My Cup of TEE - Gavin Tee

Gavin Tee : Talking Property – A Man for the Times

2011-10-27T21:13:00.002+08:00

Source from : Top 10 of Malaysia

He admires Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson for their focus, dedication and professionalism. He is a marketing-man turned property-man. Trained in America, he now plies his trade in Malaysia. He used to support property developers market their products, but, with the Swhengtee Real Estate Investors Club, he and his co-investors are now very much into property dealings themselves and are looking for good properties to buy.

The Club is the first of its kind in Malaysia. What motivated Gavin Tee to form the Swhengtee Real Estate Investors Club is his passion for sharing the knowledge he has gained in the property market. But like everything else, for long term sustainability, the Club must turn a profit. Its business modus operandi is “Buying Property in Bulk”. The Club networks like-minded property investors, organizes them into a formidable buying group and leverages their considerable pooled resources into a force that usually help them transact property deals on terms that are more attractive than any one individual can achieve.

Thus, the Club recently managed to acquire a residential property in Bukit Ceylon in Kuala Lumpur and an office tower block, called the VSQ that is due to be completed in 2012, located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Gavin feels that 2010 to 2020 will be a golden era for property in Malaysia. Property prices in Malaysia for the past two years have lent credence to this positive outlook of his. But like any retail business, property is all about location, location, location. Besides Kuala Lumpur, Gavin likes properties in Klang, Muar, Ipoh, Kuantan,Cyberjaya, Iskandar Johor, Melaka, Pulau Pinang and Kota Kinabalu. The Club’s property acquisitions in the Klang Valley indicate where the prime investment locations are. “Prospective investments must balance risks against benefits, and a good Return On Investment (ROI) for a property is at least 10% per year,” says Gavin.

Another area that Gavin also likes is tourismrelated properties. “It can be specific hotels and resorts, or property developments catering to foreign investors like many in Melaka. Melaka combines attractive property investments with enlightened public policies that are especially alluring to Singaporeans, and Melaka is only one to two hours drive from Singapore,” he adds. He also recommends Pulau Pinang and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.

“The massive Mass Rapid Transport project, which is part of the Economic Transformation Program of the government in the Klang Valley will also be a major boost to the property sector in Kuala Lumpur,” says Gavin. He sees the stretch from Taman Maluri in Cheras to Kuala Lumpur Sentral to be especially beneficial to existing property owners. “Properties in the Bukit Bintang area and the stretch from Cheras to the town of Kajang will also reap the rewards from the MRT development,” he adds.

The MRT project for Gavin reflects the globalization and urbanization trend that is occurring all over the world. As countries climb the economic ladder, urbanization accelerates and the major metropolises around the world
require massive and rapid investments in transportation infrastructure to cater to the influx of workers. “Kuala Lumpur will become similar to New York City or London, where efficient and comfortable public transportation makes urban living a unique experience and makes a city exude its own cultural ambience,” says Gavin.

When asked to comment on the recent budget 2012 announced by the Prime Minister, Gavin has this to say, “It had some goodies for the property sector. One good piece of news is on the Real Property Gains Tax. Instead of
increasing this tax to 30%, the government adopted a 5% to 15% tax schedule for the disposal of properties to dampen speculation. This new formula will not adversely affect the property market too much.”

On the recent announcement by the Prime Minister that the government will play a major role in construction of affordable residential properties on government land, Gavin believes it will make housing affordable for the Rakyat, especially to first-time buyers and to those living in the urban areas, where housing can be very expensive. “Land costs which are at 20%-25% of total costs is the single biggest item for prices of properties,” says Gavin. “With lower land costs, developers can provide higher quality building materials and better-designed housing,” he adds.

Gavin also supports the increasing move by Malaysian organizations and companies recently to acquire foreign properties or develop foreign projects. “The Employee Provident Fund and companies like SP Setia, Mah Sing and UEM have taken advantage of depressed property prices and favorable exchange rates in London, for example,” he says.

Gavin also likes property investments in the United States, the country where he had obtained his university degree. “But risks, like in any foreign forays, will be especially pertinent, and further research and careful evaluation will have to be done,” says Gavin. And he thinks the United States-based investors will have advantages over foreigners because of their proximity to their investments and being indigenous to the market. “The property market is attractive over there because it is very depressed and has more room to depreciate further, and the current US Dollar exchange rate is advantageous,” he adds.

malaysia property outlook 2011

2011-01-14T22:27:00.000+08:00

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Malaysia Real Estate Outlook 2011 by Swhengtee

2011-01-02T11:24:00.002+08:00

By Star Property
Gavin Tee: Real estate outlook for 2011

About Gavin TeeGavin Tee is founder and president of SwhengTee International Real Estate Investors Club, and managing director of Arborland & Co. Tee has conducted many training courses for various business establishments in Malaysia. He was a professional trainer for the Continuing Education Programme (CEP) of the KLSE Directors’ Training Programme.

Presently, he is actively involved in investment consultancy, project marketing, land investment and international real estate services. Tee shares his views on expecting the best and worst for year 2011:

The real estate market had gone through a rollercoaster ride in recent years, from a soaring market in 2008 to a depressed market in 2009 and skyrocketing again this year! There will be a very special phenomenon in 2011 because the best and the worst opportunities in the real estate market will emerge. The implementation of a maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 70% will affect the investing movements in the housing market, while the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) will create new prospects and opportunities in the real estate market.

The targeted implementation of the LTV ratio is expected to moderate the excessive investment and speculative activity in the residential property market, which has resulted in higher than average price increases. According to the government, the main objective of this policy is to encourage home ownership. This policy will not help to curb speculation. Instead, it will jeopardise the real estate market and dampen the national economy.

Property prices are still relatively low and transaction activities are stifled. For example, many
owners of high-end apartments and second-tier urban houses are facing difficulties at selling their properties and the 70% mortgage cap simply made the situation worse. In the secondary market, many houses are presently facing financing problems. The 70% mortgage cap will cause further difficulties to them in disposing the properties. Even some of the “hottest” properties in the market are affected by this policy. As the economy has not fully recovered from depression, this measure will cause a double blow to the real estate market.

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Budget 2011 and globalisationThe development plans that Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in Budget 2011 will spur the real estate market, especially in globalised areas where economic activities are most active. Investors must be aware of the strategic plans announced by the government as the real estate market in Malaysia will move forward with globalisation.
The Greater Kuala Lumpur project will create a strong impact for the country. Strategic urban planning and development will not only enhance Malaysia’s image internationally, but also promote the development of the surrounding cities and towns. For example, the construction of the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka will attract large numbers of local and foreign investors to invest in our country as this iconic office cum commercial building will create an international identity for Malaysia in this globalised era.

Continued growth Looking into the future, I predict that the market will continue to flourish next year. Even though the market had gone through major changes in the past few years, the best and the worst deals will occur in 2011. Commercial properties with special design concepts, office buildings, green buildings, as well as commercial properties related to the tourism industry have high potential next year.

The real estate market is estimated to continue growing next year. Taking medium-cost property as an example, the price of properties near urban areas has not increased very much for the past 15 years. Even though prices of new properties launched in these areas have increased by 20% to 30%, it does not depict a bubble in the real estate market. The overall housing prices are still considered relatively low at the moment, with plenty of room for growth.
Pockets of bubbleHowever, there seems to be a very unhealthy phenomenon in the real estate market this year as many investors rushed to purchase new projects even though the selling price is comparatively high. This has resulted in small bubbles in certain areas, where some of the projects do not have high potential for investment. These investors might face difficulties in renting or disposing their property next year. I advise investors to dispose any properties even with low capital appreciation.

Innovation and interesting concepts are the factors causing new buildings to sell at higher prices compared to old buildings. However, smart investors should not just look for new properties but also old ones as the prices are much lower and investors can renovate the building with new concepts. In a nutshell, I believe that properties with great potential at low prices are available everywhere. Investors must do their homework and search for the best opportunities that come along.

an interview by Star property

2011-01-02T11:12:00.002+08:00

By Sherry Koh Dec 17, 2010

The humble properTee investor

Over the years, real estate investment consultant Gavin Tee, 44, has helped many people through his involvement in philanthropy, politics and property consultancy. It wasn’t until recently that he decided that he should make himself rich as well, apart from just coaching people and making them rich. Today, he and members of his investment club Swhengtee International Real Estate Investors (REI) Club, which was founded in May 2010, purchase property blocks and units in bulk.

In a recent release addressing Malaysia’s real estate outlook for year 2011, Tee says, “There will be a very special phenomenon in 2011 because the best and the worst opportunities in the real estate market will emerge.”

StarProperty speaks to the humble Tee, who is also one of the partners of mYoga at his office at The Boulevard, Mid Valley City.

Tell us about yourself.Basically,
I got involved in property industry for approximately 19 years. I began my property career with MBF properties followed by working with an real estate agency and a developer as a marketing manager. I set up my own real estate agency 15 years ago. Three years ago, I changed my approach towards the real estate industry by venturing into real estate investment education . In October 2009, I transformed into an investor. Instead of just teaching people on how to invest, I am leading people to invest. So that’s how I changed myself in the last 19 years.

Were you in real estate all this while?
I stayed in the US and Canada for seven years since 1985. I majored in International marketing and I love marketing. In the US, I run my own business for two years before returning to Malaysia. The first thing I did upon returning was to apply for a job and got involved in direct selling of a slimming product. A few months later, I took the franchise and started the business on my own, sadly to say the business failed within a year. So I closed the outlets and I lost some money. I then applied for a job and accidentally jumped into property industry, which I thought it wasn’t my interest and was just for money-making purposes.

But once I stepped into the world of real estate, it was so much more different than what I had perceived. In the first month of employment, I beat all 200 sales persons nationwide and became the top sales person, making RM10,000 per month. It was huge amount of money for a fresh graduate.

That’s how I got into property, and since then I treated myself as a professional, meaning that we not only offer our services but also advisory. I wasn’t an investor then because I did not think of earning that way and I thought that I only deserved consultancy or agency fees or commission. However, all the while, my interest is in sharing. It’s my character. During that time, I also organized a lot of events for NGOs (non-governmental organisations). I was very active in NGOs for 15 years and at one time, I held 15 top positions in NGOs, politics and so on. I was spending 70% of my time in social activities of course from there I built my networks. That’s how people knew me in the first 15 years, as an NGO man. Not many knew me as a property man because I only served some personal and corporate clients. It was three years ago in May 2008 that I had my first official sharing with the public under The Swhengtee Property Talks.

After 15 years of hard work in the social scene, I found that in NGOs, no matter how hard you worked, people would still think you have a personal agenda. For us, we did not think about what we can gain.. It was so hard to raise funds. And sometimes we had to come out with our own money. You know we were quite poor because we neglected our own business. However, people still did not appreciate what we did and that was so frustrating. So instead of getting funds from friends, I aimed to make everyone in my circle wealthy so that when we wanted to raise funds, we did not have to plead with people.

Everybody was very excited. They were making money from property investments. They had no problem in contributing because they made money from our networks, my teaching and new opportunities. In October 2009, I started investing in group purchases. Every property I purchased, I advised people to buy. Now, almost every month our group purchase one project.
SwhengTee International Sdn Bhd was set up in May this year (2010), whereby we started the business as an investors’ club in June.

So, SwhengTee International is very new.
Yes, very new. But the property talks have been going on for the past three years. Initially, my students got together with me every one or two months. We organized dinner and I made presentation to update property market to them.. Until such time I think it is better for me to spend my own money to set up a physical club with facilities, ie seminar room, library, etc. .
In the last 2 years, we focus on Chinese-speaking market even I had bilingual program. However, we will put more emphasis into the English-speaking market from now onwards.
To reach the public, I came out with a TV programme broadcasted on Astro 304, and I also published a book in Landlording, as well as setting up a Real Estate Investors Club and organizing 100 investment talks in 2010. We got all these things done within 4 months, it was unbelievable.. The most important thing is that we invested in a lot of properties and so far our group have reached a total investments value of RM200 million.

The investment worth RM200 million is as a group? Initially, we purchased as a group. In the last few months, we turned into ‘en bloc purchasers’. Property investment is not just buying at lower prices but also managing and enhancing the property’s value. The most important thing is that you must be able to dispose it at the right time and good price. With ‘en bloc purchase’, we can enhance and turn RM1 cash investment into RM10 return. For example, using the space more efficiently, get the right tenancy mix, renovation and son on. We just bought the VSQ building behind Armada Hotel (Petaling Jaya). We want to be involved in both purchasing and managing. We want our investors do not only make 10% per year, but make a 100% return on their investments.

You talk about enhancements to mark up a property’s value. How do you go about it?
For example, if it is an office building, you can get quality tenants. Get the right management team, design the concept and market it. Just like a shopping mall, you can design a theme, you give the mall a life, which can determine its future and value. It sounds easy but you need to conduct a proper study and research.

We purchased the whole block of Bukit Ceylon Condo. We arranged a central management for the 40 units. We pool the rent to make sure all investors collect rental from their investment , which means that even if 30 units are rented, the remaining 10 units also share the rent and costs. Investors are busy, especially if they have 10 properties, they may not have time to manage. We have a group of professionals such as architects, lawyers, bankers, interior, feng shui masters and so on. Therefore, we are able to enhance the value. We also sell properties through our networks. If you want to sell your property to the right people at the right time and right price, it’s very difficult. There are too many properties out there.

What do you cover in your three-day course?I
cover a lot of things in the three-day course. Landlording is one of the subject. When you are rich, you have to be happy. Most of the rich people in Malaysia who own a lot of properties are not happy because they face a lot of problems, particularly dealing with tenants. I teach the property investors how to reduce or minimize the risk at all stages. We also teach them how not to make common mistakes. And, of course, what to buy and how to sell, that is, Portfolio Management.

Do you think that there’s a property bubble?We look at it differently.
There are quite some properties which are over-priced especially those so call special projects. But generally the Property price in Malaysia still low, maybe only 5% is too high. One of the principles is we do not speculate but look for the potential ones. The property market in

Malaysia is already a good opportunity. Prices of properties that are supposed to be very high somehow are maintained low for 15 years. Prices of those that are not supposed to be that high are in demand because of new concepts. When you go global or become more commercialized, there are lots of opportunities from the differences. Mont kiara is one of them.

The bubble seems to be exist only when it is overpriced and oversupplied. Malaysia is adjusting quite right. For example, high-end condos in KLCC are oversupply but not overpriced. The land in the city centre is getting scarce. It’s not a bubble but it is an inactive period. Last year, I presented a talk, “Is the worse over?” and I told them that by November last year (2009), the worst will be over and we have seen the price rose by a 10% to 20% this year. However the oversupply problem will not end. It will take at least three years to absorb. This is the thing about Malaysia; everyone builds the same thing. During the last three years, people were building high-end condos. However the current trend is that people are moving into commercial building and offices.

There are some small bubbles scattered but not in general.

So you are saying that in Mont Kiara, the prices will adjust in the next two to three years?I will say the oversupply problem will be reduced to a “comfort” level 3 years later. It may reach 80% to 90% occupancy by then. Some properties in Mont Kiara and KLCC right now have only 20% to 30% occupancy.

For those paying monthly installments, no matter how low, be quick to rent it out. But a lot of condos in KLCC and Mont Kiara are sold to foreigners, some of which were cash purchasers and they left the property as it is. That will affect the whole development. So that’s why when we buy, we buy the whole block so that we are in control. We set up the club to gather those who have the same approach, common interest, knowledge and those have capital in order to make a very fast decisions. In property, when opportunities come knocking at the door, we have to make speedy decisions and act fast to tap on the opportunities. The Malaysian market changes rapidly today, compared to the last 20 years.

Portfolio management is very important. We know when and where to buy, rather than just follow the news. We study the past and movement of every single category and area. We may not know every single thing, but we have a lot of experts and sources of information to tap into. In the long term, we want to be involved in international markets because globalisation has to take place. Since 2007/8, globalisation took place for countries such as Middle East, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. I am expecting Malaysia property market will soon to be globalized and expecting a super cycle in 2013.

I am very interested to be involved in studying how to transform Kuala Lumpur into a global city. That will make a big difference to the prices of property. People may think RM1 million is expensive, but that property might turn into RM10 million. I always believe that the minority, a small group of people, will own the majority of property in the prime city centre. If you don’t want to be involved, all the public listed companies, foreign companies and government institutions will occupy these prime properties. Therefore, it is good for us when we can group our club’s investors together, to get involved.

We are looking into buying prime properties in the city centre where our members can be a part of these prime areas; sit back and wait for globalisation to take place and then enjoy the multiple success. We don’t treat it as property, but as an opportunity for business. We look at property investments as a business.

How many talks do you conduct yearly?
In 2010, we conducted 100 talks, both large and small.
Do you teach specific strategies?Overall. Sometimes I have guest speakers from legal and finance, as those areas are not my expertise.

What’s your property portfolio?
We buy everything at different times. As a group, we have purchased Gated and Guarded bungalows, factory light industrial, medium-cost apartments, office tower, hotels. Almost everything, except land right for now.

Can anybody just join the club?
We want people who are passionate about property investment and treat it seriously as a business. So, it is conditional. I think next year, membership is by referral or invitation only

What if someone is really passionate but does not have the finances to invest at the moment?
I always advise people need to learn first. People can spend five to 10 years’ savings, but when you ask them to attend a one-day class, they are reluctant. They totally ignore the importance of education and simply purchase with all their life savings. It’s quite sad to say that they only follow what is hot. And most of these ventures may not make them money.

And I always said that for more than half of Malaysian properties, you don’t make money. Even if you gain 5% per year, you are losing money because of inflation and the interest factor. Through our surveys, 90% of first-time buyers are not happy or did not make money from their first purchase, including myself.

What are some of the common mistakes that you can share with our readers?
We have a course called ‘10 common mistakes’. Firstly, a lot of people are not able to verify information. So when they step into a showroom or read the a brochure, almost every project looks perfect to them and worth for investing. They only look at two or three projects and they step in to buy. The mistake is that people don’t treat it as a business and they don’t want to learn.

Today, there are changes every single second. So if you are not in the market and don’t have the knowledge or proper network to source for information, you are basically going to be a poor home buyer, not an investor. Secondly, young people don’t know how to leverage in terms of financing. They don’t know how to calculate all the expenses, they mismanage their investment and end up losing money in the end. The more ignorant you are, the less knowledge you gain. That is why I share my knowledge with the public through the media such as tv and newspaper write up and ads. As part and parcel of our seminar programs we also promote our DVDs and TV programme to increase our members and investors’ knowledge on property investment.

What do you think of Government’s ruling on the LTV ratio?
There are a lot of people complaining. When you look at the loan part, I think it’s more important for the bank to value the property properly before giving loans and not for the Bank Negara to introduce the capped margin on loan. To minimize the risk , the property we purchased must be lower than the market value, with high potential to appreciate.

Even if you take a 100% loan for a property which purchase price is under market value, then, it is safe for the bank. But if the property is worth RM1 million, speculated until RM1.5 million, hence, even if 60% loan is given, it is still unsecure for the bank. The government must educate people on how to invest and not discourage them from investing. It’s a free market. No matter what it can’t be halted. Eventually the property market has to move according to the international and regional pace.

I still think our property price is low. We pay high prices for our cars, travelling and infrastructure. Some of us pay the same installment for a car and a house. In addition to this, there are other expenses such as petrol and parking costs. The transportation costs are more than housing expenses. In some countries, housing is three times more than transport as the property prices are very high. So our property prices are relatively low.

Any advice for investors?
The best thing to do is to invest in the right property, those that have the potential to appreciate. What you are purchasing must has the potential – in terms of capital appreciation and rental. This business is very simple.

Yes, very easy to lose money as well.(Laughs) Not really. If you really spend some time (learning), it is still very easy to invest, especially in Malaysia.

Why did you decide to invest in mYoga?
Well, health is wealth. They go hand in hand.
For information on Gavin Tee’s seminars and/or Swhengtee International Real Estate Investors, visit www.swhengtee.com.my

SwhengTee Property Investment Intensive Course

2010-03-15T15:21:00.003+08:00

Dear Property Investment Enthusiasts,

A very special 3 days 2 nights real estate investment program prepared for individuals who are going to invest in 2010, "The best year to Invest", join us by calling 03-7983 0103/016-2020 001 or visit our website www.swhengtee.com.my

CNY Property Investors Networking Dinner

2010-02-04T15:19:00.033+08:00

CNY Property Investors Networking Dinner

3rd February 2010: Last Night was a night to remember as SwhengTee's 2010 CNY Networking Investors Dinner was held. More than a 110 participants comprising of developers, property speakers, laywers, researchers, bankers, architects and investors gathered not only for the networking opportunity but also to celebrate Gavin Tee's Birthday at Berjaya Hall, Bukit Kiara Equestrian Park.

The event started with Gavin giving a welcome speech and making the introductions of his VVIP Guests, including Dato Yap, Ho Chin Soon, Juanita Chin and Chris Tan.

Guests could be seen mingling and chatting among each other as new friends were made, not only for the potential business opportunities but also to share their investment experiences. The time came for Gavin's talk titled "2010 - Real Estate Market Forecast & Opportunities". It was conducted superbly as the prominent speaker and real estate investment consultant conversed in both Chinese and English simultaneously to cater to the mixed crowd.

"The Year of the Tiger promises great success for the property circle in Malaysia, whereby an investor can still make great returns provided the right tools are being used. These tools would include Capital, Interest, Networking and Action," he added

He emphasized on the potential of the Malaysian Property Market by doing comparisons with the neighboring countries. "Malaysia is still seen as one of the least likely places for huge investments due to several key factors. Hence our property values are still way below its potential. If we are able to solve these issues there is no doubt that Malaysia can be the new haven for local and foreign investments," he added.

Celebrations were at full swing as the cake cutting ceremony was held along with the lucky draw prizes. Overall it was a fantastic night filled with social networking & learning; and made possible by Gavin Tee and Amcity Capital Sdn Bhd.

Gavin's Presence in Penang

2010-02-04T15:13:00.013+08:00

30^th January 2010: The Penang property market was

to be a strong force in the very near future. Thus, it

was no surprise that investors were already speculating about its market potential. Gavin Tee, the Real Estate Investment Consultant was once again traveling up north where he was invited as a speaker to participate in Juanita Chin’s ‘The Property Investment Club - 2010 Seminar Series’

Participants gathered intently as Gavin presented his speech titled 2010 – The New Property Cycle with Opportunities Begins

“The new year would definitely bring certain opportunities if you look out for them. Penang is definitely a market which I will study further as it has the potential to be a World Class Tourism Spot. By looking at its characteristics and recent property trends supported with the right developments, I believe that Penang can be a hot tourist destination,” he said.

Gavin went on with sharing his predictions and the property types that will be in demand for 2010.

“If an investor does his homework and analysis, he or she would be able to point out the High-end condos, landed and commercial properties that will give returns in the long run.”

“You must be ready to invest for the long term, as quick returns would be limited and with an estimated holding time of one year. I foresee that the property market would only adjust itself again and rise up to its natural state within 3 years,” he added.

It was a bright and sunny day in Penang, where participants were most satisfied with the sharing opportunities provided by Gavin Tee and Juanita Chin.

BACK TO BUSINESS FOR GAVIN

2010-01-27T10:20:00.010+08:00

BACK TO BUSINESS FOR GAVIN

AT SECURITIES COMMISSION

"A New Property Cycle Begins in 2010"

Last Saturday (24^th January 2010) was an exciting one, as over 500 participants attended the one day “Where to Put Your Money in 2010” event at the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bukit Kiara. With a distinguished list of speakers from the real estate, market trading and banking industries, it was a memorable outing for any investors as wave after wave of knowledge and key facts were pointed out.

One of them was Gavin Tee Swee Heng, a Real Estate Investment Consultant and Speaker. His key notes on “2010 – The property trend and its opportunities” proved enlightening and filled with vital facts as the participants listened intently.

“The Secondary Market is a strong market force in the next few years to come. Many investors will slowly but surely turn towards these categories as they see their potential in the upcoming years,” he said. “Tourism- related properties and Green Building Concept will also start to get popular and investors shall look into it from this year,” he added.

Despite the concerns of racial issues and discrimination, the unstable and ever-changing political stance, and the huge influx of overseas migration and overseas market investments slowing down the economic growth, Gavin still thinks that these are not enough to halt our rise in the property sector. “All the above might lead to a slowdown in the property market growth and result in “Malaysia’s property value becoming the lowest in the region. However, I look at it as a good opportunity as there is bound to be changes very soon. The globalization process will definitely take place and the nation has no choice but to be more liberalized.”

Gavin also shared his experience in his property study trips to Dubai, Shanghai, Australia and analyzed the over supply problems and speculations.

The seminar was held in Mandarin and organized by Hua Zhong (The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia), Sin Chew Daily and Great Vision.

TAPPING THE INVESTORS’ NETWORKING CIRCLE

2010-01-22T12:24:00.006+08:00

TAPPING THE INVESTORS’ NETWORKING CIRCLE

Gavin shares the Networking Importance for 2010 Property Outlook

There has been much speculation as to what the year 2010 would bring to the property industry. After going through a speed bump year due to the worldwide economic downturn, many were concerned as to whether the recovery of this market would be swift or slow moving.

As the New Year progresses, going back to basics seem to be the only sure way of investment success. Networking platforms are as important as ever, where gatherings for real estate investors, developers, investment consultants and bankers are crucial in building contacts and business relationships.

Gavin Tee, a prominent real estate investment consultant and speaker believes it is a good year to start your investment again, provided you have an ideal platform for the long run. “Networking platforms are so important nowadays, as social events with the right participants bring in new faces that can widen your knowledge on the current property cycle and trends. This will assist with your decision making and ultimately determine how successful your investments will potentially be this year ,” he said.

Gavin will be sharing more of his views on the outlook of the property market during this “CNY Property Investors Networking Dinner” from 7.30pm – 11pm on the 3^rd of February 2010 at Berjaya Hall, Bukit Kiara Equestrian Park. For those who are interested to join him for a Networking Dinner and Talk, please call 016 2020 001 or 03-7983 0103 for reservations.

A CNY Property Investors Networking Dinner

2010-01-11T23:19:00.004+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai

A Chinese New Year Dinner organized for Real Estate Investors. You are invited to join the "property investors networking night". Let's meet the property industry experts and share their success.

A talk will be presented by Gavin in English and mandarin titled " 2010 Real Estate Market Forecast and Investment Opportunities"

Remember, Feb 3rd, 2010, 7:30pm at Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club, See you !!!!!

Call 016-2020 001 for Ticket details

the world needs this clock

2010-01-09T16:01:00.004+08:00

it is amazing,any of us needs such a clock
it is a Very interesting clock and but also very frightening, with all the facts presented! Now how we going to love the earth

Pls click here to see the world

http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

2010 – A Beginning of another Real Estate Cycle

2009-12-31T15:34:00.005+08:00

Gavin thinks it is a year to start Investing

2010, a year whereby the world’s financial market is recovering, and believed to be a new beginning of the property investment in Malaysia. If we look into the real estate investment cycle, this year (2010) can be considered as a new start. Gavin Tee, a Real Estate Investment consultant and speaker believes it is a good year to start your real estate investment again. However, he advises that, as the way of recovering is so much different from the last Asia financial crisis (1998), investors are recommended to adjust their investment strategies accordingly.

The 2010 budget has been an upset to the property market. However, Gavin believes the government would come out with some incentives and new policies to boost the market in the month of April to July. He strongly believes that real estate transaction will be really active in second and third quarter.

Last week, Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib announced to amend the proposed RPGT to apply only for those who resell the property within their first 5 years of purchase. This is the sign that shows the government’s concerns and understands the importance of real estate towards the economic recovery to the country. This is a good start for 2010.

Gavin Tee is a registered real estate agent and also the Principle Investment Consultant of Amcity Capital Sdn Bhd. He specializes in conducting real estate investment courses and marketing research. He has been conducting or invited as a guest speaker for more than 30 real estate seminars and courses in 2009.

He said, “The real estate market will start very slowly in the first quarter as the result of the announcements of RPGT, the increase of interest rates and less favorable bank loan packages. Besides, the festive seasons will also attribute to the slow market in the first quarter.” However, Gavin thinks that investors should get prepared to invest in property after Chinese New Year.

Nevertheless, Gavin thinks investors should draw out their long term plans rather than expect a short term gain as the property market could just grow slowly in the next 2 to 3 years. It will be difficult to get FAST return investments.

Gavin believes that there is good news in 2010 for the real estate market but there wouldn’t be many surprises. The world economy is just in the beginning of the recovery stage and the key investors of the respective countries ( ie, US, Europe, Japan) shall be focused on the opportunities in their own homeland. There may only be an influx of foreign investments within the second to third year’s time. In addition, Malaysia has never been the first choice for foreign investments; therefore, the direct impact on economic recovery to our real estate market is relatively insignificant. However, the real EFFECT shall take place particularly in the High-End residential and commercial markets in the end of 2011 or 2012. We expect the cross-border investment to significantly push up the Malaysian real estate market and the country shall be on its way to become the investment haven to the world.

Basically, Malaysia is still the lowest for investments in the region and with a huge potential. The slow real estate market is mainly attributed by the earlier world economy conditions, the government policies and oversupply problems. However, investors with longer term planning would be able to get the huge profit out of it.

Gavin forecasts that the market in 2010 will turn to the secondary market. The new launching projects have hit another high price lately and most developers will no longer offer incentives. These are one of the reasons for switch of investment trend. In addition, the big number deliveries of new completion projects also attract the secondary market transaction. The strong competition in this area will create more opportunities.

High End condos in KLCC and Mont Kiara have a great number of completed units delivered within 2006-2009 and flooded the market supply. The owners are expecting a hard time in renting out their properties and therefore affecting the market price. This is a good opportunity for investors to catch up on the OVERSUPPLIED units as long as the investors have a ready plan for the next 3 years.. Gavin believes the oversupply will be absorbed by the market within 3 years time. As the supply and demand balance up, the market price should be able to go back to the level of RM1000 to RM3000psf (a 50% to 100% increase in price)

Gavin thinks it is very strange that there is currently an oversupply of residential units in the city centre and on the other hand, an oversupply of commercial units in the suburban areas (which is normally otherwise). This is the first time in the Malaysian real estate market history. And this is the reason why Gavin thinks the adjustment of prices will take place and generate a huge investment opportunity.

Shop lots and Offices in the city centre district will continue to be strong in 2010. However, there will be a huge oversupply problem in the suburban areas as well as new housing projects. The high launching prices and oversupply problem will be the main issues faced by the owner on rental. These include Puchong, Kota Damnasara areas, Subang and Bkt Tinggi, etc. However, there are still some good commercial properties in the same areas continuously enjoying good returns. Good commercial property will normally not be affected by oversupply problems anyway.

On the other hand, The Resort Properties and Green Buildings will begin to be the investment choices for investors. You will find that there is a growing interest on these properties. The world and our government will be the main forces creating the awareness on the importance of such properties. Although it may grow slowly but there is big potential in profit gains within 5 years. Thereafter it will grow rapidly. However, there are not too many choices in 2010 as there are limited buildings and projects with the above characteristics are available in the market.

With regards to the experiences from the last crisis which offered a period of 4 years to acquire goods and low property pricing, Gavin thinks 2010 is different:

1. The interest rate is so much lower compared to 1998 to 2003; we can almost say the highest to the lowest

2. The oversupply (which are mainly medium cost houses) happened in the outskirt and suburban areas in the last crisis while it currently occurs to the prime properties in the city and prime areas

3. The market will be able to absorb the oversupply much faster than the last crisis

4. There are not many auctions and bad debts (NPL) in this crisis

5. Today’s market in Malaysia is more “Globalised” and the property cycle is shorter

For the reasons stated above, WAITING is not a good strategy to apply like last time. Gavin believes we may only have ONE good year to invest.

If we are able to manage such trends and draw out a comprehensive long term plan, next year will definitely be a good year to go into the market, and 3 years later would be the harvest year where it shall be a good time to sell.

from Christmas eve to Boxing day

2009-12-27T23:39:00.004+08:00

My Christmas Day in Gold Coast, Australia

I spent a very special christmas eve on the air. I was travelling form KL to Australia and reach Gold Coast in the early morning in the Christmas Day.

My Christmas day was a special one. i spent a day at the beach at Surfers paradise... it was really different.

Day after, i enjoy my BOXing day. I had a big shopping day in Harbour Town, Gold Coast , ha ha ha, Shop until the models all DROP ( they dont sell their last piece loooh

Millions of Malaysians Migrated Overseas

2009-12-17T00:54:00.002+08:00

Millions of Malaysians Migrated Overseas,WHY?

On December 4th, Wong Sai Wan gave the “Reasons to leave, Why not” article in the STAR to explain why the number of Malaysians leaving to settle down in other countries is growing. This is really alarming and something the Malaysian government must study for the sake of our country’s future.

There were more than a million Malaysians who chose to leave the country for many reasons, and I believe most of them left because of “Discrimination” in educational, economic policy and treatment pointing to racial problems. Recently, there were some who migrated due to a better prospect in their career opportunities. However, this is not really an excuse to migrate as most of them can find the same opportunity in Malaysia or Asian countries years after they gained experience abroad. But they chose to apply for citizenship instead of a “temporary stay”, that is PR status.

According to former diplomat Dennis Ignatius who wrote in his column in The Star last month, there were more than 300,000 in Britain, 200,000 in the US, 95,000 in Australia and 50,000 in Canada. Of course, there are many more staying in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia that may not be in the statistics. Recently, it has been a migration trend to Australia. Malaysians seeking to migrate to Australia increased tremendously and it came as big surprise that that includes a big number of Malays.

I have travelled around the world and I can find Malaysians in almost all of the countries. I remember meeting some Malaysians in Venice, Mexico and even in Quebec, northern Canada who spoke very fluently in French.

Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay told the Dewan Rakyat 2 weeks ago that a total of 304,358 Malaysians left the country in one and a half years between March 2008 and August 2009. I understand from friends that these are no longer just non-Bumis but also including some Bumis immigrants.

Many students who study abroad chose not to come back when they have an opportunity to; due to a comparison of the FREEDOM and DISCRIMINATION issues with our home country.
When I was studying in Canada and USA in the 80s, I found most of our Malaysian boys and girls have a view to our country at almost HOPELESS. Most of them try to convince me to stay back in the States. I remember I had an American girl friend who asked me to stay and be an ’American’, and my answer to her was , “Follow me back to Malaysia to stay or we can only be friends.” I kissed her goodbye because I loved Malaysia and she loved her country.

What is the reason of “moving out”? It is in fact understood but most of the Politicians chose not to face it or rather to ignore it. I have done much studies and I can 100% assure you that the main attributes are Racial problems, Discriminative policy and Safety and Security. Of course, there are a small number who left because of family or career opportunities.

I was once actively involved in supporting the Government’s brain gain programme to attract ex-Malaysians or those living overseas to come home 7 years ago. I was undertaking such programs in the American Universities Alumni but I was so disappointed and I name this brain gain program as a “NICE SHOW” but no action taken. There were more people going out to work instead of coming back in the same period.

In 2003, I organized a big dinner attracting 700 overseas graduates and was supported by 8 overseas universities Alumni ( including USA, UK, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Singapore, etc.). We set up a theme ;” United, We Return, We Serve, We Succeed “. We called all Malaysian Students to COME BACK but it seems that it did not bring much attention to the government although it was published and broadcasted by all major newspapers and TV stations.

I agreed with Mr Wong that the authorities must examine the reasons why 1% of the population left in just 18 months and will this figure continue to increase. Are there any particular policies that are driving these good people away? Thus it should be the first priority of the 1 Malaysia plan.

Based on my estimation, more than 20% of Chinese and Indian Malaysians migrated, and do not include the future generations who are born overseas. It could be 30% if you take all into consideration.

If you ask me if I ever regretted coming back to serve the country, I can only reply. “I do have a lot of disappointments with our country and the policy, but I still love Malaysia.” However, for a SAFE and PEACEFUL life, I may choose to migrate when I am older and I am no longer able to contribute much to the country.

Two Hours to get your Passport? Bull Shit!

2009-12-16T00:18:00.004+08:00

Experience in Hell aka immigration office

Heard that the immigration office is much more efficient today. You can get your passport renewed within 2 hours. After 5 years, I really thought I could get it in within the stated duration.

However, it took me 4 days to get my new passport that almost delayed my overseas trip.

On the First day, I arrived at Subang immigration office at 1pm. My friend told me I wouldn’t be able to get my passport in the same day. As Damansara Height is nearer to where I live, I therefore rushed to the Damansara office to avoid a long distance travel to Subang again.

However, after a long wait in Damansara office, I only realized the counter issuing the NOMBOR is TUTUP.

On the Second day, I rushed to Subang at 11:30am, I was lucky to be able to queue up at the numbering counter. However, the officer told me the number for that day has been all given out. He asked me to come back the next morning.

I was unhappy and complained that I have run over two places for two days and yet I was still unable to get a number. It was quite a distance to travel. What happens if I fail to get my number again tomorrow? I thought they promised 2 hours to get my passport renewed?

He didn’t really look at me and asked me to come back at 7am the next day to ensure I can secure a number. I argued that the government office is open from 8 to 4:30pm, hence why should I come in the early morning to queue? Won’t it be a better idea for you to open at 7am or 24 hours; Instead of getting people waiting outside the door?

He turned to me and realized I had a wrong form, and proceeded to pass me the RIGHT form. I questioned him on how it can be wrong as I followed the procedure from the web site and printed the form provided by the government. He acted with a “Don’t Care” attitude and told me the system has some problems to accept the internet form.

I asked if we can use the KIOSK to deposit our application. However, he replied that the Subang immigration office doesn’t have such facilities. It is only available in Damansara Height office. Thus, I quickly drove to Damansara.

When I reached Damansara office, the officer said NOMBOR SUDAH HABIS again. With regards to the kiosk, he said all the 4 machines are not functioning today. I had no choice but once again to GO HOME!

On the 3rd Day, I reached Damansara a bit earlier. It was about 10am after my busy morning work, but it took me half an hour to locate a car park. And eventually I chose to park the car illegally.

I took along my colleague for help. I asked her to line up to get a number while I went to check the machine. Fortunately, the kiosks are functioning that day. I asked my colleague to come down to help.

When it came to my turn, I realized my MyKard ( IC) has problems reading. The chip obviously has some problems. The officer got me out from the line and asked me to get a replacement of IC. Of course, it will be a temporary one, so, I couldn’t use the kiosk. I had to go back upstairs once again to line up.

I quickly asked my colleague to queue up again while I went next door to apply a new MyKard. I was fortunate that it only took me half an hour to get my temporary IC. And I finally got a number, but it was after another 250 applicants. I therefore went back to my office for a meeting as I knew it takes hours to wait.

However, I was kind of worried that the number may pass. So I got my clients to meet nearby for discussions. After 4 hours of waiting, I was finally able to submit my application. And god knows it only took 2 minutes to accept my application. Why should I wait for 4 hours while they only took 2 minutes to stamp and Acknowledge? Do they just mean to make the office look crowded ?

After my submission, I still have to queue up behind 60 applicants to make the payment. I was nervous because I did not know if I could make the payment at the same day. Even when the officer promised to get everything done for me, I was still worried as I realized only ONE cash counter was open while there were 8 counters to accept applications. And I was told one other Payment Counter has some technical problems to serve.

I finally made the payment at 5pm and got to go home. I was told to get my passport the next day after a long 7 hours of waiting

Fortunately, I got my passport renewed on the forth day.

So what is the government talking about when they announce that we can get our passports renewed in two hours? According to the officer, the two hours story only starts when you get to submit your application. That means, no matter how many days or hours you wait, it doesn’t matter and it is not counted.

And of course, it should not be considered during the peak season, ie school holiday. That simply means the 2 hours story is only applicable to the normal QUIET hours.

I really don’t understand why they can’t allow us to submit our application and get the passport the day after instead of waiting 6 to 7 hours. I really pity the senior citizens and those with a big family (kids were all looking tired there)

And eventually I realized that they did not want to give the number out because they want to fulfill their 2 hours commitment and to make sure the 2 hour policy works. And of course, to ensure the applicants get their passport in the same day.

That was the reason why we suffered. And I must say, visiting the immigration office has no difference when compared to going to hell….

Muslim and Non-Muslim’s shall be separated in our resort?

2009-12-14T19:33:00.002+08:00

I don’t understand why most Malaysians like to travel abroad instead of visiting our domestic tourism destinations. They fail to realize that our places of interest have their own beauty and could be much better than overseas. There are some reasons why people like to travel “far away from Home”.

I spent a night at Maxwell Hill in Taiping last week. We rented 2 resort bungalows but eventually we squeezed in 12 people in one house as we found the other home is really “ not tenantable ” or rather livable.

I was moving in the dark alone to take an adventure trip to visit the House in the middle of the night. It was a really frightening experience. But the most uncomfortable one was the picture pasted below :

The Cupboard was tagged with “ Muslim” and “Non-Muslim”,. The Muslim cupboard was locked to avoid the non-Muslim from use.

This happens simply because the understanding between all religions has a BIG problem in communication. It will be criticized as DISCRIMINATION if this happened overseas. But, in Malaysia, many choose to ignore or rather escape from the reality.

That also explains why millions of Malaysians migrate overseas and why Malaysians choose to travel overseas…

2009-12-11T14:53:00.008+08:00

Gavin Tee's Great Finale for Year 2009

4^th-6^th December 2009 : “Be Rich & Happy - Dealing with Investment Problems”. This is a topic that teaches us to appreciate the many other aspects in life apart from wealth; it explains that being rich alone does not guarantee happiness.

That was one of the many lessons learnt during The SwhengTee 3 Days 2 Nights Real Estate Investment Course at Cinta Sayang Resort, Sungai Petani. Gavin Tee, the prominent Real Estate Speaker took 22 participants on a special trip to Kedah, where he focused on teaching his participants in a relax free environment and away from the city.

As Gavin’s last event for the year 2009, he devoted himself to deliver his presentation wisely and with confidence, giving a combination of topics like property trends, legal frameworks, landlording knowledge, etc. He chose a mix of participants with different backgrounds to enable a unique networking platform for his participants to learn from one another.

The topics for the 3 days Property Course include “Speedy & Steady Journey to Reach Retirement, Mastering the Market Trend to determine your Investment Target, Investment Opportunities of Green Building Index, Safeguarding Your Investment” and others gave a much needed insight and knowledge towards the participants. We also received a special guest appearance from Juanita Chin to present us with her Success Story.

Our hosts, Cinta Sayang Resort and EUPE Corp Sdn Bhd, the developer for Sky Residences provided us with various activities such as a welcome dance, night city tour, horse riding, archery, golf, Sky Residence Condo tour, and much more. These activities were in line with Gavin’s teachings; where an Investor is not rich without Happiness and that work and wealth alone does not guarantee a successful lifestyle.

Overall, it was a tremendous weekend; a memorable experience as Gavin and our hosts went all out to give us the best training experience possible for year 2009.

2009-11-18T11:43:00.021+08:00

Gavin Wows the Crowd again at KLCC

Sunday, 15th Nov 09 : It was a busy and exciting Sunday as another SwhengTee Property Talk was held. Investors and landlords were up early to register at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the "Landlording" Seminar by Gavin Tee. The full day course was conducted in both English & Mandarin. Landlords & Investors alike were all eagerly awaiting for this Hot Topic, so it comes as no surprise when the venue was packed.

Participants were treated to a powerful presentation by Gavin, on topics like Understanding the Rental Business, Problem Tenants, The Significance of Rental, Preparing the Perfect Tenancy Agreement and lots more. Throughout the day, Gavin impressed with his seminar based on slides, case studies and course handouts. At the end of each session, lucky participants walked away with prizes at the Lucky Draw Session.

Overall, the attendees were lucky to have been able to gain further knowledge at this course, making them better landlords & investors. Participants left with great satisfaction, waiting for the next SwhengTee Property Talk event :

SwhengTee Real Estate Investment Program
4th-6th Dec 2009 Sg Petani, Kedah
&
SwhengTee 6 Months Investment Course
April 2010 - September 2010

Tourism-Related & Green Building Properties on the Rise

2009-11-06T22:56:00.006+08:00

After the recently concluded Budget Talk, there was special emphasis on tourism-related properties as well as the introduction of the Green Building Index. The government is on the right track in focusing their efforts on areas like the tourism sector. During a time where the slowdown of the manufacturing & export industry is visible, the Budget 2010 does show the determination to develop the economy through tourism, where majority of foreign industries is indeed in an infant stage.

According to Gavin Tee, a Real Estate Investment Consultant, the Green Building Index will lead the way in all future developments. "The emphasis will be on environmental friendly energy savings, recycling of resources, and cost reduction for maintenance. Thus, the government's proposal for a tax & stamp duty exemption is an indicator of their determination in moving towards this new direction."

In conjunction with Gavin's 30th Property Talk in 2009, he will be offering a Free property talk on the 8th November (Sunday) in Boulevard Hotel, Mid Valley. Individuals who are eager to gain the insights on the budget updates on GBI, RPGT, and the Potential tourism-related properties should not miss this opportunity.

The 1-hour talks will be scheduled at 11am and 4pm (2pm in Mandarin) along with an exhibition from 10am to 7pm. Those interested are welcome to join.

Green Buildings and Tourism-related Properties rising to demand

2009-11-02T20:44:00.003+08:00

The next hot investment topic and new trend in real estate development will change course to Tourism-related properties and environmental friendly Green Buildings. Gavin Tee will be sharing the above at level 8, Boulevard Hotel, Mid Valley City on Sunday ( Nov 8 ) from 10am to 7pm.

The admission is free and 3 special talks ( 2 in English and 1 in Mandarin ) will be presented.I

In conjunction with Gavin's 30th property talk in 2009, Gavin is delighted to extend the free invitation.

You may also have a coffee with Gavin face to face to receive a free personal consultancy in property investment.

We hope to see you there.

Reinstating RPGT -- A Losing Game

2009-10-30T00:02:00.003+08:00

Reintroducing Real Property Gains Tax
A Losing Game

In times of a fragile economy, the government should adopt a strategy on stimulating the activities of the real estate market, giving much needed incentives rather than imposing taxes.

Gavin Tee, a real estate investment consultant and speaker commented, “The market was just beginning to show signs of recovery and that is a positive note for market stabilization. However, we have yet to see the influx of foreign investments and gain the full confidence from property home buyers. Thus, it is not a good time to reintroduce Real Property Gains Tax.”

“The key issue should not be on the support to big developers, mega projects and multi corporations but on building the basics – the market condition. The basic economic theory to rescue the market should be applied, which is; to create a market and not to create a product. Thus, imposing RPGT is actually against the way.”

Gavin believes that the imposing of Real Property Gains Tax would affect a loss of income for the government in stamp duty collections. “The high deductions would greatly impact the number of Sales & Purchase transactions. It will further affect the business in the construction and professional services industry. In overall, there will be lesser stamp duty and taxes received by the government.”

“For example, a property with a value of RM 1mil will yield RM 24,000 as stamp duty payments. Assuming that it can be sold at RM1.2mil and make a RM200,000 profit, a sum of RM 10,000 will be collected as Real Property Gains Tax. With this introduction, the government may not only lose the RPGT revenue but potentially also the stamp duty fees due to the worsening of the market caused by RPGT.”

“Furthermore, Real Property Gains Tax would reduce Real Estate market price, further decreasing the stamp duty collection and ultimately affecting the government income.”

The introduction of RPGT would greatly affect 2 sectors, which is the high end real estate as well as the secondary property markets, particularly to older homes. “Whatever efforts in place now to strengthen the property market will go to waste,” he said.

“Real Property Gains Tax should only be applied when the property market overheats and absolutely not during a cool market period. This move will not only heavily impact the construction, renovation, raw materials and the professional services industry but also directly affecting the people’s and government’s income.”

In conclusion, Gavin hopes the government will reconsider its proposal for Real Property Gains Tax.

Confusion in RPGT Makes Investors Worry

2009-10-29T00:44:00.002+08:00

Last Friday Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib proposed that a tax of 5% be imposed on gains from the disposal of real property effective from Jan 1st 2010 during the Budget 2010 proposal. However, Gavin Tee, a Property Investment Consultant and Speaker interpreted otherwise. “From the official web site of MOF, 5% as a fixed rate imposed on the gains is misunderstood.”

Also as the Managing Director of real estate agency Arborland & Co, Gavin pointed out that according to the finance bill, the government proposed to reintroduce the RPGT ACT 1976, in which the taxes shall be as high as 30% if the property is being disposed in the first two years.

The proposal is to add on 5% on the sixth year onwards which was exempted by the act before it was abolished. The new tax scheme applied to the individual will be the same applied to corporate ownership, which is higher than the original.

However, the Finance Ministry reassured the governmen proposed a fixed rate of 5% imposed on gain instead of reintroducing the RPGT Act 1976. He said it is expected to come up with an exemption order on the Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) this week to clear the confusion surrounding the RPGT proposal.

The Real Property Gain Tax Act was gazetted in 1976, under the Act, in order to curb speculation; gains on disposal of property are subject to RPGT. The tax are scheduled as high as 30% on the 1st and 2nd years of disposal, 20% on the 3rd year, 15% on the 4th year and 5% on the fifth year. It shall be exempted if the property is disposed on the sixth year onwards. The Act was abolished in April 1st, 2007. ( But it was not really abolished but exempted)

Gavin commented, “The Real Estate Market is only in its initial stage of recovery, and the proposal will definitely create a big impact to the High-end property market, particularly to the areas of newly completed projects and those that are in oversupply. If the Act is reintroduced, I believe it will stop the foreign investment and worsen the real estate market.”

Gavin Seriously recommends the Government to reconsider the proposal.

It is unfair for the OLD HOUSE OWNERS to pay RPGT

2009-10-26T00:50:00.002+08:00

Now Every owner has to pay tax

Now , you may need to pay for Real Property Gain Tax disregarding how long you have owned the property, unless you are able to dispose it before Jan 1st , 2010.

According to the proposal of Budget 2010, the government will impose 5% tax on gains on disposal of real property despite of the tenure of ownership. Real Estate Investment Consultant Gavin Tee feels it is very unfair to the genuine property owners who have owned a property for many years and who also never have any intention on speculation.

The reason of introducing Real Property Gain Tax Act 1976 was to curb speculation, especially on short term investment. Thus a 30% of tax was imposed on the disposal during the first and second year. 20% on the 3rd year, 15% on the forth year and 5% on the fifth year. Tax will be exempted on the sixth year onwards for the individual investors but remain 5% for the corporate owner. As a result, most of the property investors only dispose their properties after 5 years of ownership. This Act slowed down the investment activities to the property industry.

Besides, if the government impose a fixed 5% tax disregards on the tenure of ownership, a house owner who purchased a house 20 or 30 years ago in Klang Valley will have to pay a “hefty” Gain Tax next year onwards for the disposal.

Gavin quotes an example, a link house purchased 20 or 30 years ago may only cost RM50,000 , and if the owner disposing it now at RM750,000, he therefore will be liable for RM35,000 of Tax. Furthermore, a property owner may never expect this abolished act can be reintroduced with amendment that a gains tax across board without allowance of any holding period. Thus, they may not keep any receipt on renovation or home improvement for tax deduction purpose.

Thus, Gavin recommends the proposal shall only apply to the property acquire on Jan 1st , 2010 or later .

Furthermore, a bungalow in Kuala Lumpur may only valued at RM200,000 years back but now maybe sold at RM 4 million and above. The proprietor thus have to incur more than RM200,000 of property gains tax next year. Whereas under the old act 1976 , if an individual house owner disposes the property after 5 years, there is no tax charged. This proposal will definitely create a big impact on the secondary market, particularly to the properties acquired at an early days and very unfair to property owners who acquired for own stay.

How to deal with difficult tenants?

2009-10-21T23:54:00.002+08:00

how to invest in rented property?

how to deal with difficult tenants?

how to evict a bad tenant?

join me at KLCC convention on " Swhengtee Landlorlding talk" on Nov 15, make a booking now

budget 2010

2009-10-21T23:46:00.001+08:00

Property Market to Lead the Way under New Budget
BY GAVIN TEE

The public has been heavily speculating on the upcoming Budget Talks, as concerns were focused on whether the government would adopt an aggressive approach to sustain and save the Malaysian economy after the downturn. According to Gavin Tee, a Real Estate Investment Consultant & Managing Director of Arborland & Co (Real Estate Agency), the general public should not be expect too much and neither too many surprises in the government policy compared with recent years.

“I believe that a surprising and aggressive stance by the government would not come around this time. This is because the government has already injected mini budget allocations for the past year.”

“However, one positive view is that this would be our new Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib’s first involvement in the financial budget. I believe in his determination to reform the nation’s economic condition,” he added.

He explained that the new PM is very well versed in the trends of globalization and cross border investments.
“Dato Seri Najib is well aware that these transactions are crucial and must be his first priority. Hence, he will be eager to make policy changes to meet the world standards.”

According to Gavin, the government’s focus may be on several areas. “The key area should be on the construction sectors involved in infrastructure and real estate development. However, I hope to see such mega projects develop according to the main economic principles and ensure the effectiveness of the project. In the past, failures do occur because of favoritism.”

He also commented that the property sector could be a boost towards the economy. “If you look at geographic statistics, Asia’s economic growth is led by the property and real estate market, especially China and Singapore. I believe that the Malaysian Real Estate market can easily be the leader for recovery as our market has yet to be aggressively involved in the cross border and international property ring.” He also added that the Malaysian property price is still one of the lowest in the region, hence there is a great potential for the sector to grow.

When asked for suggestions in reviving the economy, Gavin said “We should look into the government assets, whereby there are ‘white elephants’ or abandoned projects and under utilized government buildings. The government could increase income by privatizing or leasing such properties by offering the incentive to the private sectors in the budget. These sectors would then have the initiative to contribute in offsetting the deficit.”

“The government should not impose higher taxes, but to increase their spending and create an active economy in order to generate more revenue. For example, there were remarks on resuming Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT). Gavin thinks the government should not reintroduce it as it will heavily slow down the property transactions and affect the stamp duty revenue. The loss of stamp duty could be higher than the collection of RPGT. Furthermore, imposing RPGT will have a negative impact to the real estate market. The decrease in property prices will seriously yet again lower down the collection of stamp duty.”

In addition, Gavin proposed to waive the stamp duty for properties valued at RM300,000 and below, particularly in the city centre as a medium-low cost property in the city costs around that amount.

“Lastly, we should promote the tourism sector or more specifically into the tourism related properties. Malaysia is rich with resources to promote and attract international players. The government must emphasize on promoting this sector by developing resorts, tourism and hospitality related properties. This will lead ultimately to less dependence on the exports and manufacturing industries, which are more competitive in the world market.”

“We hope the government would indeed stress a key emphasis and inject a much needed stimulus to these proposed areas.”

Why Americans are Jobless .... hahaha...

2009-10-12T16:05:00.002+08:00

A nice article while you have a cup of Tea from Richard:

John Smith started the day early
having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m.
While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking,
he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN PHILIPPINES).

He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA),
designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE)
and tennis shoes (MADE IN VIETNAM).

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA),
then he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO)
to see how much he could spend today.

After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN)
to the radio (MADE IN INDIA),
he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY)
filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia)
and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day
checking his computer (MADE IN MALAYSIA),
John decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL)
poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE)
and turned on his TV (MADE IN KOREA),

and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA.
AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT MADE IN KENYA.

Gavin Reckons the Worst in Real Estate is Definitely Over

2009-10-03T20:16:00.002+08:00

It was truly a sight to see at Menara Hap Seng on the 26th of September, where investors from all over came to participate at Gavin Tee’s passionate seminar on
“Is the Worst Over? In High End Condo Market? – KLCC Area”

Gavin Tee, brand as SwhengTee, a renowned real estate investment consultant, providing the seminar in both English & Chinese (2 Sessions), the participants were able to grasp the information presented intently. Topics like “The Impact of Cross Border Investments & Urbanization to the KLCC Market”, “5 Star KL Condos and 5 Star Developers”, and “Location Location Location is Wrong Wrong Wrong” drew special attention as Gavin pointed out clearly and confidently that the Worst is Truly Over.

While many are still concerned with the impact of the economic downturn, the facts that were presented were simply overwhelming. The indications all point out to the potential and rise of the Asia Property Market compared to the Western Nations. Further facts led to the belief that Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian market is far below its true potential and there is plenty opportunities to tap into this lucrative market.

We learnt that a price drop is normally due to oversupply and speculation and overall AN Adjustment. Smart Investors must understand that Disorder and Dislocated is just another reflection on the buying opportunities. Unfortunately, as pointed out by Gavin, only 5% of the market see these opportunities as only a handful are prepared and educated enough to make the firm and accurate decisions whilst the rest go on a
“people buy, I buy” concept.

Overall, this Property Seminar was a huge success and ultimately satisfying, leaving the investors awaiting for the next upcoming event at KLCC Convention Centre with the topic

“Profiting from My First Property Purchase” on the 11th of October.
Not to be missed by first time buyers or those who wish to treat every property purchase as their first one.

You can not multiply wealth by dividing it

2009-09-16T23:26:00.004+08:00

An email from friend of mine really touches my heart. Just to share, we do not need to agree on it.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that hehad never failed a single student before,but had once failed an entire class.
--------------------------------------------

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK,we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied littlehad studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.The second test average was a D!No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great,the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all thereward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.If somebody is unable to understand THIS explanation, I have seriousdoubts about their ability to even function in society, much less runour country!

As the late Adrian Rogers said, "you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it..."Professor is a Genius

Smokers.....

2009-09-16T00:39:00.001+08:00

find out " is the worst over?" in Real Estate Investment with Gavin Tee

2009-08-23T00:40:00.007+08:00

Is the WORST over for Real Estate Investment?

.......................

According to Gavin, The WORST in property is going to be over SOON. It is the best time for you to invest or you may miss the boat .For more details, please attend "SwhengTee Property Talk", Tailor-made by Gavin Tee .

For more detail, please log in http://www.swhengtee.com.my/ or contact 016-2020 001, 03-7983 0103 or email to swhengtee@yahoo.com. you may also download the registration form below to participate.

SEVEN DON`T AFTER A MEAL

2009-08-03T22:50:00.001+08:00

SEVEN DON`T AFTER A MEAL

·Do not smoke after a meal! Experiments from experts prove that smoking a cigarette after a meal is comparable to smoking TEN cigarettes (Chances of CANCER are higher).

·Do not eat fruits immediately after meals. It will bloat your stomach. Therefore have your fruits one or two hours before or after meals.

·Do not drink tea after a meal as tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the protein content in the food we consume to be hardened; making it difficult to digest.

·Do not loosen your belt after eating. Loosening the belt after a meal can cause intestinal problems.

·Do not bathe after eating. Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs and body, therefore causing the amount of blood around the stomach to decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.

·Do not walk after a meal. Walking immediately after a meal will make it difficult for the digestive system to absorb the nutrition from the food we eat. Wait at least an hour after your meal and then walk if you want to.

· Do not sleep immediately. The intake of food will not be able to digest properly, therefore leading to gastro-intestinal problems.

email from friend

bloggers against ISA

2009-07-26T10:47:00.005+08:00

A message left in m.y Chinese Medium Blog http://www.shuixinglang.blogspot.com/
Here is the extraction :

理大前进阵线 said...

你好，8月1日在吉隆坡有废除内安法令大型集会，如果你支持废除内安法令请把以下的内容放在你的部落格帮忙宣传吧，谢谢( There will be an assembly Against ISA in KL on 1st August 2009 )

（spfusm@gmail.com）---------
Date: 1 August 2009

If you support MANSUH, please put the above picture at your blog
July 26, 2009 3:27 AM

Maxis and Digi interfere our daily life

2009-07-24T00:03:00.005+08:00

Maxis and Digi interfere our daily life

I do not know if other Telco companies do the same, but my normal lifestyle is quite badly disturbed by Maxis and Digi. My privacy is infringed and life is invaded by the MMS / SMS promotion messages by Maxis and Digi.

Maxis has been forwarding MMS or SMS messages days and nights to promote its services, products and other commercial ads. And I hate the MMS video or picture that take up a lot of storage space and some even need downloading and result in phone hanged . I found it is unethical lure subscriber to resend the messages to gain profit out of it.Digi begin its SMS attack recently, and its bombarding rate is nothing less than Maxis.

Due to the nature of my profession, I really concerned about the messages sent by friends and customers. Hence , I always paid immediate attention to it. This soliciting messages have critically disturbed my life. Not only the messages comes in the early morning when I switch on the phone , it also comes in the middle of my meetings during office hours , which I have to stop my work to attend to it as I do not want to miss any of the important messages.

These messages never stop even when I just carry my private and personal phone which not many people have the contact , a peaceful dinner with my family always end up in the drain.I had called to lodge complaint coupled with serious warning. And the messages did cease for couple of days. However, it makes a come back after few days with even more fierce and frequent attack.

I never complain promotion messages from any commercial organizations who obtain my number from any other sources as I understand the Telco companies are not able to stop them from this SMS practice in this free market. However, I am really fed up and against Telco using the subscribers’ personal information for its own interest and purpose.

I hereby appeal to government to look into this matter, even though the contract signed between the Telco companies and the subscribers allow for the transmission of these messages , the government should find a solution to stop the Telco from abusing this right and misuse the personal info provided to them to protect our privacy.

Chua Jui Meng left MCA for PKR, how do people think?

2009-07-19T17:25:00.004+08:00

Many bloggers and friends left comments on my article pasted in my Chinese blog http://www.shuixinglang.blogspot.com/ . Some think he should not jump and describe him as Hee Yit Foong, some think it will still be the same as wherever he goes he can still find a platform to serve the people.

Maybe what we want is what you can do for us, and this is what the people concern…… In addition, we want to know what is our future, what will you do in the future. We want to stop talking the past – simply because, we have a bad PAST and an unknown FUTURE…..

Here are a few comments extracted from my Chinese blog to share. Besides, you are most welcome to leave your comment here, the forum is open :

Anonymous said...

I think our beloved PM and the Johore MB ought to step in now: Only Johore local born people to lead the Johore MCA!!!!

Why when Dr. Chua and Mr Tan Kok Huang were leading the Johore MCA, it was hormoniously united? Now? Sigh!!!!

The Disciplinary Board should ask the Greatest Man in the world to give full detailed explanation satisfying EVERY MCA member that why action should not be taken against Him, after all He had done so much injustices to other party members and kept spoiling the good name of MCA as every now and then He blames so many MCA members publicly. Isn't it too bad that the top most party Leader had received countlessly negative but true comments compared to the previous leaders?

If other regional MCA leaders who just openly 'give' some advice to party leaders not to damage party's good name as the leaders keep exposing unfounded 'inside stories' to outsiders and being called up by the Disciplinary Board to give show case explanation, why is the Greatest Man exempted????

Dr. Chua and Datuk Chua's cases are not the mere ones, what about His supporters who helped Him to be the No 1 Man? The Ong brothers' disciples have been pushed to corners too, Sigh!!!!!

Wake them up, pleasessssssss but I strongly believe our beloved PM knows what to do !!! From what our beloved PM has been in such a short period, I am sure he would be able to help the BN component parties, even though honorable DPM said they won't interfere. Johore MB could have quickily stepped in to help the Johore BN in particular and the nation in general!!!!!
July 18, 2009 8:07 PM

shltplnk said...

At times our nation has not been appreciative of Dato Chua Jui Meng's talents and intellectual ability. Our nation needs a talented politician like him!! Through joining PKR, Dato Chua Jui Meng will be given the platform to air the views and policies that can change Malaysia for the better. This opportunity was denied him by MCA!!

Dato Chua Jui Meng is our hope for a brighter and better Malaysia!!Dato Chua Jui Meng once said, 'a silent politician is no politician! Silent politics is equivalent to zero politics!' In the end he was silenced by MCA but by joining PKR he has ensured his voice will be heard loud and clearly throughout the nation once again!! Wohoho!!! My Dato Chua Jui Meng IS BACK!!!!!!
July 19, 2009 1:42 AM

Anonymous said...

Mr Gavin,
I agree with what you said in toto!!! Yes, there is no way to compare Mdm Koh with Datuk Chua. She only wanted everything for herself. How come there is a mercedes car to send her every where she goes nowadays? Who's car is that?

Whereas datuk Chua is a real gentleman! He didn't harm and damage the party before leaving. Uncle Boo, please look at yesterday's newspaper reports. He surrendered the duty to the deputy peacefully and in fact he still urged party members to continue supporting MCA and BN! Didn't you see that's what a gentleman will do? Goosh,you didn't realise it? OMG!!!!!

Know what the general public and the medical staff's comments on the Ministers of Health thus far? Dr. Chua was the best and most excellent!!! Not only he had planned a lot for improving medical services in Malaysia (be it public or private)and making JPA recognizes mediacal degrees from Taiwan etc etc, he even visited local and inland clinics which had not been visited by top mediacl people before! Know what? Many of those medical staff, nurses, HA, drivers, clerks, were so happy, thankful, grateful and overwhelmed in tears!

He used to be very careful and fast in reacting sudden uprising and unexpected situations. Many problems had been solved and resolved easily due to his superb knowledge in medical fields. Datuk Chua was also named an excellent Minister of Health, after Dr. Chua. He was very careful (maybe because he is a lawyer) and meticulous in his work as a minister. What they had done so far for the medical staff in particular and contributions to the nation in general will never be forgotten by all the medical staff and malaysians!!!!! Other minister of health? Find out yourself from the medical staff sincerely and the patients who frequent the hospitals regularly.
July 19, 2009 1:17 PM

iamataxpayer said...

To Tuan Tee high moral tuan puan of MCA

I am from Bakri, i have voted Chua JM for 3 PRU, but 2008 i did not vote for BN/MCA. Other than these Nasional issue, one main reason i didn't vote for MCA was...the cadidate was not longer Chua JM anymore!

I am sure you know many chinese in Bakri did the same, no more Chua JM, then better voted for DAP (even that time most of us did not know who was the candidate of DAP).

Don't know how to counting? I bet you have good math, just lazy to think. Never mind, i teach you here...2004, Chua JM (MCA) won 19k+ majority, and 2008, DAP won by about 1k majority. Pergi balik is 20k votes.So, give me an estimation, how many of them were chinese votes?How many of them change side because of NO MORE Chua JM?

You guess, but i can tell you whatever you like it or not, at least 5k chinese votes changed side because of MCA put an stranger to Bakri!Good Luck.
July 20, 2009 1:12 AM

More comments, pls click "commnents" below

justice for Beng Hock

2009-07-18T00:43:00.003+08:00

Justice For Beng Hock
We demand answers and a detailed explanation of the death of Beng Hock. We demand justice for Beng Hock!

click here to support : JUSTICE FOR BENG HOCK

http://www.justiceforbenghock.blogspot.com/

It is illegal for Ng Suee Lim to sell Khir Toyo’s Mansion

2009-07-08T17:03:00.000+08:00

It is illegal for Ng Suee Lim to sell Khir Toyo’s Mansion

DAP’s Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim accepted the offer made by Dr Mohd Khir Toyo to dispose his property at RM24mil is illegal.

Dr Mohd Khir asked Ng to help sell the Mansion for RM24 mil yesterday. He said :”“If he can do this, I will give him 50 percent as commission and use the remaining RM12 mil to pay off HSBC and buy a good house in Damansara.”

In response to Khir Toyo’s offer, Ng Suee Lim requested for an official letter appointing him to sell the place. He also asked for the keys to enable him to show potential buyers so the buyers get to see what they would be paying for.

Under the standard ( Act ) provided by The Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents , it is illegal for non-registered person to sell a property for a fee ( commission ).

Violation of government law can result in fines, penalties, injunctions and even criminal prosecution resulting in you being sent to prison.

I just can’t believe that both of these assemblymen do not know the law of Malaysia, and openly committed an illegal act by offering and accepting tender for property.

Under the act, any person who acts or holds oneself out to the public as an estate agent without a registered license and office, has committed an offence under the Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Act 1981, as provided under Section 22.22C(1) No person shall unless he is a registered estate agent and has been issued with an authority to practice under section 16.

It is an offence under the Act for any person to act in contravention of Section 22C(1) set out earlier which exposes such a person to a fine not exceeding RM25,000 or imprisonment of three (3) years and a penalty of RM500 per day for so long as the offence continues.

In addition, it is also illegal to charge the agency fee at 50% offered by Dr Khir Toyo , the Scale of fee under the Agency act only allows to charge :
(1) Land and Buildings
(i) 2.75% on the first RM 500,000 (ii) 2 % on the residue over RM 500,000

The above scale applies to any sale or purchase by way of private treaty, tender or any other mode of disposal or acquisition

H1N1, I am infected, Why MOH doesn’t care about me?

2009-07-06T23:51:00.000+08:00

I have a friend who was unfortunately infected with H1N1 virus . The frightening issue is she need to wait frantically for two days just to get the assistance from Ministry of Health .

This friend of mine went to Singapore last week to attend an international forum. Participants came from all over the world including Mexico, Australia, Philippines.

When she returned to Malaysia by flight after the 2 days seminar, she found herself came down with the symptoms suspected of H1N1. She quickly went to Government Hospital requested for a H1N1 check up and was informed that result will only churn out in 48 hours . She was asked to wait at home , and the bad news was finally delivered to her that she has contracted H1N1 after 2 days. Though she was stunt and upset, she immediately offered to report to hospital for treatment and quarantine.

“Okay, I will drive to hospital now”

“No, No, No! you are not allowed to do so, please stay at home, we will send the ambulance to pick you up.”

And she waited nearly two days for the ambulance. This 2 days waiting was an unbearable and horrible experience. Being a H1N1 patient already makes one so helpless , she or he will expect the hospital to act immediately , not wondering whether she has been forgotten .

Since she was diagnosed with H1N1, she duly informed the hospital on the persons that had been in contact with her in Singapore. Phone numbers of these persons were passed to the health department for further action.

Again her friend has been waiting for days and nights, which sadly to mention till today no one has called them. Her friends merely wanted to know what to do next. Instead she made the initiative to call the hospital helpline, and more upsetting to find no one was picking the call.

I told her no need to complain or rather to hope to get help. As there was one lady who had undergone H1N1 test but had to call few times to find out the result. She was lucky or rather unlucky that somebody on the other end finally picked up the call and found out that she was H1N1 positive. I do not know whether will she get informed if she doesn’t call.

We deeply appreciated the effort undertaken by the Health Ministry to fight H1N1. However, if the medical officers do not perform their duty in more responsible manner , I wonder, will our country be able to win the war of H1N1?

Who really don’t care? Ministry put the blame on people do not alert. They claimed the people are not co-operative. They have forgotten there are the servant of the people in Malaysia.

I had once made a remark that Malaysia will be badly hit by H1N1 when I came back from a trip to Australia a month ago, as I found the way government’s attitude in dealing with the problem was rather RELAX (“ tidak apa” attitude ) .

Last month, when I was in one of the Hospital for an ECG heart test, I found there were many patients coughing in the public and no medical officer seemed to care about it. And the hospital also did not monitor the public body temperature , unlike our neighboring country Singapore where all visitors to the hospital had to go through temperature screening .

What if I say, the number of cases of H1N1 in Malaysia will reach 1000 in 2 weeks' time, would you think so?

Note : my friend was finally “TAKEN AWAY” by the ambulance after a long waiting. It was however within 48 hours.

Gavin's new blog in english coming soon

2009-07-05T21:01:00.000+08:00

Gavin Tee's personal blog in English will be officially launched on 1st August 2009.

Thank you for your support in advance!

One Haolian Malaysian

2009-07-05T00:18:00.000+08:00

One Haolian Malaysian

You know these MALAYSIANs, they are everywhere, thanks for cheryl's story ( by email) . it is a joke, but it is real :

Abdul grew up in Kota Baru, a town located on the East Coast of Malaysia, and then moved away to Kuala Lumpur to do his law degree in order to fill up the Bumiputera quota.

He decided to come back to Kota Baru, because he could be abig man and really wanted to impress everyone. So he returned and opened his new law office.

The first day, he saw a man coming up the sidewalk.He decided to make a big impression on this new client when he arrived.As the man came to the door Abdul picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while talking.

"No. Absolutely no. You tell those clowns in Kuala Lumpur that I won'tsettle this case for less than one million ringgit. Yes.The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handlingthe primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support.Okay, tell the State Prosecutor that I'll meet with him next week to discuss the details.

"This sort of conversation went on for almost five minutes.All the while the man sat patiently as Abdul rattled instructions. F

inally,Abdul puts down the phone and turned to the man. "I'm sorry for thedelay, but as you can see, I'm very busy. What can I do for you?

"The man replied, "I'm from Telekom, I've come to connect your line".

Degrees can be purchased just by a phone call

2009-07-04T21:11:00.000+08:00

Degrees can be purchased just by a phone call

Issues affecting the value of American DegreesThere are more than 4000 degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. Many Of the world’s top universities are located in the States but there are also many FAKE and FRAUDULENT organizations both in US and Malaysia abusing the American Education System that mislead and deceive the people of Malaysia.

We are very concerned about the latest development in fake degrees and fraudulent cases which are getting very common in Malaysia. It has brought to our attention that degrees are being sold even just by a phone call.

ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is an external review process used to evaluate educational programs for quality assurance and improvement. In the states, accreditation is NOT carried out or controlled by the government; it is implemented through private, non-profit organizations created for this specific purpose.

Accreditation is essential to assure prospective students of the quality of the academic program, transferability of credits from one institution to another, recognition of degrees and certificates earned. Most importantly, NO graduate schools (Master, PhD) will accept degrees from Non-accredited Universities.

Generally, to be accredited, ones must have

1. Faculties (with PHD lecturers)

2. Building

3. Sizeable library

4. Labs (for professional accreditation)

There are GERERAL and PROFESSIONAL accrediting organizations in the U.S. Accreditation as quality assurance is called in the US are indirectly controlled by the universities themselves through six regional associations.

All accredited universities in each geographic region of the country belong to one of these regional associations ( accreditation can be verified thru the following websites) :

1. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools - http://www.msache.org/

2. New England Association of School and Colleges – http://www.neasc.org/

3. North Central Association of colleges and Schools – http://www.ncacihe.org/

4. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – http://www.cocnasc.org/

5. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges – http://www.saca.org/

6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges – http://www.wascweb.org/

Professional Accreditation is not as uniformly required as is general accreditation. It is provided through professional associations for specific academic fields, i.e.: engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs.

CHOOSING AN ACCREDITED UNIVERSITY, STUDENTS MUST BE AWARE OF:

Within US higher education there is no central authority such as a government ministry of education that directs or controls activities in the education sector, and this is especially true for accreditation, quality assurance or institutional evaluation.

The government control of education is not as strong in the US as it is in Malaysia. Because the system is not centrally or tightly controlled obtaining a license to become a UNIVERSITY is not difficult, there are then fake universities in the US – organizations or companies that want to sell a degree but provide no education.

In USA, RECOGNIZED does not mean the same as Accredited. The only term that signals quality recognition is ACCREDITED. Also, the terms like REGISTERED, LICENSED or APPROVED, even when connected to a government organization, DO NOT mean accredited.
Do not plan to enroll in any college or university, which cannot confirm that it is fully accredited by one of the six regional associations.

Students can become the victim of cheating unless they follow the guidelines provided by MACEE – Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange. E-mail: mea@pc.jaring.my

Distance Learning (Online Education)

We recognize the importance of Distance learning and we encourage Online learning, However, we would like the public to aware about the fact as many fake degrees have been sold thru this channel. It has been seriously misused for TITLE purpose.o Most of the distance learning in US are not recognized (very few)o To be accredited, one must have proper campuso Online education is not popular in the United States (not successful)o

In US, it is normally used for corporate, professional training. It is for the purpose of improving and developing skill. It is only popular for obtaining certificate, not degree.

For updated info, please check with MACEE 马美教育交流委员会 Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange）E-Mail : mea@pc.jaring.my

Note : This is a Press Statement issue by Gavin Tee of American Universities Alumni Malaysia in 2003

Bunch of Jokers in Malaysian Politic

2009-07-04T18:14:00.000+08:00

Bunch of Jokers in Malaysian Politic

I have just returned from Actors Studio at Bangsar Shopping Complex, enjoying a Malaysia Bolehland Comedy Show – the Malaysia Masa Kini show.

I enjoy it so much as the comedians had really touched on my inner heart , as I always think there are bunch of jokers politician in Malaysia politic arena. Politicians are the best entertainers around, they talk nonsense, they arrest you because they want to protect you, they said it looks like me but it is not me, they said everything is act of god and nothing goes wrong in the government, the only thing goes wrong is the people who voted them for the past 50 years.

With all these nonsense, Malaysian shall be awarded “ the most Nonsense-tolerant” people in the world.

According to the comedian, the Boleh land also have many SPECIALS that others don’t have. We have the parliament that always LEAK, we have the flyover that always CRACK, we have the MP that always crack distasteful jokes, we have useless leaders that want to stay in power for lifetimes. We have so much racial problems and yet we claim we are the best model in managing racial issues.

And that is why we love Malaysia so much

Educational Challenges Facing by Malaysian Chinese

2009-07-03T20:33:00.000+08:00

Educational Challenges Facing by Malaysian Chinese - A propsal to Government 2004

Educational ChallengesFacing By Malaysian Chinese

A PROPOSAL TO MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

Presented by GAVIN TEE SWEE HENG
8th April 2004

CONTENTS

I.BACKGROUND

II. DIVERGENCY OF VIEWS REGARDING CHINESE EDUCATION

III. CENTRAL DECISION PROBLEM

IV.CHALLENGES FACED BY THE GOVERNMENT
a. Relationship between government and Chinese community
b. Communication breakdown resulting in a distrustful society
c. Differences between National school and Chinese schoold.
d. Language is perceived as root of education problems

V. CRITICAL ISSUES FACING CHINESE EDUCATION

a. Policy Matters (Top Priority)
i. The ‘Ultimate Objective’ policy
ii. Resistance to vision school
iii. English as medium for Math and Science

b. Long pending issues
i. Teachers shortage problem
ii. Shortage of Chinese schools
iii. Insufficient fund allocation
iv. Equating STPM and Matriculationc.
v. Extra Initiatives

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

a. Two-ways communicationb.
Media and commentary circlec.
Education Think-Tankd.
Special Chinese officer for Education

VII. CONCLUSION

I. BACKGROUND

The Chinese community has always been traditionally very concern and sensitive about preserving their mother tongue in education, that is Chinese-language schools. The manner the Government and the Minister of Education handle the education issues will determine to a large extend the support of the Chinese community. By virtue of its functions, the Ministry of Education can play a vital role directly in winning the support and collaboration of Chinese community for the government.

The Chinese NGOs are more emotionally involved in the controversial education issues. The fact is that education has always been a convenient source of political capital. In view of the reality that Chinese-based opposition is gaining more grounds as reflected in the General Election 2004, it shows that it is critical for the politician and the government to understand the issues of Chinese education.

II. DIVERGENCY OF VIEWS REGARDING CHINESE EDUCATION

Malaysian Chinese at large perceive that, as long as education is concerned, they are discriminated; what they have enjoyed so far are the outcomes of their own struggles. Out of that perception, it is generally believed that the community has to be watchful over government’s actions for education. As reinforced by some of the unfavorable encounters with the irresponsible politicians or officers, Malaysian Chinese incline to adopt a cautious attitude towards any new educational measures by the government, even though they may not be always doubtful about the government’s intention. This is the macro scenario.From the micro point of view, according to their stance of mother-tongue education, Malaysian Chinese can be categorized into four main groups:

1. Conservative group:
these are the strong believers of an educational system that built upon Chinese culture and tradition; because of their ideology, some of their leaders are sympathizers of opposition.

2. Chinese education enthusiasts:
mainly the middle-aged Chinese educated groups who have experienced the national policies that attempt to promote singular school and medium prior to 1990s. They are always sensitive to government’s new approach to Chinese schools; and, they are the most influential to the community as well as the mass media. Many confine themselves in the community for education discussion over Chinese media as they find the government’s door is always closed for discussion that result in communication breakdown with the government.

3. Mother tongue education supporters:
the emerging generation aged between 20 and 35 with the educational outlook that mostly determined by economic prospects and national benefits. They may be more rational and multi-racial in respond to Chinese education. They are more concern in the education system that able to provide a better career prospect for their children. They are increasingly playing important roles in the society but still fail to blend into the mainstream in representing the Chinese’s view over the education issues.

4. Group for the overall educational opportunities:
Their main concern is the overall opportunities of education for the Chinese as a whole; to them, language can be secondary, the primary factor for consideration is the employment prospects.

III. CENTRAL DECISION PROBLEM

How to nurture the Chinese educational system as part of the strengths of our national educational system by eliminating the interference of political and racial elements, and enable it to contribute all it has to offer for a greater Malaysia, so as to help promote the PM’s philosophy that an education system that treasure multiracial and multicultural heritage is not an impediment but rather a rich asset for the nation building.

IV. CHALLENGES FACED BY M.O.E

A study based on the interviews with a group of Chinese educationalists shows that there are 4 major challenges the new Ministry of Education may have to tackle:-

1. The Chinese community does not trust the government’s sincerity in solving the Chinese school’s problems, and the government does not trust the Chinese school’s role in promoting racial unity and nation building.

Turbulence experienced by the Chinese community in their efforts to safeguard their education has created a feeling of doubt and reservation towards government’s policy and measure for education. The ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE that attempts to carry out a singular educational system has reinforced the fear that Chinese Schools may lose its characteristics eventually.

The government, however, believes that bringing all children under one educational system with national language as the main medium of instruction is the most effective way in promoting racial integration and national unity. In addition, the government in the past has always adopting an approach of distrust in dealing with the Chinese on education issues. That deepens the conflict on education perception.

For instance, the “Vision School” is a good concept, but the Chinese do not trust the government, and they suspect that there is hidden agenda that most probably may endanger the usage of Chinese language and the schools’ committee will lose their sovereignty.

However, the government does not realize their apprehensions and never respond to the queries.

2. Malay and Chinese have failed to communicate to understand the problems of education and resulted in a distrustful society.

Malay thinks the Chinese are not sincere in promoting national unity. The Chinese thinks Malay is trying to eliminate the mother tongue education by establishing a singular society. The disagreement appeared as the political and racial factors take place in the decision process over the education issues. The pressure from respective ethnic groups affects the ministry to make a professional and correct decision. The fact is the Chinese education issues are mainly being discussed and report through Chinese media and cause differences on views from each ethnic group.

3. The current education system, particularly of the differences between national schools and Chinese primary schools are the main areas to study.

Reforming the system to reduce the differences between National schools and National-type schools can be an important task to the ministry. However, even the new Chinese generations believe the school system (intensive fed, long hours, heavy homework, etc. ) is unhealthy to their children’s development, they may choose to live by it as they fear that any changes will jeopardize the future of Chinese schools.

4. Language and medium of teaching has been perceived as the root of the educational problems

A strong force exists in defending the characteristics of Chinese schools have become a main challenge for education reformation. Chinese appear to be sensitive to any changes as it may cause mutation in the mother tongue education. Many believe that wisdom, culture and ethnic characteristic can only be taught and passed on by adopting Chinese as a medium of instruction.

To face these challenges, ones must be able to prepare to answer the followings that have always being discussed in the Chinese society.

· Does the Chinese school impinge on racial integration? Does it menace the national unity?
· For the nation’s interest, is singular education system better than multilingual schools?
· Are we able to review the “Ultimate Objective” stated in the “Report of the Education
Review Committee 1960”?
· Are we able to explain the objectives in promoting and pursuing NATIONAL EDUCATION
policy. The explanation ( national unity, racial integration, patriotism, strengthen national
language position) of the government is not persuasive and may only interpret as
advocating the singular linguistic society.

V. CRITICAL ISSUES FACING CHINESE EDUCATION

There are 3 critical areas that have been identified as confronting the Chinese Education that deserve the Ministry’s attention:-

1) Policy Matters ( Top priority )

To the disappointment of the Chinese Community, Chinese elected representatives have always been reluctant to tackle head on the following issues, which are reckoned as the outcomes of unchangeable political decisions. However, we believe that, with enough good faith, progressive perspectives as well as objective inputs, these issues can work out as a great asset to the BN government:

a) The “Ultimate Objective” of National Education Policy: It is a common perception that, the “Ultimate Objective” spelt out in the National Education Policy is the permanent threat to the very existence and survival of Chinese Schools in Malaysia. Whenever the government initiates new educational efforts, the shadow of fear and disbelief place a large number of Chinese in doubt. Disagreement over the concept of Vision Schools and the 2-4-3 formula are just the two recent instances.

b) Resistance to the Concept of Vision Schools: The resentment against the Vision Schools program has been overwhelmingly strong among the Chinese, especially the Chinese educationalists. They believe that:

· The program will eventually strip the Chinese Schools of their original characteristics;
· If it is to promote the national unity genuinely, the “Students’ Harmony and Unity Plan
1986” could be more effective;
· The Chinese Schools’ Committee (Board of Directors) will lose their sovereignty to protect, guard and supervise the schools. The Board is perceived to be the guardian to defend Chinese education. With the power being weakened, the Chinese School may lose its support and land in predicament;
· The usage of mother tongue will be lesser, so will the opportunity to learn the community’s culture and language;
· The administrative medium and autonomy may deteriorate;
· The Chinese schools statutory position may be jeopardized;
· This is an initiative to achieve the ‘Ultimate Objective’; as implied in “The report of Vision
School Project of 1995” which states that: ‘Dalam usaha mencapai matlamat perpaduan
Negara, pendidikan memainkan peranan yang amat penting. Dasar Pelajaran ebangsaan
yang berteraskan Penyata Razak 1956 jelas menegaskan tujuan dasar pendidikan sebagai
alat perpaduan bagi rakyat Negara ini, khususnya di kalangan kanak-kanak sekolah.
Bahasa Kebangsaan sebagai bahasa pengantar yang seragam bagi semua jenis sekolah
dilihat sebagai satu ciri yang paling penting dan perlu dilaksanakan sepenuhnya secara
beransur-ansur.’

c) English as Medium of Instruction for Maths and Science and the 2-4-3 Formula: The implementation of 2-4-3 formula brings back the adverse memory of the 3M program introduced in 1981, and, stimulates further the Chinese Community’s determination in defending the characteristics of Chinese Schools. The following questions need our deep reflections:
· Can it really improve both the standard of English as well as Math and Science effectively?
· Will it increase the pressure upon the school children to the extent of affecting their interest
in English, Math and Science?
· Will it eventually force the Chinese Schools to give up the mother tongue as a medium of
instruction and thus cause mutation in its characteristics?
· Can we trust the government’s pledges that all these changes are beneficial to the Chinese
Schools and the students?
· Is it properly planned with in-depth consideration given to all technical details?

II) Long Pending Issues:

Chinese Schools have long been entangled with the following unsolved issues:
· Inadequate administrative as well as developmental funding;
· Shortage of full-time qualified teachers;
· Insufficient numbers of schools in urban areas; and
· The outdated rote learning.

While the government is proud to tell the world that Chinese education is given freedom to exist in Malaysia, many perceive its development has never been an acceptable one. It is almost a general perception among the Chinese that whilst the government has no intention to abolish the Chinese Schools, neither does it help to prosper the Chinese Schools. More often than not, a great majority believe that it is the government’s plan to let the Chinese Schools never to prosper. For this reason, the Chinese lay the blame on Education ministry as they believe it is the Ministry’s duty to deliver.

Shortage of full-time qualified teachers: In 2003, there is a shortage of 5,278 teachers in Chinese primary schools (See Appendix 1).

The public expects the government to pay immediate attention on this urgency by :

--To increase the intakes for the Teachers Training Program by removing the irrelevant
conditions and requirements;-- Employing retired teachers can be an expedient measure;
--To recognize the degree awarded by Taiwanese Universities; or, to accept the Independent
Chinese Secondary Schools Certificate for the enrollment into the Teacher Training Program if
they have possess a ‘Credit in Bahasa’ or otherwise, if they attend a ‘Bahasa intensive course’
and passed the same. This can be a temporary measure that may be lifted as soon as the
problem is solved.

Shortage of Chinese Primary Schools in Urban residential areas:

This has frequently been an issue capitalized by the oppositions, including PAS. It is an emotional issue as many Chinese parents feel frustrated being forced to send their kids to schools miles away from homes. Statistic shown that National Schools increase by 2,637 schools from 1968 to year 2000, whereas the Chinese primary schools have not increased but decreased by 48 units in the same period of time. For instance, a study conducted by the Chinese Schools Committees show that based on the population ratio, Petaling District presently requires 57 Chinese schools. However, there are only 16 Chinese Schools in that area at the moment. This serious shortage of 41 schools has adversely affected the parents of school going children in the area.

Insufficient allocation for school development as a whole:

It is a known fact that there is no long term, systematic and reliable plan in the allocation of fund to Chinese Schools. The Seventh Malaysia Plan allocated RM1,064,039,000 of which 96.54% had been allocated to National schools and only 2.44% and 1.02% allocated to Chinese and Tamil schools respectively. The obvious difference can hardly appease the feeling of the Chinese community.

· Treating STPM and Matriculation as an equal enrolment standard: This practice has created uneasiness among the Chinese, and many Chinese organizations have repeatedly requested to abolish this system to ensure a fair intake system into local universities.

· Reformation of Rote Learning System: While most Chinese Schools are proud of their students’ examination results, the wrong emphasis and overuse of examinations, tuitions and homework, have caused a great anxiety to the younger generation of Chinese parents. Rote learning may be necessary to train up obedient factory workers during the industrial age of the past century; its philosophy and practicality need much reflections and debates in the Knowledge era, of which the real treasure is original thinking, creativity and innovations. When too much an expectation is unduly focused on rote learning and the examination results, extra learning materials and tuition sessions are manipulated by some irresponsible school administrators for personal financial gain, which make our PM’s vows for a transparent, clean and trustworthy civil service an open mockery like the emperor’s new clothe.

III) Extra Initiatives

These can be a bonus if the Ministry of Education can extend its attention to the following area with resolution:

· Financial assistance for Independent Chinese Secondary Schools
· Recognition of Unified Examination Certificate of the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools
· Greater opportunities and channels for the Chinese students to enroll in the higher education
institutions.

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

The issues stated above are the key areas to take note before the following recommendations can be adopted with the aim to implement effective measures and policy in education :

·Two-ways communication:
between the government and the Chinese community is strongly recommended. A top down method has been practiced and it is now to include the bottom up method to create a better working relationship with the Chinese whom has always involve in this field with great sacrifices.

·Media and commentary circle:
Chinese media, features writers, current affair analysts and commentators have always been over reacting toward the education issues. Their backgrounds are important as they are the medium of all issues. A close communication with this particular group to enhance a better understanding helps to deliver accurate and positive messages. It provides a platform of two-way communication between the government and the people

· Education Think-Tank:
to be formed by educationist, community leaders and member of the public with the purpose of breaking the monopoly of issue on Chinese education by a small group of people. The Chinese community at large can present the problem or proposal in-group discussion in order to deliver a rational and accurate feedback to the ministry as well as to the public.

· Special Chinese Officer:
As an alternative to the existing system that rely heavily on the elected representatives who may be interrupted by various political considerations, a special officer may be appointed under the ministry to coordinate the direct communication between the minister and the Chinese community.

VII. CONCLUSION

Allowing healthy competition is always the best way of getting quality education for our future generation. Malay likes to send their kids to Chinese school not because of learning additional language but in believing its teaching and quality of education. Perhaps, it is time to consider promoting the quality of Sekolah Kebangsaan through upgrading its learning pedagogy.

Secondly, education must be re-imaged as a professional field for human development and not a political turf for personal popularity and gain. This will enable the government to reform the education system more objectively in Malaysia.

We firmly believe that, under the sincere leadership of the most honorable Prime Minister and the new Minister of Education, Malaysian education will be heading toward an excellent, glorious and distinctive new horizon and future.