By Nilam Ghazali
We tend to take personal stories from others to be made into invaluable life lessons. These poignant stories help to mould and create the person we are today by extracting the moral of every experience.
Through PropertyGuru’s latest competition ‘My Home, My Story’, our readers share their personal stories of purchasing their properties, be it the good, the bad and even the ugly.
It could be a nerve wrecking experience for many when it comes to buying properties and in most cases, their first homes. But let’s share the lighter and inspiring moments when it comes to finding their dream homes. Here are some of the highlights from their stories.
Asma Abd Muhaimin
Bubbly yet determined, Asma Abd Muhaimin shares her experience after feeling the pain of living in a rented room shared with a few other roomies. Sharing an apartment or even a room is such a common scenario among fresh grads and young singletons who are living in the city as rentals could skyrocket beyond their means and wages.
Such disparity of renting drove Asma to seek a property that would best fit her. Despite whining throughout the most part of her search for the perfect home, Asma finally fell in love with a studio unit that fitted her criteria and of course, her budget.
Often confiding in her male colleague while mulling over her decision, he finally gave her a wake-up call in making the ultimate verdict. “Well for someone who says she hates the place, you seem to be planning on moving in already!” he said to Asma one day.
There’s no sense of regret as she puts it, “What I can say, is that I have a happy non-sticky home to come back to each day.” And as an added bonus, she also quoted “… I also found my soulmate in the process! He was hiding behind the luggage bag all along”.
We’re assuming that she found her Prince Charming too while searching for her perfect home?
Jaya Prem A/L Gopal Krishnan
The property market can be extremely gracious especially when it is done in the right place and at the right time along with lots of guts and dedication. Jaya Prem A/L Gopal Krishnan finds his property journey rather fruitful.
The law graduate found himself determined to own his own home, rather than renting after returning from London. Despite scepticism from friends and family, Jaya set his eyes on a condominium unit in Tanjung Bungah, Penang.
But the journey wasn’t that smooth sailing. Jaya faced a couple of hiccups with the banks as his loan applications often ended up rejected due to less than exemplary CTOS records. Luckily for him, a RHB bank officer aided him till the very end. Finally, the beautiful sea view condo unit was his for RM400,000.
“My first home gave me a very holiday kind of feeling for the past 5 years as it was facing the sea on one side and the hills on the other side. On top of that, my first home gave me a clean profit of RM330,000,” said Jaya, reflecting the profits gained after the initial struggle of getting his first home. Being adamant could truly be a blessing in his case. And of course, the monetary profit was definitely the icing on the cake.
Wong Shak Kong
Then there’s the rags to riches story that could motivate anyone who are feeling that they are down at the bottom of the pit. Wong Shak Kong’s personal struggles can literally be adapted to film due to its Cinderella-like tale.
With an unemployed father and three siblings to support, Shak Kong was determined to change the destiny of his family for the better. His family had never owned a property and often had to evacuate out from their rental homes due to merciless hikes in the rentals.
“When most of my friends chose to buy a car, owning a house has been my first priority after graduating, even when I was still riding my 6 years old Yamaha to SS2 for work,” he quoted in his entry.
With little to spare, he decided to use the remaining sum from his father’s EPF account to purchase a house and was adamant to get a property that was priced around his limited budget. Finally, he bought a single storey terrace house with three rooms.
Moderation is simply the best especially for those who have tasted hardships and struggles. “For us, old or new did not matter, as long as we had a shelter and no one would chase us out again. Of course, the only regret is that my mother is no longer around to share the joy,” he wrote, summing up his journey.
Which journey strikes a chord within you? Could it be the bubbly and determined singleton Asma who just had enough of living in a heated and sticky rented room, and finally found her true love in a studio apartment? Or practising lawyer Jaya who sought independence upon returning from London and made a huge profit out of his first property despite naysayers?
Or could it be the rags to riches story of Shak Kong who went through lots of downs since childhood and finally found his happy ending in a home, bought specially for his family?
There are a lot of relatable stories that can be found through the PropertyGuru ‘My Home, My Story’ competition. But which entry deserves the winning prize money of RM10,000?
Vote for your favourite story by logging onto PropertyGuru
