Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s property market showed a significant uptrend the past three years, according to departmental records, said Sabah Lands and Surveys Department Director Datuk Sr Bernard Liew Chau Min.
He said it reflected the robust growth of the State’s real estate sector.
Advertisement“As of Nov 30, 2024, the total transaction value for Memorandum of Transfer (MOT) activities, including property ownership transfers, reached an impressive RM5.17 billion.
“The RM5.17 billion stands for the total volume of the property transacted where the higher the volume, the more active is the property market. (Volume in terms of the value of the land).
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Also present were Shareda President Datuk Sr. Chua Soon Ping and Council members.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});In terms of MOC (Memorandum of Charge) volume, Barnard said the total value stands at around RM9 billion for 2024, remaining consistent with previous years.
He said the uptrend in Sabah’s property market was a testament to the sector’s resilience and positive growth trajectory.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“As a department, we are entrusted with significant responsibilities beyond property development, including geospatial development and GIS,” he said.
He said the department has made significant strides in digitising its processes to enhance efficiency, transparency and trust in land administration, particularly for property developers and investors.
In terms of property development, Bernard said it acknowledges the importance of conversions, subdivisions, as well as extension of lease.
He said the department has developed a few computerised digital systems that are not just systems for inputting information but comprehensive processing systems designed to streamline, enhance efficiency and support property development.
“We have systems for online submission and also the letter of offer for subdivisions and for conversion. Everything is printed online and the signatures are all digital signatures.
“For example, if there is an offer of 100 lots, we can print very easily, and we do not need to go to two of my officers to sign. One is to check, the other one is to sign, because it is now all digital.
“Hence, the property transactions can be completed swiftly with just the press of a button and it can be issued as long as the land owner pays the premium,” he said.
Bernard said extensive digitisation has also been implemented in the valuation section, led by Sylvia Chin, ensuring seamless operations for land conversions, subdivisions and lease extensions.
“The land needs to be valued for premium and quit rent purposes that are essential for these processes, and we have been continuously improving our systems to support this by carrying out more system to enhance the development section.
“To bolster transparency, the department introduced innovative tools like the JTO web map application, allowing users to access property information easily.
“In the middle of this year, we have launched an AI-assisted web map application to further streamline searches, providing fast and precise results.
“With AI, users can simply type in queries, such as property locations, quit rent information, or the nearest hospital route, and will receive instant results. This makes the search process much more efficient.
“It can tell you immediately what the quit rent along the area is or it can tell you the road from this block to nearest hospital and its estimation,” he said, adding that certain sensitive information will remain restricted to protect privacy and security.
To make the land administration more transparent as well as efficient, he said they have developed many Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) for every process.
“Previously, our processes were fragmented. But now, every system has a standardised SOP with clearly defined time frames for completion.
“Key developments include setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for processes such as land conversion and permissions for native title transfers.
“While time frames for conversion and native title transfers have been achieved, challenges remain for lease transfers due to the need for extensive validation and high volume,” Bernard said.
Nonetheless, he said the department is committed to enhancing validation processes and addressing delays while emphasising the department’s dedication to supporting property development.
The department also welcomes feedback and suggestions from stakeholders, including professional bodies like Shareda and Sabah Law Society (SLS), as well as civil associations and developers.
“We value constructive input and strive to implement feasible suggestions to continuously improve our system.
“We welcome all their proposals and recommendations and we will look into that. Not all your wish lists can be complied, so whatever we can, we will try,” Bernard said.