From Miss L, a viewer who wrote in on Instagram
Miss L is 34 and works in oil and gas, where restructuring is common. She lives in her brother's condo and pays about RM1,500 a month towards its costs; he is now jobless, with a wife and young child. She earns about RM11,000, or RM8,500 net, but after her car, her parents' allowance and her credit card has RM1,500 to RM2,000 left, three to four months of savings and no investments. A new PJ project she likes would cost about RM3,000 a month including maintenance.
Should she buy that unit for own stay or investment, keep renting, or do something else?
“It's not because the market is not ready. You are not ready.”
Not now. Her income qualifies for a loan, but what is left each month cannot carry a RM3,000 commitment. Stay put, build savings and income, and when ready, buy a cheaper unit for investment first while she still values flexibility.
Why
It's that unit she can't afford
Banks see RM11,000; they don't see that only about RM2,000 is left after expenses. At RM3,000 a month before renovation and insurance, the PJ unit is out of reach, but a RM300,000 to RM400,000 unit at about RM1,350 to RM1,800 a month would not be.
Savings are the real issue
Losing a job is out of her control; her savings are not. Sean's test is RM50,000 to RM60,000 for the makeover plus six months of costs: about RM68,000 in hand at key collection for a RM3,000-a-month unit.
The RM1,500 is cheap rent
What she pays her brother is cheap rent, and while he is jobless it means far more to him than it would to a landlord. Unless living together is straining things, staying helps him, and she shouldn't ask for the money back.
Single means flexible
Without children she does not need the certainty of her own home, and renting from owners whose units lose money is her best arrangement for now. Sean does encourage women to own an investment unit of their own, rented out until it is needed.
What to do
- Ask a bank how much you can borrow, using your payslip and EPF statement.
- Visit 20 properties within that range, without booking anything.
- Build your emergency fund before committing to any purchase.
- Work out how to earn RM500 to RM1,000 more a month from your professional skills, not a second job.
- When ready, buy for investment first, in a price range where the rent can cover the instalment.
Editorial Note: Summarised from Sean Tan's full episode. The quoted answer is in his own words; the rest is our paraphrase. Figures reflect the recording date, so check current rates and rules before acting on them.
ASKING SEAN #299 | TOO BAD YOU JUST CANNOT AFFORD THAT PROPERTY
Sources & Verification Data
Summarised from Sean's full English captions for Asking Sean #299. The quoted answer is verbatim; everything else is paraphrased. Figures are as stated in October 2025.
