Singapore real estate cluster houses, Barker Road by asiahomes.com, Singapore

Part I. House or condo near the Australian School?

Viewing on
Monday January 30,2000
4+1, near the Australian School,
$8,000

9.30 am
Meet at Traders' Hotel.

10a m
Waterfall Gardens 4+1 3700sf $8,000. Blk 10 and 11.
Between Australian School and Orchard Road. Off Farrer Road. Low density condo.

10.30am
*Fontana Heights 4+1 3455sf $10,000. 18th floor. Meet agent at lobby. One balcony.

10.40am
*Fontana Heights 4+1 3600sf $8,500. 7th floor. Meet agent at lobby. 2 balconies.

11.00am
*Fontana Heights 4+1 3455sf #05-01, #06-01. Meet agent at lobby. Bigger balconies. Brand new split unit air conditioners.

11.15am
*Yang's Garden Village
15th floor duplexes.
4+1 $8,500. Kitchen in white colour appealed to expat.

5+1 newly renovated duplex at $9,000. Kitchen cabinets in yellowish brown colours.

11.45am
*Beaverton Court 4+1 3300 sf $7500. Above #07-01. Renovated white bath tub, WC, bidet, dual pedestal basins with white ceramic tiled floors.

Meet agent at lobby. Private lift. Separate living and dining area.

Big balcony facing green trees.
The "-01" units are said to be the biggest.

Pool, children's pool,
playground, koi ponds, tennis court.

12noon
Swettenham Road black and white bungalows
4+1 2100/7000 sf $8,500
5+1 3100/9500sf $9,000.
Between Orchard Rd & Australian School. Suits romantic expats.

12.15pm
Sommerville Park townhouse
4+1 3000sf $8,000. Next to Waterfall Gardens. Olympic-sized condo pool. Full condo facilities yet 5-min drive to Australian School and near Orchard Road.
Kitchen and patio at basement. Living area with balcony on 2nd level. 4 bedrooms. Quiet. Air well covered to become clothes area.

12.30pm
Barker Road
semi-detached x 2.
5+1, 2-storey, big room at around $9,000.
Unit 1: 5000sf land. Park 3 cars.
Unit 2: 7700sf land. Park 6 cars.
Big garden for entertainment..
2 years old. 5-minute walk to Newton subway.

1pm
The Compass at Chancery, new cluster houses with pool. 3 bedroom unit seen. Too small.

Chancery Grove townhouses and Villa Chancerita townhouses considered small.

* denotes 5-10 minute walk to the Australian School.

Conclusion:

Likes the Barker Road semi-detached, the Sommerville Park townhouse and the Fontana Heights with 2 balconies. He was not keen on the prospect of the incessant noises heard from the drilling and hammering of some a unit under renovation as his wife will be home with the kid all day.

Tel: +65 9668 6468
email judy@asiahomes.com for updates and to make appointments for house-hunting.

Part II.
Feb 1,2000.   Teaching new realtors of Asia USA Realty by internet.
Case study:
How to command respect from the co-broking realtor?

The manager giving her name cards freely.

It was raining dogs and cats on the morning of January 31, 2000, but I remember the Australian expat relocating from Hongkong and the 2 lady realtors due to the following incidents:

"I always give my name cards to expats if they
ask me !" explained the Assistant Manager (Special Projects) of a well known realty firm. She was representing the Landlord and the prospective expatriate tenant whom I drove around to show apartments had asked her for her name card.

I found a moment to ask her privately:

"How would you like if I go to your owner and give him my namecard (since you freely advertise yourself to my client)?"

Many rental co-broking realtors know what is the right thing to do.

We went to another unit of the Fontana Heights shown by another agent representing the landlord. My client asked for her namecard.

She said she had them in her car and proceeded to give a presentation on Fontana Heights and what the Landlord proposed to do in the renovations.

When my client asked again, she was rather upset at his persistence and explained the industry's practice that realtors do not give name cards to the other party's clients. I should have intervened earlier to clarify to my client that it was not ethical to do so.

She commanded my respect. This lady certainly knew what to do to nuture an excellent realtor relationship.

As we left, she handed out a piece of paper with the layout plan of Fontana Heights.    Handing out of flyers to clients of co-broking agents is not a common practice but if done, it is a ploy by co-broking agents to advertise their companies and themselves so that they can be contacted directly by prospective clients of the co-broking agent.

After the lecture on the code of conduct, I had not expected her to promote herself via the flyer.

However, the flyer only had the floor plan layout and the unit number.

That is apparently all right, but I feel that the highest standard of professionalism demands that you do not hand out flyers or literature to the clients of the co-broking agent.

You may be undermining the confidence of the expat in the co-broking agent.    You can hand the flyer to the co-broking agent if you feel you are very good in the particular condo. I do not see the need to do so.

Surely, you don't want the co-broking agent to hand out a thank you card to your own client for showing the unit. With no name and contact numbers on the card?

Sometimes, it is common sense. As for this second agent, I myself did not receive her namecard although she claimed that she had given to my assistant.

This is one lady who does not give out her name cards freely. Name cards do cost money but it is imperative you give yours to the co-broking agent so that your property will be recorded and you can be contacted if there is a second viewing or for future viewings.