With SOPs Easing Up, Malaysians Look Forward to Home Makeovers for a Brand-New Start

With the multiple lockdowns arising from the pandemic over the last two years, those who have been wanting to give their homes a much-needed makeover have had to put plans on hold. Now, as SOPs have eased and we move towards normalcy, many Malaysians are finally ready to start on their remodelling projects in anticipation of hosting family and friends once more. To further provide Malaysians with the opportunity to win stylish home makeovers, Hong Leong Bank (“HLB” or the “Bank”) and Dresid, a one-stop home improvement digital platform are collaborating to offer the Bank’s customers the chance to freshen up their homes with three dream home makeover packages worth RM33,000 each.

“Over the last two years, Malaysians have spent much of their time at home and many have had to invest in carving out spaces in their homes to enable them to set up workstations as the pandemic required the majority of the nation to work from home. Now that we are slowly transitioning back to the office and can now host visitors, many are looking to refresh their spaces at home. Whether it is redesigning the entire home, or adding statement pieces to a room, we want to help our customers realise their dream homes with the opportunity that will allow them to explore their creativity without financially burdening them,” explained Andrew Jong, Managing Director of Personal Financial Services of HLB.

According to Kwek Kon Hao, Team Lead of Dresid, one of the more common issues faced in any home remodelling project is going over budget as oftentimes homeowners do not have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and tend to add on smaller side projects that may seem like a good idea but will inevitably add to the cost and prolong the entire remodelling process.

“There are a few simple tricks that can help anyone keep to their budget without hindering their vision of a beautiful home makeover. Homeowners can start by envisioning the size of the project they want to undertake, be it a minor facelift or a major overhaul and then create an accurate budget by getting three or four quotes from different suppliers. Refrain from side-tracking from the main plan by determining your priorities as well as the timeline needed to accomplish your goals. Writing down plans and ideas on a vision board will also help keep you and your family focused and on track but more importantly, within budget,” said Kon Hao.

Kon Hao shared that creating a detailed remodelling plan by building a spreadsheet with all the anticipated costs will also help give homeowners an idea as to whether their dream home makeover can be accomplished within budget. Some of the reasons homeowners go over budget are the failure to price in the little things like clean-up costs, living expenses during the remodelling, pest control issues, extensive damage to wiring or plumbing in older properties and inaccurate estimates for materials, labour and furniture.

From now until 8 August 2022, new and existing HLB customers have the opportunity to win a designer home makeover worth RM33,000 from Dresid. Customers simply need to perform eligible transactions as outlined in the table below via HLB website and/or HLB Connect to gain entries and be selected as one of three winners to walk away with a gorgeous home makeover. Not only that, customers can also receive exclusive discounts up to 30% and an additional 7% in cashback at selected Guocera retail outlets when spending using their HLB cards.

Eligible Transactions

• Open a Current and Savings Account/Current Current and Savings Account-i (“CASA/CASA CASA-i”)
• CASA/CASA CASA-i is protected by PIDM up to RM250,000 for each depositor.
• Apply for a Credit Card
• Apply for a Personal Loan/Financing Financing-i
• Apply for Balance Transfer
• Apply for Quick Cash
• Apply for Flexi Payment Plan

To find out how you can be in the running to win a designer home makeover from HLB, check out www.hlb.com.my/dreamhome.