"Why do you have so many negative thoughts nowadays?" I asked. "You showed your client a Toa Payoh apartment yesterday. But that location was not what she asked for. The school bus for her daughter studying in Singapore did not go to Toa Payoh. Therefore you wasted time and money doing it.


"In rental real estate work, clients usually want to see many units. However, if you show them their desired property, decision can made immediately.

"You can use my car to drive your client. But you can't drive in Singapore. I hear from your father (whom I met last month in Myanmar) that you can drive in Yangon. But on one condition -- your father said he must sit next to you!"

Khin Khin did not comment. As she can't drive in Singapore, she needed to take buses and taxis to bring clients to view apartments for rent and this takes a lot of time.

She had failed to close a case recently. A case she was so confident of closing. "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched," I remembered my real estate failures well.

Failure is the mother of success. But today she declared defeat. After one failure? She might as well become an employee. 

Fortune favours the brave. How? The brave takes risk. For example, a brave general does not fail or die, he appropriates territory, goods and women of his neighbours. Therefore he gains fortune through more successes than failures. The Goddess of Fortune favours the brave.

How to motivate a NMA person? Words of encouragement are not sufficient. The only motivation is success. And today was decision day for Khin Khin.

I asked my veterinary technician to postpone my 3 pm appointments to 3.30 pm. I drove and we went to pick up her client at Balestier Road near the Institute of Education at 1 p.m.

The client's eyes lit up. She loved the Housing & Development Board (HDB) apartment at first sight. The school bus operator provides services to this estate. The Landlord wanted a rental of $2,700 per month. I negotiated in the Chinese dialect to the white-haired woman in her sixties and gave her information on the prospective tenant.

"Your $2,000 offer is way out. $2,500 is my minimum," she said. I asked Khin Khin to talk to her client. She wanted $200 less.

I said to Khin Khin. "Tell your client that it is rare to find a newly renovated HDB apartment." Her client could understand English but would rather not converse in the English language.

"The fridge is brand new. The 3 air conditioners in the 3 bedrooms are brand new. Sometimes, it is better to spend $100 to $200 more rental per month to rent an apartment with new appliances and air conditioners. It is not every day that you get a newly renovated apartment."

Khin Khin's client nodded her head. Her daughter wants a nice apartment and this was one within her budget. The washing machine was old but was operational.

"Wait for the Landlord's agent to come before we offer $2,500 to the Landlord," I said to Khin Khin. The agent said that $2,400 was the final offer for a 2-year-lease was required by the Landlord.

"A one-year-lease with an option to renew," I advise. The agent spoke to the Landlord and her son and got their consent. There was no problem in the nationality of this tenant as some Singaporeans don't want to rent to certain nationalities. HDB approval would be no problem in the rental of this apartment.

"Get the paperwork done and the contract signed by the 3rd day," I said to the Landlord's agent.

"It is 7 days in the Letter of Intent," the lady realtor in her late forties and very competent and professional had fished out her Letter of Intent (normally provided by the Tenant's agent) from her car stated.

"As you know, Letters of Intent are subject to contract," I said. "It is best that you get the other Landlord who is in hospital to sign. If he passes away, this deal is off."

"Touch wood, touch wood," the lady agent said but there was no wood to touch as we sat on the ceramic tiled table and chairs in the void deck on the ground floor to do the paper work. "The other Landlord is not having a serious illness in the hospital. Some sprains..."

"Life is full of uncertainties," I said. "Please try to get the tenancy agreement signed 3 days later."  I solemnly asked the realtor who fished out a draft copy of the tenancy agreement (TA). Khin Khin had asked her to fax a copy of the TA to me and to her. Now, that meant delays of at least 2 days. I explained the terms and conditions of the TA to Khin Khin's client. She understood what I explained and therefore would not need to be faxed a copy of the draft TA.  

"You need to follow up with the Landlord's agent and get the tenancy agreement in 3 days' time," I advised Khin Khin as the Landlord's agent gave a receipt for $2,400 cash as a good faith deposit given by the prospective Tenant.

The whole case from viewing the apartment to saying goodbye to the Landlord's agent took around 1 hour on January 7, 2009. This was incredible. I still can't believe it as I record the experience at 6.30 am on January 8, 2009.

This was the first case of success for Khin Khin. I was glad that the Goddess of Fortune had favoured her. She was brave enough to strike out on her own in Singapore. This case does seem to illustrate that Fortune favours the brave. You still need to know how to close fast in real estate by collapsing the time to complete the paperwork. Faxing here and there, waiting for one party or the other to sign results in time wasted.

Time is of the essence in real estate contracts. Any delay, whether reasonable or not will be grounds for cancellation of the Letter of Intent and the TA by either party. 

But nothing succeeds like success in life. The prospective Tenant was very pleased with Khin Khin and paid her the agency commission immediately. I hope Khin Khin will have PMA every day as she wakes up. Negative thoughts can be contagious and deadly in business and in living.