The hidden costs of buying a home nobody warns you about
Rachel Wong
9 Mar 2026
- Stamp duty on MOT: 1% on first RM100k, 2% on RM100k-500k, 3% above RM500k
- Loan agreement stamp duty: 0.5% on loan amount
- Legal fees: ~1% of property price (capped and regulated)
- Valuation fees: RM1k-3k depending on property value
- Agent commission: Typically 2-3% (paid by seller, but affects negotiation)
- Moving costs: RM1k-5k depending on volume
- Renovation float: Always budget 20% more than quoted
For a RM500k property with 90% loan, budget at least RM35-45k in upfront costs beyond the 10% downpayment.
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