23 minutes
The most common notion about real estate is that it is about buying and selling houses. However, the actual fact is that real estate involves a lot more than that such as the sale/purchase of lands or factories, for example. On top of that, real estate transactions/matters require breadth and depth of professional knowledge that cuts across various areas such as law e.g. National Land Code, taxation e.g. Real Property Gains Tax (‘RPGT’), market research, valuation, economics, etc. Therefore, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) has developed a specialised Bachelor of Real Estate Management (Hons), a 3 ½ year undergraduate programme through the Faculty of Built Environment (‘FOBE’) offered since 2013, to produce qualified real-estate professionals to fill the manpower needs of this industry.
Yeong Meng Hann, a graduate of the Bachelor of Real Estate Management (Hons) in 2019 at TAR UC, enthusiastically shares how he has benefited greatly from the programme that he had taken at TAR UC and today, he is well-equipped to apply the knowledge and skills that he has acquired to his job as a probationary real estate agent.
“I am currently handling the secondary and rental market. I encountered property owners who wanted to dispose of their property. However, they did not know what was the property value as some of them purchased the property a decade or two ago. I was able to assist them with my valuation knowledge and furnish the selling price based on a competitive market analysis of transacted values. Also, when I encountered a buyer’s request for a property search, I was able to analyse, consult and propose properties with great value according to their request. Apart from that, during my studies at TAR UC, I read several law courses such as Principles of Law, Building By-Laws and Property Law. During a conversation with a potential client, I was able to portray an image of a person who was not only professional and knowledgeable but someone who had a good understanding of the laws in the industry. It helped me to provide better service and also to stand out from other negotiators in the industry,” he said.
TAR UC’s Bachelor of Real Estate Management (Hons) is also accredited by the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Malaysia (‘BOVAEP’). Graduates of the Bachelor of Real Estate Management (Hons) programme are qualified to take the Test of Professional Competence (‘TPC’). Upon passing the TPC, they are eligible to register with BOVAEP as a Registered Valuer, Registered Real Estate Agent and/or Registered Property Manager and be admitted as a Member of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (‘MRISM’) upon application.
Meng Hann is more than keen to go for the test when the time comes. He said: “There are many advantages of being a registered estate agent. Being a registered estate agent will definitely allow us to gain a certain level of recognition in the industry. There are many options for us once we obtain the title, such as starting our own firm, partnering with an existing firm and handling a branch or working as an individual. For me, I am looking forward to partnering with an existing firm in the market or to work as an individual,” he enthused.
The programme also includes a six-month industrial training or internship to enable students to learn more from the industry. Meng Hann said: “During my internship, I joined the valuation team. My seniors and supervisors trained me well and taught me a lot about valuation. They guided me step by step on the market’s practice and it helped me to develop a better understanding of what we had studied. Their training and supervision also helped me to develop a strong foundation in valuation knowledge. I was assigned to complete valuation for properties with different uses such as residential, commercial and industrial. I was also fortunate enough to have been involved in the valuation case for special properties such as petrol station and palm oil mill during my 6-month training with them,” he explained.
Meng Hann elaborated further on how he benefited from the programme. “During my studies at TAR UC, our lecturers had arranged talks on topics related to experience sharing by real estate practitioners, green environment and building technology. It was an eye-opener for me. I was also fortunate enough to be able to join field trips in the UK to visit cities and villages like Manchester, Liverpool and Hockerton. The Hockerton Housing Project is a very special project where they build an entire village with a mission to encourage low carbon emission living. The residents in Hockerton grow their own crops, treat wastewater to make drinking water and even generate their own electricity by using wind turbine and solar panels. By doing so, they are able to live in a healthy and green environment and prevent wastage of resources in their daily activities. This is one of the field trips that I will not forget,” he mentioned.
To find out more about the TAR UC’s real estate management or other built environment programmes, intakes or other general enquiries about TAR UC, please visit www.tarc.edu.my/fobe.
Our 2022 intakes are currently in progress. Potential students are encouraged to submit their applications online at www.tarc.edu.my. Attractive scholarships are also available at TAR UC based on academic merit and sibling discount for qualified students.
