paddythepilot

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Sorry to jump in, but now this 'Malaysia My Second Home' thread has come back I'd just like to say that there are many expats here in Hong Kong who are actively interested in this scheme, (including myself).

I'm only 36 years old, so some way for me to go before I can afford to retire in Malaysia, however, I would seriously consider buying a property now and getting the mortgage paid off before my retirement date arrives.

Apart from KL, would anyone recommend other 'suitable' areas in Malaysia for expats to buy property? (i.e. near breaches etc?).

Look forward to any comments on Malaysia.

Cheers.

Aragorna

We are currently planning to build a home on the east coast to spend several months a year in and eventually retire, we have travelled to Malaysia several times and always very taken with both the country and the people but also the cost of living. We look at the quality of retirement in England and compare to how it could be in Malaysia and there is no comparison.

Aragorna

We are looking at the east coast of the peninsula south of Kuantan, it is not touristy at all but just every day Malaysians going about their business. The beaches are untouched and as the Malaysians do not value the sea, beach or coastal land, the beaches are approched by untouched acres of land. You can go to the land registry seeking land that is not Malay reserve and obtain the owners details. The current rate for beach front land is circa. 65,000 to 80,000 RM an acre plus fees

DollyDaydream

Hi there Aragorna,

Welcome to the forum

Your plans sound wonderful. Don't forget your friends when you're sipping your mint juleps whilst surveying your sea-view vista.

All the best...

D D

paddythepilot

Dear Aragorna,

Many thanks for your comments regarding East Coast Malaysia.

I agree with you, Malaysia is a truely lovely country and offers far more in terms of 'quality of life' than the UK ever could. Thanks for the tip, I didn't know land was so cheap on that side of the country, but this is good to know, KL is not that cheap really.

Can I ask, when do you intend to re-locate to Malaysia?

Cheers

Aragorna

We are in the process of purchasing 2 acres beach front ie South China Sea, it takes quite a while to go through the process, over a year now but we are in the final leg and hope to be the very proud and excited owners by end of the year. Next step will be design and approval of plans, we can build on 10% of land footfall, this will probably be no quicker but then if you want to be in a place like Malaysia the change of pace is part of it. I would anticipate we start building 2006 and hopefully have a 3 month break in our new home 2007!

Aragorna

One also hopes the friends dont forget me and come out to sit on my verandah with a cocktail and enjoy a view of the South China Sea in front and rain forest behind us, mind the cobras though!

paddythepilot

Aragorna,

I am very ken on hearing about your future plans for living in Malaysia and I have sent you a Private Message, be most grateful if you could e-mail me once you read your message.

Look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Cheers

Niza Barr

Hello Martin,

Its nice to know that you chose Malaysia as your 2nd home and Welcome to Malaysia.

My name is Niza and I'm Malaysian married to British and currently living in Manchester, UK. We have a house in Malaysia and do go back there every year and hopefully in the near future, we would like to go back to Malaysia for good.

If you do want to see other expats in this part of the world, and would like to exchange experiences with others in Malaysia, kindly visit this site http://www.alloexpat.com/malaysia_expat_forum/

Enjoy the beauty of Malaysia...Truly Asia!

Best regards.
Niza Barr

Aragorna

Dear Niza

Thanks for the link you put on here, I think it will be very useful to me and our plans to retire to Malaysia one day. We visit again at Christmas for 3 weeks and looking forward to it.
How do you like living in the UK and what does it offer you that you cant have better in Malaysia?
Regards Aragorna

Niza Barr

Dear Aragorna,

"How do you like living in the UK and what does it offer you that you cant have better in malaysia?".....
Well, to be honest with you I do miss my homeland very much and I really want to quickly retire and go back to Malaysia and have a simple life. To be honest with you the standard of living in Malaysia and UK is almost the same.. for example if you earn RM2000 pcm in Malaysia you will probably spend the same amount as you spend £2000 pcm in the UK.. but if you earn £2000 and live in Malaysia then it will make a different as Pound Sterling is higher than RM.. I think Malaysia have less poverty compare to any other Asia countries.. correct me if I'm wrong... and there is a lot safer to walk at night compare to any other countries...

I come to live in England because I'm married to an English man but my husband also would like to live in Malaysia as soon as he can. In Malaysia everything is so cheap and everybody is so friendly and we got less taxation compare to any other country..there is no V.A.T to anything that we buy in Malaysia where in some country even you buy your groceries shopping you got to pay V.A.T... and that make everything is so expensive plus if you're self-employed and owned a business.. you are talking big money when come to taxation...

I do love England very much.. I love the snow and spring especially and if I do come back and live in malaysia, I will defenetely miss all that.. but well, we still can come back here for holiday

Have a good Xmas in Malaysia.. Have a nice one.

Best regards.
Nia

Aragorna

Dear Niza

Thank you for your reply, I think the seasons are something I will miss too I particularly love march and september!

I think the key to retiring to Malsysia is to retain a UK income which as you point out is worth so much more in Malaysia enabling you to have a far better quality retirement in Malaysia than here in the UK.

My husband and I despair as we watch our mothers, both on their own, sit worrying about everyday costs of living, being cold, the central heating breaking down, crime and just watch far too much television because they cant afford to do much else!

Which is why we seek something better and have hopefully found in Malaysia.

Hope you too find your dream return to Malaysia

Kind regards Aragorna

Niza Barr

Dear Arogorna,

I really hope your dream comes true.. it just a matter of time.. sooner or later.

The only thing that I would advise you, maybe you will have to get a good Health Insurance, god forbid..if anything goes wrong.. you can always go to private hospital and get a better treatment... but dont worry it wont cost you a fortune.. I would suggest you to go with BUPA as BUPA is the world's largest international expatriate health insurer and they are providing quality cover to people who are in their home country or living and working abroad...

Apart from that, you got nothing to worry!.. Malaysia is one of the most peaceful country.. M'sia is a country of mixed races and cultures consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous peoples...such a varying ethnic composition, it is no surprise that a great diversity of religions is prevalent throughout Malaysia. As a result, it is a common to see temples, mosques and churches within the same area... Although the official religion is Islam, freedom of worship is practiced...and the Muslim over here is far more educated, open minded, modern and very friendly and pleasant.

Communication?? Well you got nothing to worry as English is widely spoken, especially in business, and the English language is a compulsory subject in all schools... so you will have no problem in communicate with the local people.. you probably might come accross with Malaysian who cant really speak English very well but most of them do understand the language but do not know how to answer/reply back in English.. so they might probably use "broken English"... well, at least it will put a smile on your face listening to them.

All the best..

Niza

Malcontent

Hi Aragorna

We live in Hong Kong and have been thinking about Malaysia for early retirement as the falling US$ has made Australia so expensive. we also love Asia. We are coming to KL for the Christmas break (we both teach) We also wish to follow the design and build idea but not too far from some entainmnet (music concerts etc) as my wife is a classical musician.

any suggestions for where to look and should we hire a car and book hotels or take pot luck?

Regards

Malcontent

shriver9

[QUOTE=Malcontent]Hi Aragorna

We live in Hong Kong and have been thinking about Malaysia for early retirement as the falling US$ has made Australia so expensive. we also love Asia. We are coming to KL for the Christmas break (we both teach) We also wish to follow the design and build idea but not too far from some entainmnet (music concerts etc) as my wife is a classical musician.

any suggestions for where to look and should we hire a car and book hotels or take pot luck? (Quote )


I would agree that Kuantan is a nice place for retirement. By Malaysian standards it is a modern small town, with all the facilities - a few new shopping complexes, a general hospital, a few private hospitals, banks etc, with none of the congestion and traffic jams that KL has. The best part is that there is a nice beach within 10 minutes drive from the town center. Property prices here is a lot cheaper than in KL. The only downer is that the NE monsoon blows in at end of each year and you do get heavy rain storms at that time and some roads do get flooded.

About 45 minutes drive from Kuantan there another longer unspoilt beach stretch at Cerating ( Club Med is there ), and is one of best beaches in Malaysia.

Penang Island is another popular place to retire to. Not as quiet or cheap as Kuantan, but perhaps more things to do and see. Its an island, so has beaches and then there is Penang Hill. You take a tram up, in the same way as you would to go up the Peak in Hong Kong. It still retains many of the old colonial buildings and has some unique old Chinese homes, as well as Burmese and Thai temples, besides of course Churches, Mosques and Hindu Temples.

From Penang you can take a ferry or plane to Langkawai island, another tourist spot.

For classical music lovers, you may need to stay in the bigger cities. Petronas twin towers has a concert hall....not sure about Kuantan or Penang. Book a hotel early if you intend to come during X'mas. Hotels especially in Cerating, Kuantan and Penang tend to be fully booked at that time by both locals and tourists. Hiring a car is not a problem. We have Avis and Hertz here. You can enquire though the web or even at the KL airport.