respondents holding back both on buying and selling properties (please refer to enclosed Annex for poll results).

Executive Chairman of the iProperty.com Group, Patrick Grove, says: “The iProperty.com Malaysia website saw a tremendous increase in traffic. We observed that website activities remain high, with Malaysians keeping tabs on the market while waiting for a turnaround. People are still buying, selling and renting, and are definitely still on the lookout for great bargains and opportunities.”

According to Grove, the optimism of Malaysian property hunters could be due to the impact of the US financial crisis, which is less profound in comparison to the impact upon other countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore. “We are not as heavily dependent on the US market as compared to other countries. The Malaysian market was also growing at a different rate from other countries; because we hardly hit our peak before the US financial crisis, we had less of an impact to absorb,” he adds.

While Malaysians remain on the lookout for property buys, they are also spending more astutely. This is evident from the recently concluded iProperty.com Expo (www.iproperty.com/expo) which was held in Mid Valley Exhibition Centre from 20 till 22 February 2009. During the event which had a turnout of over 50,000 visitors, a grand total of over RM200 million worth of transactions were concluded as homebuyers took advantage of the many bargains and discounts offered by developers who participated in the event.

The iProperty.com Group is Asia’s leading network of property portals. iProperty.com Malaysia was recently ranked by Google Ad Planner as the top property portal in Malaysia, with over 300% more unique visitors and 1750% more page views than its closest competitor.

In addition to the speed and convenience of the internet, iProperty.com provides consumers with a greatly enhanced property hunting experience via a comprehensive range of features and property hunting tools. These include a powerful search function; a large database of the latest listings complemented by photos, videos, virtual tours and Google maps; email alerts; a large pool of useful resources and guides, and iExpert, a novel platform for users to seek answers and share knowledge on property related matters. On top of that, it regularly carries out surveys and polls to collate useful data for its consumers, as an added value for property hunters and sellers alike.

iProperty.com online polls and surveys are conducted across three countries – Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong – on a regular basis. These polls pose questions that elicit market sentiment in these three key Asian markets in the real estate industry. The results of iProperty.com’s online polls and surveys are relevant, current and reflective of the market as it reaches a wide audience with its large volume of traffic website and unique visitors.