Buyers in the same project often face a choice at a similar price: an extra bedroom on a lower floor, or one fewer bedroom with a better view higher up.
In the same block, is a low-floor three-bedroom or a high-floor two-bedroom the better buy?
“I'll go for the lowest floor three-bedroom”
For a rental, take the low-floor three-bedroom: rents are set mainly by the number of rooms, not the height. For own stay it is personal, depending on how much you value the view, but check how low the low floor really is.
Why
Rent follows the room count
The rental market is segmented by bedrooms: a one-bedroom rents for more than a studio, and a two-bedroom more than a one-bedroom. Converting a two-bedroom into a three-bedroom can be a smart move.
Few tenants pay for height
In the mid-market, a tenant won't pay much more to live on level 16 instead of level 6 with the same view. In the luxury segment, where rents run to RM16,000 or more, tenants do pay for a view.
How low is low
Level 3 next to a highway is noisy; level 17 against level 47 is a different comparison. Lower floors also complete earlier in the payment schedule, so you pay slightly more interest, though Sean calls it negligible.
What to do
- Decide first whether the unit is for rent or for your own stay.
- For a rental, compare rents by room count in the area.
- Check whether a two-bedroom layout could be converted to three.
- Visit the low floor to hear road noise before you commit.
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.
3-BEDROOM (LOW FLOOR LEVEL) VS 2 BEDROOM (HIGH FLOOR LEVEL)
Sources & Verification Data
Summarised from Sean's English captions for this September 2019 video, a discussion with no right or wrong answer. The quoted line is verbatim; everything else is paraphrased.
