Malaysia’s real estate is now the second most popular in Southeast Asia amongst Chinese buyers, according to data published by global real estate network, IQI.

The improvement from third place in 2022 is down to Malaysia’s location, international education sector, economic stability and burgeoning property market, said a statement on Wednesday by IQI, a member of the international real estate technology group, Juwai IQI.

Indeed, Malaysia continues to attract considerable foreign residential real estate investment, according to Juwai IQI co-founder and group CEO Kashif Ansari.

“Foreign investors view Malaysian properties as lucrative opportunities for capital appreciation and rental yields.

“Malaysia has been one of the top three countries in Southeast Asia for residential buyers from China for the past five years,” he stated.

Kashif observed that Vietnam dropped from second place to third, switching positions with Malaysia. Meanwhile, Thailand remains the sole Southeast Asian destination consistently outranking Malaysia and has been the top choice for Chinese buyers since before 2018, Daily Express reports.

The Juwai IQI CEO added that Chinese buyers who are currently purchasing residential property are citing similar reasons for buying as they did in 2018.

“About 60% of Chinese buyers say they are purchasing for investment purposes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, which remains consistent with the 2018 figures.

“The share of buyers reporting that they purchase for their use was 63% in 2023, down from 66% in 2018,” he commented.

Furthermore, Kashif said it is typical for Chinese buyers to enrol their children in local international schools, which often plays a significant role in influencing their choice of location.

“This is why many of them purchase in popular expat neighbourhoods that already have a selection of such schools,” he said.

Moreover, Kashif is confident that Malaysia will maintain its position in the competitive Southeast Asian region over the next two years.