Jei Chew Chester Properties

JEI Chew, marketing director of real estate agency Chester Properties Sdn Bhd, used to be a happy-go-lucky guy with no thought for tomorrow. However, one incident moved him so greatly that it changed him and led him to the path to become a real estate negotiator.

“I saw a woman carrying her baby and wanting to withdraw some money from the automated teller machine (ATM). But I noticed that she only had a little more than RM100 in her account and she looked at a loss. I still remember her forlorn face. I started to think, what if I couldn’t earn enough money for myself, will I or my future wife end up like that lady?” recalls the 29-year-old from Taiping.

Driven by a strong sense of insecurity following the experience, Jei began to think more seriously about his future. A medical science student in Universiti Sains Malaysia at the time, he could have chosen a career in the medical field. However, he decided to pursue a different vocation. After graduating in 2010, he joined Chester Properties — founded by his elder brother Howard Chew — as a real estate negotiator.

Jei’s decision was prompted by one reason — he wanted to earn a lot of money. He soon realised, though, that in order to achieve this, he had a long way to go and more to learn. But he was determined and committed to make real estate negotiating his profession.

“As a professional negotiator, I need to know everything about the industry, especially the transaction process. It took me about two years to study the rules and regulations, the details in the sale and purchase agreements as well as the legal terms that appear during the transactions,” says Jei.

The knowledge helped him build his reputation as a negotiator. He explains that when customers approach a negotiator, they usually want to know more about a certain property such as the surrounding environment, the capital appreciation and the process of getting a loan. The negotiator’s advice helps customers in their decision-making.

In 2012, Jei closed the first significant deal of his career when he sold the remaining 20 units of commercial shoplots at Alam Avenue 2 in Shah Alam’s Section 16 in two weeks.

“The project was launched about three years before I handled it. The selling prices of the shoplots ranged from RM1.6 million to RM2.2 million, with a total transaction value of around RM25 million,” he says.

His second significant achievement also involved properties in the primary market in Shah Alam —the sale of e-SOFO Suria Jaya. During a four-month period, he and his team sold 150 units, ranging from 430 to 840 sq ft in size, at an average price of RM480 psf. With that sterling performance, Jei was chosen as the top sales negotiator in the project segment in the agency for 2013.

Chester PropertiesEscaping from his brother’s shadow

As the youngest in the family and the only younger brother of the agency’s founder, Jei feels that he has to work harder than others to earn the respect of his colleagues and to escape from his brother’s shadow.

Howard, 31, has established his reputation and network in the industry and Jei sees him as a role model. It is not a surprise then that Jei’s performance is constantly being compared with his brother’s and many have high expectations of him.

“I have to work harder to build my own reputation and network to separate myself from my brother,” he says.

Besides focusing on sales, Jei also took the initiative to learn other skills such as graphic design applications and computer programming in order to enhance the company’s marketing tools.

“With these knowledge, I can easily communicate with graphic or webpage designers on the design concepts that we want.”

Jei’s additional skills elevated him from being just a salesperson to the marketing director of the agency. He is also in charge of running the company’s headquarters in Kota Damansara, Selangor.

“Now nobody introduces me as Howard’s brother. Many new customers don’t even know that we are brothers. I consider this as one of my biggest achievements,” declares Jei.

Chester Properties was set up in 2008 with only five real estate negotiators. The company now has more than 1,000 negotiators in 14 branches around Peninsular Malaysia.

On his choice of career, Jei believes he has made the right decision as all his hard work seems to have paid off.

“If not for that eye-opening moment at the ATM, I may still be uncertain about my financial future, like some of my peers who are struggling to make ends meet. I am focused on building up my career,” he says.

Reputation matters

For those who want to join the real estate industry to earn a lot of money, Jei advises them to focus not only on the monetary aspect but also on the career prospects.

According to him, time is needed to build one’s reputation and personal branding. Every negotiator needs to understand the product and know as much as possible about everything related to the property market.

“Reputation is the most important thing for a professional negotiator but reputation takes time to build,” he concedes.

Jei believes one of the most important principles in building a good reputation is honesty.

“Be honest, deliver what you have promised and do not hide anything from the prospective buyer. These are the three main principles if you want to establish your career in the industry for the long term,” he says. For instance, if an agent is selling a unit that was once the scene of a murder, the prospective buyers need to know the truth so that they can make an informed decision. Some investors may still buy the unit if they think it is a good deal.

“Hiding the disadvantages or misleading the buyer will ruin one’s reputation. We can’t afford to lose customers because of poor reputation,” he concludes.

This article first appeared in The Edge Property pullout, on Sept 25, 2015. Download The Edge Property for free.

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