Go the extra mile and stay innovative, say top real estate agents

KUALA LUMPUR: These are challenging times for real estate brokers in Malaysia. The property market continues to be slow amidst rising competition among real estate players.

Despite the challenging environment, there are those who excel in the industry which comprises about 20,000 real estate negotiators, 1,375 real estate firms and 1,964 estate agents.

At the recent National Real Estate Awards (NREA) 2018 organised by the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), the top industry players across the country delivered a better result during 2017 (the year in review) compared with the previous year.

“This year, we tabulated the performances of the past year’s winners and we noticed that despite the challenging market situation, a majority of those who entered our awards this year had actually done a better job in 2017 than in 2016,” MIEA president elect and NREA organising chairman Lim Boon Ping said at the NREA gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 21.

“As a matter of fact, some of our winners this year have even achieved a whopping 25% increase in sales,” Lim added.

According to one of the winners Cornerstone Realty, being innovative and always thinking outside the box have put it in good stead in challenging times. For the third consecutive year, the real estate agency won the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Most Innovative Marketing Idea Award.

Cornerstone Realty executive director Wong Yau Long, who received the award on behalf of the agency told EdgeProp.my that innovation is the key to future growth of the real estate broking industry.

“Innovative marketing is about creating value and a compelling consumer experience for clients,” he said.

Another winner at the NREA this year, Eugene Yap of Focus Estate Agency Sdn Bhd, who bagged the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online REN of the Year Award, said that in order to thrive in a competitive industry, it is important to walk the extra mile for clients such as helping them research and gather data including from online property portals.

“The real estate industry has grown so big and a few agents could be marketing one property at the same time. Success in sealing a deal lies in your level of service.

“If you provide extra service to your clients, not only will they appreciate your efforts and refer more clients to you later, it will also increase your chances of concluding a deal,” Yap added.

The 30-year-old has been working in the real estate sector for about seven years now.

“Going forward, I will continue to provide professionalism in my service and I believe people will start noticing when you have the right attitude. As a result, you will build a strong network,” he said.

Both the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Most Innovative Marketing Idea Awards and the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online Real Estate Negotiator Of The Year Award were sponsored by EdgeProp.my.

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my pullout on Oct 26, 2018. You can access back issues here.