This Is the Choice People Regret Most --Living in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, but Buying Your Second or Third Home in the Outskirts?
- propertychanwk
- Dec 13, 2025
- 3 min read
Hello , I’m Wendy, a born and bred KL local.
Over the years, I’ve worked with many families who came from oversea to work and live in Kuala Lumpur. I’ve also accompanied them through many important decisions about whether they should buy a property — and where to buy it.
One of the questions I hear most often is this:
“If my first home is already in KL city centre, can my second or third property be a landed house in the outskirts?”
Places like Rawang, Klang, or even further.
Today, I want to give you a very direct and realistic answer.
First, the conclusion:
If you and your family are still living primarily in the KL city centre,
I would be extremely cautious about buying a second or third landed home in outskirts.
The reasons are simple — but often overlooked.
In Kuala Lumpur, I see a very common pattern:
A buyer’s job, social life, healthcare, and daily routine are all centered in the city.
But when it comes to a second or third property,
they get attracted by the idea of “landed home, more space, better environment.”
Emotionally, it feels like an upgrade.
But in real life, many people end up buying a property ahead of their actual lifestyle.
Let me emphasise something very important:
Where the house is doesn’t matter.
Where the person is — that’s what matters.
If your daily life revolves around KLCC, Bangsar, Damansara, or Mont Kiara —
Your doctor, supermarket, friends, restaurants, and cafés are all in the city —
Then a landed house in a faraway district often becomes this:
You look forward to it when buying,
You use it occasionally after buying,
And a few years later, you realise life never actually shifted there.
At that point, the landed home is no longer a “second residence.”
It becomes a low-usage asset that continues to drain money and energy:
Maintenance fees don’t stop
Repairs don’t stop
The longer the property sits empty, the heavier the psychological burden becomes
When evaluating such purchases, I always ask buyers to answer three questions honestly:
1. Can you or your family live in that landed home for more than six months a year?
If not, it’s unlikely to function as a true second home.
2. Are you willing to commute frequently between that district and KL city centre?
If you already feel the distance, time, or traffic is a burden, future tenants and future buyers will feel the same.
3. If the property doesn’t sell within five years, will you feel anxious?
If yes, then you are treating it as an investment — not a lifestyle choice.
Many people ask me:
“Can I treat an outer-district landed home purely as an investment?”
My answer:
In KL, most outer-district landed homes do not have a solid investment logic.
Very realistically:
Rental demand is low
Vacancy risk is high
Maintenance costs continue indefinitely
The pool of potential buyers is extremely narrow
I am not against landed homes.
What I am against is:
Mistaking a lifestyle asset for an investment asset.
If a landed home fits your life, then it’s a good choice if:
Your family has already shifted your lifestyle to that district
Elders in your family will stay there long-term
You don’t care about liquidity, and you’re buying purely for lifestyle
But—
If your life is still firmly rooted in KL city centre, then for your second and third properties, I strongly recommend keeping your assets flexible and concentrated.
Here is a sentence I firmly believe:
Your first home determines how you live every day.
Your second and third homes, if purchased in the wrong location, often determine whether your future becomes stressful.
🌇Wendy's thoughts：
Don’t let your property run ahead of your life.
As long as your life is still in KL, your property planning should revolve around KL.
If you’re also considering your next step—whether it’s time to secure your own “lifestyle asset” overseas—feel free to reach out. I’m happy to share my real experiences from viewing, comparing, and evaluating properties across different cities.
——Wendy嘉颐🇲🇾
Maxland Real Estate Sdn Bhd (REN 71091)
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