Juwai IQI's latest Sabah Property Survey and Index – Quarter Four (Q4) 2020 report found that in the East Malaysian state, residential prices and rents are expected to trail national trends and that first-time buyers would drive the activity, reports Bernama (10 October 2020). In the survey, real estate agents are forecasting for Sabah to experience a V-shaped recovery in the market, which is expected to pivot in 2021 with recovery to follow in 2022 and beyond. The survey found that compared to the national trends, Sabah has more local first-time buyers and more local upgrade buyers, but fewer local investors and foreign buyer. Local upgrade buyers accounted for 27 per cent of Sabah's new home transactions, compared to 25 per cent nationwide. "This is a positive sign as it shows that first-time buyers are entering the property market in Sabah at a faster rate than investors and foreign buyers," said Juwai IQI group executive director Kashif Ansari.