The pressure to own a home is real — whether it comes from family expectations or watching your friends proudly share their homeownership milestones on social media.
But without a supportive partner or a strong enough salary, it’s easy to fall into debt — especially when mortgage payments stretch already tight monthly budgets.
Malaysian real estate agent @natashagideon recently shared her take on this issue, saying that those earning below RM5,000 a month should think twice before buying a house.
She explained that the most affordable properties in the market are usually priced around RM300,000, which translates to a monthly mortgage payment of about RM1,500.
“If your salary is exactly RM5,000, after paying RM1,500 for the mortgage, you’re left with around RM3,500 for other essentials like insurance, savings, and daily expenses,” she said.
But if your monthly income is only RM3,500, it’s a much tighter situation.
“With that same RM1,500 mortgage payment, you’re left with just RM2,000 — and that still needs to cover your car, bills, food… by the end of the day, it’s going to go negative.”
