kl condo resale data reveal modest returns despite price gains

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

EdgeProp’s analysis of 384 Kuala Lumpur condominium resales between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 shows that 230 units – 59.9% of the sample – were sold above their original purchase price, yet the median annualised return across all matched pairs was only 1.2% per year, according to the property portal’s September 10 report.

When EdgeProp adjusted the figures for the length of time each unit was held, the median return fell to 1.2% annually. Applying further screening to exclude related‑party transfers, subsidised sales and apparent register errors reduced the median to just 0.5% per year, the report adds. Both rates sit below typical mortgage interest costs and ignore additional outlays such as loan interest, renovation, legal fees and real property gains tax.

Four Seasons Place, a freehold, hotel‑branded tower on Jalan Ampang launched in January 2013, illustrates the gap between headline price growth and actual returns. Six matched resales there generated a net gain of RM6.20 million, but the annualised return was –0.1% per year, EdgeProp’s table shows.

By contrast, Ketumbar Heights in Cheras, a modest freehold development completed in 2010, recorded five matched resales that all posted gains, delivering an average annualised return of 4.1% per year, the analysis reports.

Across the full dataset, the distribution of annualised returns clusters tightly around break‑even. More than 40% of transactions fell within a –2% to +4% range, EdgeProp’s chart indicates, suggesting a market where most sellers see little real appreciation after accounting for holding periods.

The aggregate net gain of RM35.91 million – derived from 230 winners each earning a median RM176,000 and 154 losers each losing a median RM150,000 – appears healthy at first glance but masks the thin underlying returns, the report explains.

The portal narrowed its focus to 14 projects that each had multiple matched resales, then to the ten with at least four transactions each, to avoid single‑unit outliers skewing results. Five of those developments delivered genuinely strong annualised returns, while the other five posted losses or gains too modest to justify the wait. No single factor – location, tenure, developer pedigree or unit size – consistently explained the split, EdgeProp concludes.

Park Regent in Desa ParkCity emerged as the standout performer among the ten projects. Launched in July 2019 and handed over in November 2023 by a joint venture between ParkCity Group and CapitaLand Malaysia Trust, its multiple resales generated the highest median annualised return in the sample, the analysis notes. Other projects, such as the luxury Four Seasons Place, lagged behind despite higher absolute price differentials.

The findings challenge the prevailing narrative that Kuala Lumpur condos simply “buy, hold, sell, profit.” While most owners did sell at a higher nominal price, the modest median returns suggest that the cost of financing and ancillary expenses often erode any apparent upside. For developers and buyers alike, the data underscores the importance of entry price, holding period and total cost of ownership rather than relying on headline price trends alone.