Finding the right fit

AS children, we grew up drawing picture after picture of a triangle above a square with a door and two windows and calling it a house, usually with a tree beside it and a pet or two running around.

Despite the image being inaccurate to children who lived in other types of homes, it was the most recognisable, distinct building to us.

However, not everyone can settle in a suburban bungalow with trees in a compound large enough to house pets. As we grow older, that image shifts and we may have to live in vastly different types of homes to suit our needs at various points in life.

There are many things to take into account when looking for property, such as how much space you need, the people you may be living with, your working hours and whether you work from home or away from home.

The following is a breakdown by age group that matches people at different stages of life with a type of property most suitable for them.

Young adults and fresh graduates

According to Charles Tan, chief operating officer of MNP Auctioneers (Central) Sdn Bhd and executive editor of kopiandproperty.com, this group usually consists of the millennials, who are not likely to want to live an hour away from their workplaces.

People in their 20s and 30s likely have jobs in highly urbanised areas and would find peers in the vicinity who are experiencing similar life situations.

They tend to see ex

ities abundant in highly populated city centres.

“Areas much further away are thus not that appealing, and they may not need such a huge space at this point in their lives,” says Tan.

Young adults and fresh graduates are also less likely to have their own mode of transport and can take advantage of more advanced public transport systems in urban areas, which also reduce transit times in places where the high numbers of motor vehicles often cause traffic congestions.

Flats and other high-rise properties are the most popular living space choices offered to this demographic due to affordability, sufficient floor area for minimal belongings and, in some cases, twoor three-tier security access as well

oxi yto l nsp

Middle-aged corporate workers

Members of the population in their early 30s to late 40s are the ones most likely to be married with young or teenage children. The property of choice, however, depends on whether the family in question is a dual-income or single-income one.

Proximity of a living space to daycare centres, schools and tuition centres will be more attractive to this group of people, who require help in caring for their children while they are at work.

A dual-income family would probably prefer a home close to both parents’ workplaces, nurseries, healthcare facilities and convenience stores so they have easy access to their children, spouses, medical attention and living needs. These needs put them in locations closer to urban developments.

Homes in such places include higher-end condominiums, mixed-use developments and landed properties in guarded communities.

“The head of a single-income family would probably be more open to suburban landed homes,” says Tan.

He adds that that lower property value in the outskirts of urban areas means affordable living for the entire family, even if the breadwinner has to drive further out to his workplace.

Extended family members wanting to stay close to each other

Th hole concept of a hood resulted from large families adding more houses on their land to accommodate their evergrowing size due to marriages and births.

Close relatives staying in the same taman or neighbourhood is no new practice, but there are more property options now.

Sisters with their own families wanting to be near each other in case of emergencies, children who stay a few houses down from their elderly parents to keep an eye on them and sticking to certain cultural traditions where the entire family lives and grows in the same area are just a few instances in which family members would want to live close to each other.

“These families are the ones usually contributing to an increase in property value in some mature neighbourhoods, where parents purchasing property for their children prefer places closer to their current home,” says Tan.

According to him and a wide norm, young people adjust more readily to displacement than elderly people, so it makes sense for younger members of the family to populate the area around more elderly family members instead of expecting the elderly to move with them.

“It is not easy to move older folks to l le we favourite coffee shops with them as well,” quips Tan.

A modern alternative to staying in the same taman would be for nuclear units of an extended family to live in the same condominium complex, which has the added advantage of tighter security to avoid robberies and break-ins.

Retired couples

The least likely of any category on this list to want to move around, retired couples are more likely to want to stick to familiar s ro ings and social lives. er if they have medical need constant gressive diseases, healthcare the best answer. e retired couple ving to s” such as Kuala lu Selangor, ed properties ces for exercise ties are the most s. ci

op ab eds

cco wit aj

Young people adjust more readily to displacement than elderly people, so it makes sense for younger members of the family to populate the area around more elderly family members instead of expecting the elderly to move with them.

physical s or different

ing to an, individuals l needs who hold ld find it more for their o e near their place. Landed, single-storey roperties present a igher convenience and safety factor, s ially if one uses eelchair, crutches her walking aids. lternatively, many wer high-rise evelopments have ramps and grip rs at all rances for ease wheelchair access m carparks to es and residential owever, rties in these exes are on the end in terms of specially in areas. r