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How I increased my Rental Income by 14% in 2 weeks.

By Leigh
Updated July 30, 2019 Filed Under: Real Estate, FI/RE 6

Rental Income Update

With the lackluster dividend income last month, the real juicy part of April 2016 is in my rental income.

I managed to increase one of my unit’s monthly rental income to RM800 (previously RM700 per month). An additional RM100 translates to a hefty 14% increase the unit’s passive income. I stand to earn an additional RM1,200 per annum thanks to a few changes I made to the property and also a few well placed and not to mention FREE ads.

Rental Income Property A - New Look — New Look

How I did it

First things first, the aforementioned property is Property A in my Real Estate Portfolio. It all started when I was notified by my lawyer and close friend that Property A’s tenancy will be approaching its one year deadline soon. I as the owner had the option to increase the rental for another year’s renewal. I happily surveyed online property sites and noticed that rental rates are going for RM750 semi furnished for similar properties around the neighbourhood. A perfect opportunity for me to increase my rental income, or so I thought.

I proceeded to contact the tenant and told him I’d like to revise and increase the rent to RM750, thinking it was no big deal. He called me back a day later saying he and his mated are opting to vacate the unit. He will be leaving on the 18th and will be forfeiting the rental he had already paid for April. We are on good terms and he had no issues handing over the keys to me earlier, I was of course devastated and sad to see such a good paymaster go.

In hindsight, this was actually a blessing in disguise as I had the right idea when I decided to further furnish my unit. I decided I could ask for RM800 a month in rent if I could advertise the unit as fully furnished (other fully furnished units were going for RM850). I already had the living room and bedroom covered. As luck would have it, I was able to furnish the unit with second-hand refrigerator and air conditioner. Both cost me nothing as the fridge was from my aunt and the air conditioner from my parents’ house. I re-labelled the unit for rent as fully furnished and the calls and texts came pouring in. I advertised on various sites but found that I got the most responses from Mudah.my.

Rental Income Property A - Refrigerator — *Relatively new Refrigerator*

Rental Income Property A - Dining Table and Chairs — *I even have a dining table and chairs*

I at first was worried that I wouldn’t be able to rent out the unit by April and considered using the services of some real estate agents. However, after a few unsuccessful viewings and upon learning that they’d take a month of my rent from me, I instead chose to just spend some of my time showing the unit to potential tenants on my own instead. I had to tag along every time a potential client is brought by an agent anyway. I’ve estimated that I spent no more than 20 mins per visit (I live nearby) and I’ve done almost 10 visits before the right tenant came along. All in all, that’s 200 minutes spent to get and additional RM100 a month in passive income. Not too bad in my books.

A further side notes on my experiences with some unscrupulous real estate agents, once you post your own ad on sites soliciting for tenants, you will inadvertently receive multiple calls and texts from agents wanting to assist you with ‘ready tenants’. They will then ask for photos of the unit from you and then guess what they do? They re-post your unit on the sites. Some of them even had the audacity to re-post my ad with a lower rental -RM750 for example. The only recourse I saw for such actions was an angrily drafted email to their respective agencies. You have no idea how mad I was when I saw their ads. Lesson learnt, never send photos of your unit to real estate agents, if you have to, make sure they don’t repost on sites you are already advertising on.

As for the tenancy agreement, I got my solicitor to draft a simple and standard one with a clause for a 10% increment in rental every year at my discretion. It was free of charge as she has been my attorney for many years and you won’t believe the legal fees she has earned from me through out the years. The market rate for a standard tenancy agreement should be around RM100 – 200.

Conclusion

So, as a conclusion:

Survey the market for up to date rental rates;
Source for free furniture and appliances from family members, if unsuccessful, look for second hand deals;
If you have time, conduct viewings yourself, post your ads online and be careful of agents; and
Establish and maintain a good relationship with your tenants.

I can’t stress point number 4 enough. Treat your tenants right, even the ones that are leaving. You never know, they might refer future quality tenants to you. Although maintaining a positive relationship with a tenant is crucial, I am always strict on rental payments and it is something I emphasize both verbally and in writing.

Nestle Malaysia Berhad – Goody Bag (May 2016)

By Leigh
Updated May 2, 2016 Filed Under: Annual General Meetings (AGM), Doorgift / Goody Bag 0

Nestle Malaysia Goody Bag

It’s that time of the year again and I collected the ever popular Nestle Malaysia Goody Bag at Amcorp Mall today (2 May 2016). To all other Nestle shareholders out there, if you’ve yet to do so, you have until 5 May 2016 to collect it. They are there from 11 am – 9 pm.

I did not want to pay the parking fees for a brief 15 min collection so I had a friend drop me off at the entrance. On my way to the counter, I saw 2 aunties and an old uncle carrying the signature Nestle box except this time around, it was a greenish blue color. There was virtually no line at all at the counter, I handed over my IC, signed on the attendance sheet and collected my goody bag.

This year I noticed on the attendance list a shareholder who was only 24 years old. I guess gone are the days where I was the only 20s person to collect the goody bag. If you’re reading this, please let me know!

Now, them pictures:

Nestle Malaysia Goodie Bag — *Everything*

This year, it seems there were more packets of Maggi, I gave most of mine away last year but I think I’m going to hang on to them this time. The Royale series looks good.

A surprise this year as Nestle celebrates their 100 year anniversary. I thought there’d be more fanfare than a couple of stamps. No idea what to do with these, do I collect them or use it?

A closer look at the Maggi instant noodles they gave. May Malaysians continue to enjoy their favorite instant noodles for a long long time.

The healthier options from Nestle, this should cover my breakfast needs for a few days.

Conclusion

I’ve collected goodies from Nestle Malaysia for 3 years now and the company has been a strong performer throughout. You can find last year’s goody bag HERE and do your own comparison. My dividend yield from Nestle is reaching its 5% mark and the share is up by 12% since I purchased it back in 2014.

The goodies were the usual ones, may Maggi, Nescafe and Milo continue to provide for Nestle and all Malaysians alike! I didn’t get to meet up with any other shareholders this time around again, everyone seems to be shy. Hope to have a meet up with fellow readers in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Hanare at The Intermark – Free Flow Wagyu Beef

By Leigh
Updated February 18, 2025 Filed Under: Travel, food and the finer things in life 2

Hanare @ The Intermark Mall

Updating this in 2025 but I’m unsure if they are still even selling the weekend buffet which they gave freeflow wagyu beef last time. You can monitor their official Facebook page here.

I’m keeping this page alive so you can take a look at the previous prices and buffet spread.

How to Get There – Address

Level Lobby,
3, Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Contact

Phone – 03-2264 2264
Reservations – here
Facebook – here

Hanare @ The Intermark – 2020

Weekend buffet price – RM260 per pax (including addon for freeflow wagyu)

Celebrated a birthday again today at Hanare. I’m forever grateful to be surrounded by good friends.

With the conditional movement control order still in place, Hanare switched to an ala carte buffet. Some dishes like fresh oysters and soba were gone.

The Wagyu beef was as good as ever. However, the new policy is that customers will have to add RM50 per person to get unlimited wagyu. Without the additional RM50, you’ll only get 120g per pax. As a result, the bill came up to around RM260 per person which I think is pricey.

I didn’t take too many pictures this time around. Enjoy nonetheless!

Hanare @ The Intermark – 2019

I’m back with another Hanare post for 2019!
Food was good as usual but I noticed that Malaysians are spending much more on food than I thought. The place was almost full.

The Food

Follow me on Instagram: @dividendmagic for regular updates I don’t post on the blog.

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Hanare @ The Intermark – 2017

I find myself at Hanare again today on 9 July 2017 to celebrate another special occasion. Hanare made a major change to their buffet – Free flow Wagyu beef is only available on Sundays at RM180 per pax. On Saturdays, they’ve switched to an a la carte buffet and you’re only entitled to 120 grams of Wagyu beef at RM160.

We arrived at 12pm sharp and got seated right away. Had a slightly unconventional start to the buffet with Matcha ice cream as everyone else clamored to get their Wagyu beef and sashimi.

Hanare @ The Intermark 2017 — *Ice cream first!*

After taking our time with the ice cream, we moved on to get ourselves some fresh sashimi.

As per Hanare’s policy, each customer was entitled to 3 pieces of fatty tuna. The tuna given this time around was much, MUCH tastier compared to last year’s. Melted right off in the mouth.

I then had some Chawanmushi to prepare myself for some grilled meat! The Chawanmushi was steamed to perfection and I actually had 3 of them.

Started off with some seafood – grilled scallops and prawns.

Filled ourselves with some Japanese red meat. Medium rare as always. We had 3 plates of these. I’m pretty sure that’s past the 120g limit for your Saturday a la carte buffet.

Hanare @ The Intermark – 2016

April seems to be the month where I spend the most every year. Many of my close friends’ birthdays fall on the fourth month of the year. Celebrated a birthday at one of my favorite Japanese buffet restaurant – Hanare located at the Intermark Mall, Kuala Lumpur.

We made a reservation online via Table App and upon arrival they didn’t seem to be able to find us on their list. Luckily they still had some empty seats left. I guess a phone call is still more reliable.

First stop for me at any Japanese buffet is the sashimi. Loaded up on salmon bellies while we waited for the wagyu beef to be grilled.

Had a few pre-grilled stuff. I never fail to have a shishamo or two whenever at a Japanese restaurant. The ones here were a tad too tough and dry for my liking. Each person was entitled to 3 pieces of toro (tuna belly). The ones today were fresh and melted in our mouths.

Finally our food from the grill came. Best part of the whole buffet – Freeflow Wagyu. Awesome as always and it is the main reason I frequent Hanare. Scallops and prawns went really well with it. =D

Next up was the specially flown Hokkaido oyster which was in season. Each customer is entitled to only one piece each. It was really fresh and I just had lemon slices and a little special oyster sauce with it.

Dessert at Hanare are really commendable as well. They also serve Haagen Dazs ice cream for you sweet toothed people out there.

So, after a very filling and delicious meal, total damage – RM391.78 which comes up to a little under RM200 per person. Expensive I know, but I’d recommend everyone try this and enjoy authentic Japanese food. I’ve been spending a little too much this month, coupled with my recent watch purchase – the Seiko 5, I’ve spent close to RM1,200 in a month! Not exactly setting a good example of frugality but I’d say it was money well spent.

End.

RM195.90 in 2016, a year later? RM209.90. And in 2019? RM208.80!!
So Hanare charged the same as it did 2 years ago. But it got cheaper because we abolished GST.

2020 Update: The bill has gone up to a whopping RM266.80 per person now.

I’ve been coming to Hanare for a few years in a row now. Usually for special occasions and they’ve never failed to let me down. While glancing through their Facebook page, I’ve noticed some bad reviews and complaints by customers, mainly on the slow wait time for their Wagyu beef and Teppanyaki. I think Hanare has already got a handle on the issue and they’ve actually stationed two chefs there.

The service has always been outstanding as well. We got moved to a nice corner as one of their reservations was canceled. Their resident chef taking the time to explain the various cuts of sashimi, even giving us some salmon belly sashimi to savor. It’s the little things.

So please, give them a try! Hanare’s Facebook page can be found hERE.

Do you guys have any nice Japanese restaurants to recommend?

All My Food Reviews

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My New Watch – Seiko 5

By Leigh
Updated April 9, 2016 Filed Under: Travel, food and the finer things in life 8

Seiko 5 – SNKE03K1

I will be detracting from my usual posts on stocks today to talk about my new watch – the Seiko 5. It cost me RM799 for this piece, the dividends from March 2016 more than paid for this watch.

It may not be in the same league as some of the higher end watches, but I wanted to learn about automatic watches and opted for the ever durable Seiko. If you don’t know what an automatic watch is, I’d suggest a quick google search to know more, but basically it winds itself with the movement of your hand, ie. no batteries.

I’ve always loved watches, always wearing the ones my dad owns but I’ve finally decided to purchase my very own piece.

Unboxing the Seiko 5

I bought mine online and it came packed in layers of bubble wrap. The Seiko 5 range boasts hundreds of different watches, most of them a little too sporty for my liking, the SNKE03K1 however looks beautiful and is classy as hell. This post might be a little image heavy but I’d like to show you how beautiful my Seiko 5 really is.

Seiko 5 - SNKE03K1 — Peeling away the layers

Seiko 5 - Automatic — Automatic movement

Men should wear watches

Alright enough pictures. So why the sudden fascination with watches you say?

Once upon a time, a watch was a necessity, something both men and women put on their wrists every morning and took off only at night before bed. As cell phones and later smartphones started becoming more common, the watch suddenly seemed old-fashioned.

To me however, without my watch, I’d all but feel naked. Now I’m not against smartphones, I still love my Samsung Galaxy, I love the way smartphones have changed my life. But, still, a watch will forever hold a place among my daily outfit. I like how I have several watches for different occasions, I actually make sure my time piece matches my outfit on important events.

The Seiko 5 however, will be my default every day watch – my daily beater.

I know this post has nothing much related to stocks and investments. But the watch is a gift to myself and I’d like to think that I’m not just a miser who saves and saves. I too sometimes indulge.

Cheers and thanks for reading!

Maybank – My Best Dividend Stock

By Leigh
Updated December 24, 2024 Filed Under: Dividends, Companies in the News 2

Maybank – 2024 Update

Source

Update for Maybank (2024)

As of 2024, Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) continues to lead as Malaysia’s largest financial services provider. Key developments include:

Financial Performance: Maybank achieved robust growth in revenue and profit, driven by strong regional contributions, particularly from Indonesia and Singapore.
Digital Banking Initiatives: Enhanced digital offerings through its MAE app, focusing on seamless customer experiences and financial inclusion.
Sustainability Goals: Significant progress in ESG commitments, including green financing.
Dividend Consistency: Maintains a strong dividend payout ratio, appealing to long-term investors.

Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) is still the largest bank in Malaysia and also the largest and most valuable company in Malaysia by market cap. RM121.88 billion as of December 2024.

My dividend yield for 2024 from Maybank is 7.46% (link to my portfolio). This is based on my initial investment price.
They’ve been steady increasing dividends every year (apart from the year when Covid hit).

Maybank – 2015 Update

Some of you may have noticed my purchase of 1,500 units of Malayan Banking Berhad stocks back in January 2016. I managed to snag the units at a very low price – RM8.30 per share at the time during a brief loss of confidence in Malaysia’s banking industry then. The price of Maybank has since risen to RM9.12 as at 7 April 2016 which translates to a 9.88% unrealized profit for me in 3 months. What’s even more amazing is that at RM9.12, Maybank’s dividend yield is at a cool 5.9% per annum (based on previous dividends), even higher than some of the REITs out there.

Annual Report

I’ve had Malayan Banking Berhad in my sights for awhile and when the opportunity came this year due to some minor turbulence, I did not hesitate and pounced when the price dropped back in January 2016. Maybank’s annual report came in the mail recently and I’ve uploaded it here for your convenience. I’ve had a brief stint working for Maybank Investment a few years back in the research department. I learnt a lot from them and I’ve been reading their reports every week without fail. I especially like the analysts who cover the airlines industry, develepoers & construction, banking and gaming.

In terms of assets, Maybank is the largest in Malaysia and 4th in ASEAN. I don’t see them catching up to the likes of UOB, OCBC and DBS any time soon though. I’m fine with Maybank being the largest in Malaysia, they are the most recognized and widely used bank in Malaysia, with most government institutions as well as MNCs using their services, for that reason alone the company is worth looking at.

Maybank’s foothold in Indonesia is getting stronger by the year, their branches there outnumber branches in Malaysia. Profits from Indonesia also increases y-o-y. Provided that Maybank is allowed to do business in Indonesia uninterrupted by the government there, I strongly believe Indonesia will be a major cash generator for Maybank. With the huge population there, the banking fees alone will be mind numbing.

Maybank_AR2015

Maybank_AR2015 Maybank_AR2015-Financial_Statements

I will be brief and summarize simply the Annual Report and let you go through it in your own time. Key items to note in regards to Maybank’s 2015 financial performance:

Increased net profit;
Increased deposits from customers;
Increase in net assets; and
Increased shareholder’s equity.

I do believe that the bank did not do as well as expected for the year 2015. I will continue to monitor the quarterly reports as well as compare 2016’s annual report next year. The other outstanding bank in the country is Public Bank headed by very experienced leaders and managers. Observant readers will notice that I recently added Public Bank to my portfolio – The Freedom Fund. I will be writing on Public Bank in the near future.

For now, thank you all for reading.

Do you own shares in any banks or financial institutions in Malaysia? How do you like them how did they perform in 2015?

My Real Estate Portfolio – REITs vs Properties

By Leigh
Updated February 11, 2025 Filed Under: Investment, FI/RE, Real Estate 14

REITs vs Real Estate

It is now 2025 and my real estate portfolio still consists of two properties. I’ve put a lot of money into Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and I think it will be the way forward for me.

The headaches that come with physical properties have just been a little too much for me. I’d rather have professional managers handling it. For example, with IGB REIT, the property manager handles MidValley and the Gardens Mall for me, a shareholder.

I might look at commercial properties in the future though, but that would be pretty far into the future.

Real Estate I Currently Own

It is not in my nature to write about things I do not own or understand. Unlike most ‘experts’ out there who preach and sell products that they themselves would not invest in. So, full disclosure here, apart from my investments in the stock market, my humble real estate portfolio consists of 2 low-cost rental apartment units in Kuala Lumpur.

Real Estate	Gross Investment (RM)	Bought Value (RM)	Market Value(RM)	Net Cashflow (RM)	Net Yield
Property A	15,148	105,000	130,000	2,688	17.74%
Property B	27,192	110,000	130,000	2,196	8.08%
TOTAL	42,340	215,000	260,000	4,884	11.54%

My real estate portfolio as of 2025.

A brief summary of my properties:

I’ve managed to secure stand-up tenants;
Both properties are financed by banks; and
Both properties are held under a Sdn Bhd I own

Property A:

RM224 a month positive cash flow translating to an ROI of 17.74% p.a. (I’ve factored in the relevant maintenance costs etc);
Appreciated roughly RM25K in value as of March 2016;
I bought Property A through an auction about a year and a half ago, I managed to gain access to the property and rented it out for almost a year before I started paying my loan (will have a separate article on how I did it soon);
Currently tenanted at RM700 per month.

Property B:

RM183 a month positive cash flow translating to an ROI of 8.08% p.a. (I’ve factored in the relevant maintenance costs etc);
Appreciated roughly RM20K in value as of March 2016;
I bought Property B as a sub-sale unit;
Currently tenanted at RM750 per month.

So, why real estate? I was hesitant to invest in real estate because I knew it would take up a lot of my time and effort to maintain a rental property. What made me take the plunge was the leverage I was able to get from banks to invest in real estate. Essentially, I only needed to put up 10% of my own money for the property and the bank would fork out the remaining 90%. This would have been impossible for stocks, even margin accounts don’t give you that much leverage for your money.

I decided from the start that the properties I own will have to be close to where I live to facilitate monthly inspections and the like. I also made sure that I would be able to get a surplus income after deducting all related expenses. This is why I ended up with low-cost apartments because only those made financial sense to me.

1. Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow!

Cash flow is the extra profit left over after all of the expenses have been paid on a property. Using my properties as an example, my rental properties produced RM1,450 in income and my estimated expenses came to RM1,050, this would leave me with a positive cash flow of RM400 per month.

Now, I know a lot of you are saying, “Four hundred dollars is not going to make me a millionaire.”

Probably not. But remember, we are just talking about one of my asset classes.

Additionally, that RM300 might be from just one property. If I owned ten similar units with the same cash flow, that’s RM3,000 per month. If I owned 100 units, that’s RM30,000 per month. This cash flow can go a long way toward helping you quit your job — or helping you save for a future big purchase, or retire wealthier.

2. Appreciation

When I talk about appreciation, I am not referring to how much I like you (though I do appreciate you!). I’m in fact referring to the rise in value that real estate experiences. For example, if you purchased a property for RM200,000 ten years ago, and today that property is worth RM300,000, the appreciation made you RM100,000 richer!

Of course, appreciation doesn’t cause values to increase every year (consider the U.S.’ housing market in 2007!). However, historically, real estate prices have appreciated over the long term. So, again, appreciation alone is not likely going to make you a millionaire, which is why I don’t recommend that people purchase bad deals hoping that appreciation bails of them out.

It has never made sense to me when people purchase properties in the hopes of the making capital gains on it while servicing their mortgages every single month. Just like how I am acquiring shares with awesome dividends, I buy my properties that provide me with essentially the same thing – postitive cash flow. That way, my tenants will help me service my mortgage and I receive the remaining dollars.

3. Tax deductions

Finally, one of the more overlooked parts of real estate investment.

Back in 2014 I incorporated a Sdn Bhd as a holding company for my investments and decided that the way forward for my real estate portfolio was to park them all under the company.

Although I had initially planned to only park my commercial properties under a Sdn Bhd, I realised that the low-cost apartments will always be investment properties for me. (A side note: please do consult your solicitors or counsels on the pros and cons of placing your real estate under a Sdn Bhd before you attempt it.) I will have a comprehensive article on why I chose to have my properties all registered under my company in the future.

Putting it all together

So far, my main source of passive income comes from my Freedom Fund‘s dividends, earning me a total of RM7,544.14 last year. My real estate portfolio should earn me about RM4.9K per annum this year. I hope to snap up a medium-cost apartment or a commercial property in the future and bring my annual real estate income up to RM10K p.a. in the foreseeable future.

Instead of a physical property, some of you may be interested in investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in the stock market. You are able to get access to large real estate including shopping malls, office towers as well as hotel chains through REITs. Learn more about them here in my Complete Guide to REITs in Malaysia.

How I increased my Rental Income by 14% in 2 weeks.

Rental Income Update

How I did it

Conclusion

Nestle Malaysia Berhad – Goody Bag (May 2016)

Nestle Malaysia Goody Bag

Conclusion

Hanare at The Intermark – Free Flow Wagyu Beef

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