Having it benchmark relative to Gold prices is not the correct way to calculate. It should be benchmark relative to a basket of goods & services. That is why we have the inflation numbers.

Assuming average inflation of 3.5% p.a. for the past 10 years. So RM2600 X 0.965^10 = RM1820.73 (This is what RM2600 worth 10 years ago).  Your company doesn't cheat here. 

QUOTE(Covillea @ Sep 6 2011, 05:53 PM)
gold price on 6 sept 2008 is usd874.20/oz
gold price today @ 6 sept 2011 is usd1,900.300/oz
an increase of circa 117.4%

did gold price really went up because of demand? the answer is 99% no. because 2 things: inflation & devaluation of dollar value set-in.

100 years ago, 1 oz of gold can buy you a bread (for easy reference), today the same 1 oz can can only still buy you a bread. the oz of gold didn't change. but the value (price) of gold changes.

likewise, you bought the zest at rm250k 3 years ago & if you decided to sell it today at rm400k, you've already lost out in terms of real purchasing power sense although you thought you made rm150k!!!

that's why people are buying gold to hedge against inflation. property should function the same too. if you noticed, some food prices are already reflecting that too.

if you bought your unit at rm250k, just add 117.4%, that's the "breakeven" dollar value you should sell today (rm543.5k).

i know it's not easy to convince, but please think of the logic why paper money has to be backed by golds. governments/central banks are buying them up to protect their currencies.

did you back-up your condo with gold accumulation? if not, it's the same as paper money. your investment of rm250k should be the same as rm543.5k to achieve the same purchasing power.

This forum is flooded with people from the property industry, what do you expect them to say other than buy buy buy? So they can keep sucking you into the property market, and you can keep on making them big bucks.

For those who are seeking advice here for the property market, you are not going to find much unbiased information in this forum.

Some even said, if we had a 20% pay rise overnight, our alarming debt to income level would improve easily. So don't you worry, and you should get into more debt to buy property. What? 20% pay rise for an average Joe on the street? How on Earth could this happen?!!

This is a typical propaganda (misinformation repeats over and over and over again until you believe it is true) manufactured by the property industry, so you will be convinced to borrow more money to buy their overpriced properties.

At this stage, people out there should know what is propaganda VS facts.