Budget 2017: Hopes for more perks for first-time home buyers

Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd (MCHB) hopes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would offer more incentives to first-time buyers of affordable homes in Budget 2017.

Chairman, Datuk Mohamad Haslah Mohamad Amin, said developers should also be given the incentives to encourage them to build more affordable houses.

"The demand for affordable housing exceeds supply. However, difficulties in getting financing and unattractive locations have deterred many housebuyers from owning the houses.

"The government must offer opportunities for more people to own houses, especially in terms of ease in getting loans," he told Bernama after Matrix's Golf Tournament Invitation and the visit to its new housing project here Saturday.

He said the state's Affordable Housing Policy, which required housing projects in the state to set 50 per cent for affordable housing, should be extended nationwide.

"This is important for the welfare of the people because we not only build houses but also comfortable homes for people from all walks of life.

"Every developer should play their respective role and don't build affordable housing in a place far from the city," he said.

Mohamad Haslah said the company would launch 3,000 units of affordable houses in Gadong Jaya, Labu, near here, early next year.

"All of MCHB's housing launches, including the Gadong Jaya project, will comprise 50 percent affordable houses," he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Haslah said, MCHB's new 17.4-hectare housing project, Residensi SIGC Seremban, which comprised 217 units of bungalows, semi-detached and terraced houses, was expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2018.

"We are confident the units in the resort concept Residensi SIGC are expected to be sold out because of the strategic location and competitive prices," he said.

The project, with a gross development value of RM250 million, will be officially launched early next year. -- Bernama