KUALA LUMPUR: Johor has emerged as one of the strongest-performing states in both property transaction volume and value, while Sabah recorded improvements across the residential, commercial, and industrial segments.
Rahim & Co International Property Consultants Sdn Bhd’s director of research and consultancy services, Sulaiman Saheh, said Johor’s performance was supported by continued investment inflows and infrastructure developments, including the anticipated impact of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS).
“Sabah actually shows an improvement in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Looking at the total value of transactions, which indicates the total prices of all properties being transacted, the value has increased.
“But this increase differs from one area to another, showing greater polarisation between more mature economic and urban centres and areas outside these locations,” he said at the Rahim & Co Property Market Review 2025/2026 presentation.
In contrast, Sulaiman said Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Penang recorded a slight dip in residential transaction volumes after peaking in 2024.
On the affordable housing segment, Sulaiman observed that growth has moderated, in line with the stabilisation of house prices over the past two years.
“That has actually decreased, meaning that developers are now injecting more units, with a greater proportion of units within the higher band of about RM500,000 to RM1 million per unit. A note on the affordable segment, and that it is still a very important and concerning issue for the market and all Malaysians,” he added.
Touching on unsold completed properties, he noted that the overhang has increased over the past 12 months to 49,198 units, comprising residential and service apartments in Johor, which are classified as dual units. However, he said improvements were recorded in Johor and Kuala Lumpur, where unsold units reduced slightly, while Selangor remained largely unchanged.
Sulaiman noted that unsold units were not confined to high-end properties, with a significant proportion recorded in houses below RM1 million, including homes priced under RM500,000, due to factors such as pricing issues, location, product mismatch, and buyers’ income constraints.
He said the non-residential sector has shown some improvement, particularly in terms of overall demand for newer office units, driven by environmental, social, and governance-compliant office buildings that are transit-oriented and located in well-established areas.
