The concept is simple. The “It’s time to feel better” website host a web-based game that allows winners to provide a full-day’s supply of clean drinking water to a child in a developing country. To win, you only needs to answer correctly three questions related to health and/or health insurance terminology.

CIGNA started the buzz by using of social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace to get people attention and promote its new website. They also took advantage of the Obama “yes we can” feel good factor a wise CSR / education approach.

I quickly played the game, and ended up playing longer than I expected to.  Aside from a few American-system related ones, most questions are engaging, and the game is surprisingly addictive. I could answer most questions easily enough, yet you feel compelled to keep playing to see this pipe get a few more days of clean water for the children.

For phase two, I hope they will:

1. Make it more international.
2. Include more health-care advices.
3. Give tips on how to work with insurance companies.

In the meantime, do try it out and ifyou might be able to add a few days more to the supply of clean drinking water. Worst case scenario, you end up learning something ! www.itstimetofeelbetter.com

I hope you don’t mind my writing to you directly like this with a relatively straightforward question. As a foreigner living in Singapore, how can I finance the purchase of a property in Penang? Do I contact a local bank in Malaysia/Penang? In other words, do Malaysian banks lend to non-residents? I am not applying for the MM2H. Do you have any particular recommendations? Thanks very much.

The good news is that Malaysian Banks do not discriminate against foreign buyers of Malaysian properties. In fact, the approval process is identical to that

of a Malaysian borrower. You can usually expect to get 70% financing. Some can go as high as 85%. More and the customer/bank relationship is kind of special… even though Peter England from CIMB says they can go as high as 95%.

But you can also get your historic bank to help you. Some are ready to consider financing a property in Malaysia; especially Singaporean Banks. You should check wi

th them first. Should they not consider it, you should try to get them to recommend you to their local branch in Malaysia. A letter of introduction can go a long way toward negotiating better rates.

If you prefer to go with local bank, I usually recommend CIMB. Thanks to their re-branding, they still are considered new to the market – hence more aggressive – and are quite professional, by Malaysians standards…

Few things to keep in mind when buying a property in Malaysia:

• Foreigners are restricted to buying properties with a minimum price threshold. The threshold usually is of RM250K, but can vary from state to state. So check it out first.
• The buying process is slightly longer for a foreigner as it includes a compulsory state authority consent before the property can be transferred to the foreigner. It can take up to 6 months, even though the Malaysian government is trying to reduce this length.
• No need to come down to Malaysia to sign your Sales & Purchase Agreement. You can do it at the Malaysian High Commission of your country of residence.
• I still highly advise for you to check the property or its location before putting down your deposit. If you can’t, take the time to Google Map the location. You never know what surprises the developer / owner can try to hide… 3 days ago I came across a water-tank located right inside a new development premises; Not a good surprise!

Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with Penang. Therefore, I can not help you much further here. But should you be looking for properties in Kuala Lumpur, I highly recommend JED Realty as Real Estate agents. They are very friendly and professional.

Good luck in your searches & investment !

Few interesting links
Think Property – Promising New RE website
Bank Negara Malaysia – BNM info for foreign investors
My Property Talk – Best Malaysian RE forum, not much on Penang unfortunately