Selling Property in Malaysia: Guides

Selling a property in Malaysia takes longer than most owners expect. Beyond finding a buyer, a sale involves agreeing terms in an SPA, waiting for the buyer's loan to be approved, settling your own housing loan and completing the transfer of title, and each stage has its own paperwork and timeline. The guides in this section follow a sale from the first decision to sell through to handing over the keys.

Pricing is the first step and often the one that decides how long a sale takes. Our pricing guide explains how to read comparable asking prices and recorded transactions for your area, why a bank valuation can differ from the price a buyer offers, and how to set an asking price that leaves room for negotiation without putting buyers off. It is worth remembering that listing prices on any portal, including SuperHomes, are asking prices rather than completed sale prices.

Tax comes next. Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) may be payable on the gain when you dispose of a property, and the rate depends on how long you have owned it and whether you are a citizen, a permanent resident, a foreigner or a company. The buyer's side withholds a retention sum from the purchase price for the tax authority, and you file the disposal return. Our RPGT guides explain how the gain is worked out, which costs can be deducted and when exemptions apply.

Many sellers still have a housing loan on the property. That loan has to be redeemed from the sale proceeds, which means working with your bank and the buyer's lawyers on a redemption statement and the order in which money is paid out. The guides explain how this works and how it affects the time to completion.

You will also find guides on choosing between a registered estate agent and selling on your own, with a like-for-like look at the costs and the work involved; on transferring a property to family members, including transfers on the basis of love and affection; and on selling a property you have inherited, which usually requires probate or letters of administration before a sale can complete.

Every guide is written for the Malaysian market and shows when it was published or last reviewed. Tax rules in particular are revised in national budgets, so confirm the current position with your lawyer or tax adviser before you commit to a sale.