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Singaporeans often tell me:“I’ll just buy whatever I like in JB.” That is worth double-checking before you commit. In Singapore your biggest hurdle is ABSD. In Malaysia, the filters are completely different.
Your situation is different? Ask me on WhatsApp. I reply myself, usually the same day.
Ask Jason on WhatsAppFilter 1: the minimum price
Foreigners in Malaysia face a minimum purchase price, set by each state rather than federally. In Johor, the usual floor for residential property is RM1 million. So the RM700,000 condo you like is not one you can buy as a foreigner, however good it looks.
Filter 2: the foreign quota per project
Johor also limits how many units in a project can go to foreign buyers, with different caps for apartments and landed homes. Apartment projects commonly allow a larger foreign share than landed ones. If a project’s foreign quota is already used up, you cannot buy there, even above RM1 million and even if you have already fallen in love with the unit.
The exception: Medini
New strata units bought directly from the developer in the Medini zone of Iskandar Puteri have had no minimum-price threshold for foreigners. Individual projects elsewhere have occasionally had their own approvals too. These are exceptions, not the rule, so confirm them project by project with the developer and your lawyer.
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Minimum price | Is the price at or above Johor’s floor for foreigners (usually RM1 million)? |
| Foreign quota | Are there foreign-quota units still available in this project? |
| Property type | Is it a type foreigners may buy (not Malay reserve land, Bumiputera lot or low-cost housing)? |
| Costs | 8% stamp duty plus Johor’s state consent levy (3% of the price, minimum RM30,000) |
Meet the price and the quota and you can proceed. Miss either one and you can’t. I run both checks before I ever send a client a listing. The full rules are in Can foreigners buy property in Malaysia?
Have a JB unit in mind? Send it to me and I will check the price floor and foreign quota before you visit the showroom.
Sources: Foreigner’s guide to buying JB property (2026); Johor foreign ownership rules. State policies change; confirm with the developer and your lawyer. General information, not legal advice. By Jason Lim (REN 84424, IQI Realty Sdn. Bhd. E (1) 1584/6).