A year of unlearning and relearning

The year 2020 is bowing out, and no one, not even in his or her wildest dreams, could have imagined what a trying, painful and anguish-filled year it would be.

Save for a very small handful of industries spared in the global economy hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, things that had been taken for granted disappeared overnight.

Read also
Describe 2020 in one word. Why?
Lessons you have learned in 2020
Where were you this time last year? Where do you wish to be now?
Where do you wish to be this time next year?
Your wish for 2021

Clearly, 2020 has been a year of unlearning and relearning for everyone, both in and outside homes the world over.

Closer to home, business and leisure travel, hospitality, trade show, F&B and entertainment sectors were brought to an abrupt halt. Others have struggled and continued to struggle to stay afloat.

The Malaysian gross domestic product dived 17.1% in 2Q this year, from a flat growth of 0.7% in 1Q. The decline slowed to 2.7% in 3Q as the market started adapting to the new normal coupled with the easing of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

For the property market, challenging is the word. Property transaction volume for 1H2020 shrank 27.9% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 115,476, while transaction value dipped by 31.5% to RM46.94 billion, according to the data by the National Property Information Centre (NAPIC).

In 3Q this year, transaction volume has managed to grow by 7.4% y-o-y to 89,245 units of properties worth RM33.78 billion, a slight drop in value of 2.4% y-o-y.

Whether the recovery can be sustained is anyone’s guess.

As we close the chapter on this dreadful 2020, we asked judges of the EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed & Sustainable Property Awards, developers, property consultants and realtors, architects and auctioneers on:

• Their one-word description of 2020

• Key learning this year

• Where they were this time last year

• Where they hope to be this time next year

• Their wish for 2021

Thank you for the overwhelming response to our poll!

The who’s who of the 26 respondents comprising judges of the EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed

& Sustainable Property Awards, developers, property consultants and realtors, architects and auctioneers.

Developers

Datuk Lee Tian Hock
Founder and group executive deputy chairman, Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd

Datuk Joseph Lau Group 
CEO, ParkCity Group
 

Datuk Chang Khim Wah 
President and CEO, Eco World Development Group
 

Beh Chun Chong 
CEO, Paramount Property Development

Ngan Chee Meng
CEO, Gamuda Land

Judges of the EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed 
and Sustainable Property Awards

Dr Lim Lan Yuan
President, Singapore Association of Property and Facility Managers

Dr Suhardi Maulan
President, Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM)
 

Adzman Shah Mohd Ariffin
President, Malaysian Institute of Property and Facility Managers (MIPFM)

Anthony Lee Tee
Accredited building inspector and trainer, Architect Centre Sdn Bhd
 

Chris Tan
Founder and managing partner, Chur Associates

Property realtors and consultants

Foo Gee Jen
Managing director, CBRE | WTW Group

YY Lau
Country head, JLL Property Services (M) Sdn Bhd
 

Jonathan Lee
Chief operating officer, Reapfield Properties

Previndran Singhe
CEO and managing director, Zerin Properties
 

Sarkunan Subramaniam
Managing director, Knight Frank Malaysia
 

Samuel Tan
Executive director, KGV International Property Consultants

Tang Chee Meng
Chief operating officer, Henry Butcher Real Estate Sdn Bhd
 

Maxxan Tee Kiat Siong
Managing director, Maxxan Realty Sdn Bhd 

Eddy Wong
Managing director, Nawawi Tie Leung Real Estate Consultants Sdn Bhd

Freeman Woo
Co-founder, Kith and Kin Realty Sdn Bhd

Architects

Datuk Ezumi Harzani Ismail
President, Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM)
 

Dr Tan Loke Mun
Architect and director, Archicentre and DTLM Design Group

Property auctioneers

Gary Chia
Executive director, AuctionGuru.com.my

Danny Loh
Executive director, Property Auction House Sdn Bhd
 

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my e-Pub on Dec 25, 2020. You can access back issues here.

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