Somewhere near 2012, the Malaysian government announced that the Klang Valley LRT lines of Kelana Jaya and Ampang will be expanding to cover more stations in Subang Jaya, USJ, Bandar Kinrara and Puchong. Additionally, another line from Sungai Buloh to Kajang and Sungai Buloh to Serdang and Putrajaya is now in the works.
With so many new additions to the Klang Valley’s public train system, it would be wise for Malaysians to consider investing in property that is near existing and future train stations. This is because there are many benefits in buying properties near LRT or MRT stations. Among the benefits include:
Property Value Appreciation
We can expect residential, commercial and high rise properties near these stations to increase in value from 10-15% especially after the stations are opened. Properties near MRT/LRT station have a better chance at obtaining better sales prices compared to units that are more remote.
Highly Convenient
If you plan to live at a property near a train station, you can expect to save transport costs and time as you don’t have to drive to work and waste time stuck in a traffic jam. This convenience factor is also the reason that many people will be attracted to be tenants in your property.
Better Rental Rates
Due to the convenience factor, it is no wonder that there will be a high demand for housing near new and existing train stations. As the economic principles go, when there is a high demand, and lower supply, prices will increase. Hence, the chances of obtaining higher rental rates are highly possible.
Much Easier to Get Tenants
You will definitely find that there will be many people enquiring after your property without needing to wait long and without needing to conduct much marketing or publicity activities.
On the other hand, having a property near a train station can have some disadvantages, including:
Noise
Some people may be turned off by the sound of trains regularly passing by your home or shop several times per hour. This is particularly important if there are young children in the home. There might also be noise coming from building and repair works related to the railway line.
Peak hour traffic jams
A whole bunch of cars leaving or arriving at the station before 9am and after 5pm may cause a lot of congestion and prevent you from being mobile during those particular periods.
Lack of Beautiful View
Houses and apartments near train stations can sometimes be less attractive in terms of its surrounding as it may not be surrounded by greenery or sea views. In some cases, the train station may even dominate your entire front yard or balcony view.