FIFTEEN years ago, John contemplated whether he should buy a house or rent. Then in his 40s, he decided to rent.

“The house was about RM250,000 but I simply could not afford it,” he said. He was then in his 40s. For years, debt was like a millstone around his neck and being debt-free was more important than owning a house.

The recently three-day Home Ownership Campaign from March 1 to 3 brought into focus the various issue besetting the property market.

This includes a residential overhang that goes into billions of ringgit, stubbornly high house prices, oversupply of houses in wrong locations and high household debts.