From V, a viewer who wrote in by email
V is 20, a full-time second-year accounting student who runs a social media agency and does freelance videography, earning about RM3,500 a month. He has been learning about property since school. By graduating in mid-2027 he aims to earn RM5,000 a month from the agency and have at least RM10,000 in savings to start with.
What should he do over the next few years to prepare for his first property?
“I would suggest to not prioritize property investment first.”
Don't make property the priority yet. While the business is young, flexibility and active income come first; property keeps you rich rather than makes you rich, so scale the agency and diversify once it earns well.
Why
The business will out-earn any investment
Sean expects a media business to make more over the next ten years than any investment. Once V pays himself about RM5,000 a month and the company makes RM50,000 to RM100,000 a year, he can start diversifying.
Property ties up money
Property cannot be sold quickly when you need cash, the opposite of the flexibility a young business owner needs.
RM10,000 is not enough
Sean's test is to have, when you collect the keys, RM50,000 to furnish the unit plus six months of instalments, about RM63,500 for a RM500,000 unit, besides a six-month emergency fund, a medical card and a clear career path. At 22 he put all RM30,000 of his savings into a down payment, then found a subsale purchase needs about 17% to 18% in cash.
Expecting fast money is the classic mistake
Audit anyone giving advice by whether they live the life you want. Fake gurus work on ignorance and greed, and genuine investors rarely broadcast their wins, so physical community events are the place to meet them.
What to do
- Put your energy into scaling the agency: decide between sole proprietorship and Sdn Bhd, plan your hiring and use AI.
- Keep your lifestyle well below your income as it grows.
- Build savings towards a six-month emergency fund, then RM50,000 plus six months of instalments for your first unit.
- Get medical insurance so you never become a burden on your family.
- Join physical investor events to find a community, and judge advisers by the lives they lead.
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 #302 | PROPERTY INVESTMENT SHOULDN’T BE YOUR PRIORITY
Sources & Verification Data
Summarised from Sean's full English captions for Asking Sean #302. The quoted answer is verbatim; everything else is paraphrased. Figures are as stated in November 2025.
