Johor sees influx of expatriates from SG buying Johor homes.

[the lynx]

What about buying in a place like Penang? We considered it...wife grew up there, but impossible to say what prices will be like in 15 yrs when we want to sell.

I imagine - that in a desirable location - prices will go up if there is no global calamity in the mean time. Your big issues will be property management and building maintenance. Why not work your wife's network and see what they know?

I'm just a noob when it comes to this so I can only say this from local knowledge:

Penang is going to enter a property bubble phase in another decade or less. For now it is good but real estate is starting to be crazy. The island is just like Singapore -- small, charming and favourable. The only thing is missing is good federal government, which is already an iffy thing because only half on the things fall into the jurisdiction of state government (the opposition party), so that hampers the development of the island.

So I can't advise you when you should look into buying a property there.

As long as Penang is able to create more space for property development via land reclamation, it won't enter the bubble phase yet. Balik Pulau at the east has yet to be fully utilised and fully saturated so it will buy some time. And once the Second Link is completed, you will see the buzz in Batu Maung (on south island) and Batu Kawan (on the mainland).

Butterworth (on mainland) is still OK but the value won't jump as madly as the ones in the island.

Oh wait, d-pot, you're talking about commercial or residential?

[AndrewV]

you just need one serious crime publicized and all the expats will come running back

family is more important than money

[Mi Amigo]

you just need one serious crime publicized and all the expats will come running back

family is more important than money

I get the feeling that the crime situation in Malaysia is somewhat exaggerated by agents and other people with vested interests in Singapore. Would expats coming from Europe, USA, basically most places, consider it to be a high-crime country? I doubt it. IMO such stories would be more likely to put off Singaporeans from buying property there.

[the lynx]

you just need one serious crime publicized and all the expats will come running back

family is more important than money

I get the feeling that the crime situation in Malaysia is somewhat exaggerated by agents and other people with vested interests in Singapore. Would expats coming from Europe, USA, basically most places, consider it to be a high-crime country? I doubt it. IMO such stories would be more likely to put off Singaporeans from buying property there.

I don't know about this bit but I can vouch for the high crime rate.

[ecureilx]

you just need one serious crime publicized and all the expats will come running back

family is more important than money

I get the feeling that the crime situation in Malaysia is somewhat exaggerated by agents and other people with vested interests in Singapore. Would expats coming from Europe, USA, basically most places, consider it to be a high-crime country? I doubt it. IMO such stories would be more likely to put off Singaporeans from buying property there.

well, when there is not much news in SG, what better news than to talk about the unsafe neighbours ??

Well, it goes both ways ..

two months ago, the talk of the town in Malaysia was the Bugis Ferrari Crash .. and in the same paper, as a small news item, there was this news of a Pajero which had split into two pieces somewhere in Malaysia, and more people died ..

[Mi Amigo]

I don't know about this bit but I can vouch for the high crime rate.

Interesting perspective Lynx. I certainly didn't want to imply that there was low (or no) crime there, just wondering about the relative rate compared to other countries that 'expats' are coming from. For example, JB is not my favourite place, but to me it didn't feel any less safe than many parts of London.

[the lynx]

I don't know about this bit but I can vouch for the high crime rate.

Interesting perspective Lynx. I certainly didn't want to imply that there was low (or no) crime there, just wondering about the relative rate compared to other countries that 'expats' are coming from. For example, JB is not my favourite place, but to me it didn't feel any less safe than many parts of London.

Never been to London yet but crimes in Malaysia is just as bad as the ones in other countries (so it'd be a really blatant disregard to say that Malaysia has the worst crime rate).

Break-ins, robbery, rape, murder, robbery-and-rape, robbery-and-murder, rape-and-murder - not frequent enough to make a title for itself but it is happening (on increasing rate) unfortunately.

[Mi Amigo]

That's sad to hear, especially that the crime rate seems to be increasing. To some extent I think it also depends on what you are used to. For example, I was in San Jose (USA) recently and every morning the local TV channels would reel off a long list of shootings, arson attacks, etc. And yet I've never felt unsafe in California. Of course, you need to know not to go to East Palo Alto and other unsalubrious areas, but the same applies in London and presumably in Malaysia too.

[x9200]

Lynx, you've been sending contradicting messages Malaysia crime-wise is probably as normal as majority of the Western countries. What makes it kind of apparent to be on a high side is the fact that Singapore is pretty crime sterile but it doesn't mean it is extra dangerous "out there". Do we agree?

[the lynx]

Lynx, you've been sending contradicting messages Malaysia crime-wise is probably as normal as majority of the Western countries. What makes it kind of apparent to be on a high side is the fact that Singapore is pretty crime sterile but it doesn't mean it is extra dangerous "out there". Do we agree?

Ah sorry that my post came across as contradicting. What I was trying to say that 'high crime rate' in Malaysia is just the same as of any other country, although I did add a personal note that it is on increasing rate.

I guess we do agree that coming out from 'safe' Singapore, everywhere else out there is 'not safe'.

Note: Draining Monday, just got home at 1AM in Singapore this morning from an arduous journey

[x9200]

Was your band blessed with a grand piano for the tour abroad?

[the lynx]

Was your band blessed with a grand piano for the tour abroad?

More like getting slammed by a grand piano (not literally though). The typhoon in the Philippines last week was pretty merciless.

Nah, that trip was for work.

[thismyvoice]

Lynx, you've been sending contradicting messages Malaysia crime-wise is probably as normal as majority of the Western countries. What makes it kind of apparent to be on a high side is the fact that Singapore is pretty crime sterile but it doesn't mean it is extra dangerous "out there". Do we agree?

It is not just the high crime rate, but the integrity, competency and attitude of the law enforcement officers. You cannot depend on them.

As to staying away from unsafe areas, there was a recent kidnapping in Mont Kiara (KL), car hijacking at the petrol kiosk near the causeway, etc. These are 'safe places'.

But hey, if you look beyond that, it is a big and beautiful country.

[ScoobyDoes]

Lynx, you've been sending contradicting messages Malaysia crime-wise is probably as normal as majority of the Western countries. What makes it kind of apparent to be on a high side is the fact that Singapore is pretty crime sterile but it doesn't mean it is extra dangerous "out there". Do we agree?

It is not just the high crime rate, but the integrity, competency and attitude of the law enforcement officers. You cannot depend on them.

As to staying away from unsafe areas, there was a recent kidnapping in Mont Kiara (KL), car hijacking at the petrol kiosk near the causeway, etc. These are 'safe places'.

But hey, if you look beyond that, it is a big and beautiful country.

The kidnapping was certainly a shock, an exceedingly rare one, but something that can happen anywhere. With regards the car jacking note that whilst it may have been a 'safe' place it was still something like 3-4am.

In the majority of cases in JB where you'll see a robbery, mugging, car jacking or something, it's at a crazy time in the middle of the night when sensible people would be tucked up in bed, and especially a mother/grandmother/kids/maid maybe out to score a cheap seafood dinner in the kampung.

I lived 5yrs in the suburbs of KL and my secretary had her bag snatched, house broken into and my foreign colleague hadstolenClass stollen at knife point (not what i call 'flying under the radar') but despite that, I felt safer there than many places. Don't bring attention to yourself, don't do anything stupid, pay attention and generally life passes okay.

I certainly had/have my run ins with the polis, all on the roads, but they were/are fair and we have a bit of banter usually, so all again is fine.

[thismyvoice]

Lynx, you've been sending contradicting messages Malaysia crime-wise is probably as normal as majority of the Western countries. What makes it kind of apparent to be on a high side is the fact that Singapore is pretty crime sterile but it doesn't mean it is extra dangerous "out there". Do we agree?

It is not just the high crime rate, but the integrity, competency and attitude of the law enforcement officers. You cannot depend on them.

As to staying away from unsafe areas, there was a recent kidnapping in Mont Kiara (KL), car hijacking at the petrol kiosk near the causeway, etc. These are 'safe places'.

But hey, if you look beyond that, it is a big and beautiful country.

The kidnapping was certainly a shock, an exceedingly rare one, but something that can happen anywhere. With regards the car jacking note that whilst it may have been a 'safe' place it was still something like 3-4am.

In the majority of cases in JB where you'll see a robbery, mugging, car jacking or something, it's at a crazy time in the middle of the night when sensible people would be tucked up in bed, and especially a mother/grandmother/kids/maid maybe out to score a cheap seafood dinner in the kampung.

I lived 5yrs in the suburbs of KL and my secretary had her bag snatched, house broken into and my foreign colleague hadstolenClass stollen at knife point (not what i call 'flying under the radar') but despite that, I felt safer there than many places. Don't bring attention to yourself, don't do anything stupid, pay attention and generally life passes okay.

I certainly had/have my run ins with the polis, all on the roads, but they were/are fair and we have a bit of banter usually, so all again is fine.

How about kidnapping in shopping centre car parks. Remember the woman who was kidnapped, raped and burnt to death? Heard about the high profile cargo thieves / robbers in a custom restricted zone. They forced warehouse guards and custom officers to drink chloroform-laced liquid before running off with truckloads of intel chips.

But then again, things could have been worse if not for Mahathir. 20 years ago, some privileged people in Malaysia can take out a gun and shoot you dead, and not be persecuted. Ironically, it is especially bad in the Malaysian state nearest to Singapore.

There are lots of horror stories in Malaysia, but those will be saved for another day. Enjoy the country but always be on your guard and don't be lulled by the false sense of security.