WHAT MOTIVATES THE MALAYSIAN HOMEBUYERS TO GO GREEN?

Abstract

There are various factors influencing purchase intention to invest in commercial green buildings, however, less discussion found on motivations to invest in green residential properties. The rigorous and extensive literature review identified three main motivations for a green residential property investment, namely, environment, social, and economic concerns. The data was collected by distributing questionnaires through survey methods to the green residential owners or residents in Penang and Selangor, Malaysia. The relative importance index is adopted to analyse the data from a sample of 171 respondents through a judgemental sampling. Based on the result, the researcher found that environmental concerns were ranked as the main motivating factor influencing green homebuyers' decisions. This was followed by the social and economic benefits of minimising cost and maximising financial return. The result could lead to a greater demand for future sustainable development of residential properties, and future investment.