ST : Agent goes far by going the distance for clients

Jun 20, 2010

Agent goes far by going the distance for clients

Real estate agent Jasmine Png drives a limited sports edition Mercedes C-class, carries a Prada handbag and cuts a smart figure with her tight black suits and crisp, white shirts monogrammed with her initials.

It is an image that goes down well with her millionaire clients.

Over the past two years, Ms Png has been specialising in marketing properties in Sentosa Cove. These homes start from about $4 million for a condominium and can hit more than $30 million for a bungalow.

She collects a 2 per cent commission from each sale but declines to reveal the tidy sum she makes each year. Her clients are from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and China.

The 29-year-old business and marketing graduate from the University of South Australia started work at real estate firm OrangeTee in 2005 and said she is still learning the ways of her wealthy Chinese clients.

One thing she has found out is their aversion to revealing personal details, even in small talk.

'I once asked a couple what part of China they came from, and they replied: 'Why must we tell you?' ' she said.

Ms Png has also met Chinese nationals who do not fully appreciate the rules here and assume that money can buy everything.

She related the case of a man who showed up to make a purchase, shouting that he wanted to buy a house immediately.

When told that there was a sales process to follow, he left in a huff.

'But he came back the next day with two suitcases full of money. Often we have to explain to such people that there are rules and paperwork in Singapore and you can't just buy a house like that,' she said.

Other real estate agents note the difference in tastes between Chinese clients and those of other nationalities.

Mr Dennis Wee, chairman of Dennis Wee Realty, said that while Westerners may prefer clean lines or contemporary furniture, the Chinese tend to go for more opulent designs.

'They like ornate styles which are quite grand, with lots of gold. Sometimes, the wood in the furniture doesn't even match. They just like the gold,' he said.

Chinese clients also prefer their property to be facing north or south, away from direct sunlight, agents said. This is so that the houses do not get too hot.

Westerners, on the other hand, like their houses to face west for the sun.

Agents also said Chinese clients often turn to them for help with other matters, besides buying properties.

Mr Markus Tay, vice-president for sales and marketing at Luxe Group, said: 'I've been asked to help clients find interior designers, good schools, chauffeurs and even domestic helpers.'

Ms Png said she does not mind going the extra mile for her clients, such as taking their wives shopping in her car.

It helps to build up social relationships that could lead to more referrals, which is how most real estate agents get their business.

'They are nice people at the end of the day,' said Ms Png. 'When they've learnt that they can trust you, they'll introduce you to all their friends and you even go out with them. Most of my Chinese clients have become my friends.'

Ms Png, who lives with her parents in their terrace house in Katong, is well aware that there are many agents who would love to get a piece of the Sentosa Cove pie.

She has her own Sentosa Cove website to garner business and knows of more than half a dozen similar websites set up by other property agents.

That is why she plans to fly to Shanghai within the next two weeks to meet a client, at her own expense.

The client plans to buy a few units in Sentosa Cove with his friends, she said.

'I love houses and seeing my clients satisfied, and it makes me happy when they refer me to other people,' she said, adding 'that's why I am successful'.

Goh Chin Lian,
Shuli Sudderuddin