Malaysia’s pre-war shophouses seeing renewed interest as collectors go on the hunt

[KUALA LUMPUR] Property consultants in Malaysia say there are stirrings in the market for pre-war buildings as listings have gone up in tandem with the ongoing rebound of the tourism industry.

While the number of transactions cooled slightly in recent years, largely due to the pandemic and lockdowns, consultants told The Business Times (BT) that this niche market continues to retain plenty of interest and attention from investors.

There are a total of 24,459 pre-war shophouses in Malaysia, with Perak and Penang having the most at 5,853 and 5,064 units respectively, according to latest data from the National Property Information Centre.