He was in his late teens when he began thinking about investing in property. For Roy, it was something that happened naturally. He was exposed to an early education in property investment by both his parents who were active in the property market. With their help and a long-term financial plan, Roy purchased his first property last year at 25, which he intends to occupy while working on his future investment plans.

What criteria do you use before making the final decision on which property to invest in?

Location, price, potential, layout, design, density, developer. But the final criteria that will determine any purchase is whether I can afford it or not. My advice to someone who is interested in investing in property is to make sure you can afford it, never over-gear yourself. Always be clear what is the primary purpose of you getting the property - for investment or own use - as It will influence your decision.

Do you agree that a person must be very knowledgeable and experienced about the property market before making the first purchase?

It depends. One must be quite knowledgeable, experienced and well financed when it comes to speculating. But for own use and normal investment, just a lot of commonsense would go a long way.

Investing in property is a longterm commitment. Do you think our younger generation fear this and just want things right now?

Yes and no, I don't think the younger generation fear long-term commitment. I think they fear security in the future in terms of monetary security, job security, government stability, social security. I think if the younger generation can see a stable future, they will be more willing to commit to investment.

The Malaysian government has initiated several schemes to allow the people to own affordable housing. Can this be a good option for our Gen-Y to start their investment?

Yes it is a good initiative from the government but it's not enough.

The government should create an environment where people get appropriately rewarded (paid), and also provide financing to those who are financially prudent. Nowadays Bank Negara has created an environment where the wealthy are the ones getting the financing whereas these are the people that may not actually 'need' financing. The government should spend more effort in identifying the people who actually need financing and are healthy borrowers, cap inflation (i.e control fluctuation in commodities), and subsidize more QUALITY affordable housing (i.e Singapore's HDB is a good example) amongst others.

Young people do not need encouragement to spend; they already have a high spending will. What they need is education on how and where to spend their money and to be given the opportunity to spend wisely.

Some say that our Gen-Y is not very savvy in financial planning and while others opine that they are fast learners and therefore they should take up the challenge to educate themselves about the options available to them. Your thoughts?

I think both are true. It's true that a small portion of the younger generation don't plan their finances well enough. But saying that I believe the majority of them do see the importance and necessity of doing so. It's also true that they are fast learners. However, personal financial planning can only go so far in this context. As an example, just because you can afford 10-20% of a property, it doesn't mean that you'll be able to get the remaining 80-90% from the bank. Of course I don't think the banks should be reckless and simply lend to every Tom, Dick and Harry but the government should create a more sophisticated credit rating system than the one currently in use.

What is your opinion of the property market in Sabah today and the future?

Today, I think there are a few problems. The first is that properties in Sabah are generally not value for money. I am not saying that they are expensive. But the product is not "up to standard” as compared to those in other places. For example, dollar for dollar, a RM900/sqft condo in KL will give you much better design, finishing, layout, facilities and other amenities compared to a RM900/ sqft condo KK. On top of that, the yield in KL is higher as the demand for rental property is higher there. However, I feel that Sabah has got a lot more potential than KL. I think developers have to really look into building quality homes rather than just homes that will sell.

For the immediate future, Malaysia in general will be facing a tough short- to mid-term economy in all industries, especially the property industry. Mainly due to ineffectual government policies to drive the local and international economy, the tightening of banking policies and the paltry remuneration and salary that the working class people are getting. In fact, even young white-collar professionals are facing the same problems. Doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, and accountants, they are all underpaid due to the market norm and status quo. That is why a good majority of young professionals, given the opportunity, would opt to work overseas. This is having a toll on the nation's economy as everyone knows that the true spending power is in these people.

On a brighter note, Sabah is a beautiful place with endless opportunities. From natural resources to nature's wonders, Sabah is rich in many aspects. Given a free market scenario, and driven by a visionary leader, I believe Sabah has great potential. I mean, there's a reason why I am still here in Sabah. With