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Asia USA Realty
(Singapore)
asiahomes.com Pte Ltd
Estate Agents
Licence No. L3007306B
12 Feb 2011
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Focus:
We get for
you affordable Singapore homes
Rent or Investment |
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YOU WANT to rent or buy Singapore homes? |
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INTERNET ADVERT RATES
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your advert/query to
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668-6468. |
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6 Values and attitudes
for
an asiahomes realtor
The first half of 2002 is a good beginning for asiahomes.com as more cases and
phone calls for properties to rent or buy come in from
the website. It is time for me to remind you of the 6
values and attitudes if you want to be part of
asiahomes.com.
Customer first, speed, efficiency, honesty & ethical
behaviour and professionalism are the 6 values and attitudes
realtors of
www.asiahomes.com
must have.
1. Customer first. Asiahomes.com
exists because there are internet customers who want
affordable and good homes. Not because we have lots of
beautiful and affordable homes for rent or investment.
The main complaint from Caucasian expatriates is that
rental realtors in the industry want them to rent the
places they don't want or can't afford. This is why a
product-oriented realtor can't close the
case.
2. & 3. Speed and efficiency.
Making sure that the customer gets more than excellent
service by closing the case with the
least
inconvenience and running around is hard to teach you.
If you can get the Tenant to sign the letter of intent
and tenancy agreement within 24 hours of expressing
interest, you will have got the technique. I will
share with you some tips in the stories from real case
studies at
Asia
USA Realtors or you can phone me to discuss your
cases.
4. Honesty. Realtors who pocket commissions
directly from clients without informing the company will
be asked to leave. Over the past six years, there was
only one person who phoned me about one asiahomes
realtor wanting direct payment but since he did not name
the realtor, I could not take action. All commissions
must be billed in writing using the company invoice and
a copy faxed or sent to me immediately.
5. Ethics.
5.1 Name cards. Do not hand out name cards to
clients of co-broking agents. Giving name cards when the
co-broking agent is not looking or when asked by the
expatriate or other client of co-broking agents is
unethical.
5.2 Brochures & Flyers. Do not give
brochures or flyers with your name and company to
clients of co-broking agents. Some firms print beautiful
coloured flyers of houses or condos for their agents.
Tell them early that there should be no handing of such
flyers but there are sneaky realtors who hand out at the
last minute.
5.3 High pressure tactics and burning bridges.
As we survive on commissions on closing cases and don't
get a salary, some of us full time may be more
performance oriented and appear aggressive to the
Caucasian expatriate without realising it.
Such realtors will demand an explanation on why, after
spending so much time with the client, the client
decides on another realtor's property. The realtor may
get cursing from one party (e.g. the landlord) when the
other party (e.g. the expatriate client) does not want
the property. Learn how to let go and move on with your
life.
As asiahomes.com is Tenant-based, do not demand
upset prospective tenants. For example, you demand
explanations from them as to why they don't close with
you. You may want feedback or be upfront, but let the
prospect alone if you feel that there is no warm
response.
Younger realtors who are excellent performers may not be
able to suppress their emotions. You can only be
softened and made gentle, understanding and sympathetic
by age and experience but do try your best if you want
to be successful.
If you burn the bridge of good realtor-prospect
relationship, you drown in the water of unbridled anger.
Exit graciously and you do get referrals from such
expatriates and locals who will know that you have had
worked hard, but you did not give what they want.
6. Professionalism & hard work. Is
image everything? Not, if you get what the clients
wants, but you can't close all case. Therefore,
first impressions count. A proper attire. A cool temper
in cases you can't close. Also, a
properly typed house-hunting schedule rather than no
schedule, sets you out as being a real professional.
Clients will refer to your telephone numbers in the
sheet of paper.
Keep proper records. Read marketing books and learn how
to use database, spreadsheet, the internet and the digital camera.
Be client-oriented by listening to what the client
wants. Read his or her email a few times. Phone the
client. You will be successful as you close
cases and get more referrals than you can handle.
How much can you earn if you work hard and smart? I have a
part-time realtor who, in 2002, received $50,000
commissions in 2 months working evenings and on
weekends. Not the big catch you will think of. Just
small cases booking serviced apartments, persuading a
Kellock Lodge condo landlord to rent a short lease
for 3 Norwegian students and many cases averaging $3,000 per
month. Most associates will not bother with the
poor students!
Was it beginner's luck? After all, his car number came in
2nd prize in the 4-digit draw and he would have won
$15,000 if he had the time to buy the number when he
phoned me to tell me he would be closing 2 rental cases in a day. Asiahomes.com
does not have corporate clientele and therefore it is a
big deal to close 2 internet cases in one
day.
I find it hard to believe he could earn in 2 months what
he earns in a year, but that is what real estate can
provide.
If you know how to pick up the pot of gold from the
internet cases, asiahomes.com has more cases than you
can handle. Hard to believe? Check this out with this
associate or some others listed in
Asia
USA Realtors
Dr Sing Kong Yuen
Founder
www.asiahomes.com
drsing@asiahomes.com
Asia USA Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com |
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REAL ESTATE
SERVICES PROVIDED BY ASIAHOMES REALTORS
1. Residential Rental Department
Focus: We find affordable homes for expats relocating to
Singapore
What does the prospective tenant want?
Highest standards of the interior finishes.
The prospective tenant wants the
highest standard of finishes in the interior of the residence.
Bathrooms must be clean and in good condition.
Downtown location and proximity to subway. Orchard Road is the centre of
action where shopping malls, cinemas and cafes are found and this area attracts most
expatriates.
New apartments have small built-up areas. Suburban areas near the subway and or near bus routes
are alternatives.
Detached houses with pool. A large
number of Caucasian expatriates want to live in detached houses with pool but there is a
scarcity of such units resulting in rentals asked being over $10,000 - $30,000.
We propose detached at around $5,000 - $10,000 or in suburban areas such as
Bishan.
Understandably, most Caucasian wives are not comfortable living in a
non-expatriate enclave like Bishan. They are not being picky but are uncomfortable with
the new cultures. Their husbands usually do a lot of travelling and they
will rather have
the network of Caucasians nearby.
2.
Residential Sales Department
Focus: Getting the best price for foreign buyers, giving the highest standard of
personalised service & active agency follow-up.
Dear Foreign Owners
of Singapore Properties.
Asia USA Realtors provide a personalised service for foreigners who want to sell their
investment condos or houses.
We provide relevant and timely information on their property valuations so that they know
they are selling at realistic prices.
We use the Internet and the newspapers and other modes of marketing to ensure that the
properties are widely promoted. We keep pestering the busy lawyers to get the paperwork
done and collect the option money urgently.
Foreigners who want a personalised service, email judy@asiahomes.com
or call +65 9668 6468 for advices on how to sell your properties at the best price and as
fast as possible. We accept a small number of cases as such services take up
a lot of manpower and time in activities such as week-end open houses and follow ups.
Besides open houses, we produce sales brochures using digital camera technologies and give
them to all visitors.
Case study. Selling a condo for a foreign investor is not
easy. Will the Federal Express people allow us
to collect the Option to Purchase?
The reality is that the top-notch law firm's lawyer appointed by the foreign Seller had so
many clients to talk to and things to do, as to be expected when you engage top lawyers,
in this case of a Holland Peak Condo for Sale. She would handle the case when she could
find the appropriate time.
The Asia USA Realtor had found a Buyer offering $1.0 million and the Seller had accepted
the offer. The option agreement needed to be sent to the Seller in the USA for signatures.
It was lying on the lawyer's desk when we phoned several times. There were administrative
procedures to be followed as expected in a big legal corporation. This case would be
insignificant in generating revenue and there was no special attention to it.
We could wait for the firm to send the option to purchase to the foreign Seller, but that
would take several days. The case was more important to the Asia USA Realtor who was paid on performance than to
the lawyer who would still be paid some fees even if there were no successful closing.
Though we were busy, we had to
find a way to get the option to the Seller before the prospective Buyer changed his mind.
It was a condo without any views from any room and therefore, it was not hot stuff!
We persisted in following up on the lawyer who had the documents couriered by her clerk.
In Australian, some realtors do all the courier work but it was not possible in this case.
It was not the end of the matter. After the foreign owner in the US had sent back the
forms, we had to track down the Federal Express people in Singapore and get the documents.
The delivery to us was scheduled from 9 am - 5 p.m. If we received the documents
near 5 p.m., the law firm would have closed and that would mean another day had gone and
the possibility of the Buyer changing his mind was always there. Buyers do have many
choices of condos without views.
We volunteered to collect the documents from the Federal Express office in Singapore. Of
course, this was unacceptable to the professional couriers! We received the documents by
noon time and rushed to the Seller's lawyer. We got the Seller's lawyer to get the 1%
option money authorised to be given to the Seller.
There was still the business of ensuring that the Buyer's lawyer would send the option
cheque to the Seller's lawyer since we would not be given the cheque by the former as
there was no the delivery clerk. We went to collect the cheque and brought it to the
Seller's lawyer.
After that we had to ensure that the Seller's lawyer would be banking in the 1% option
money as we were not given the cheque to do so as the Seller had authorised the lawyer to
do so.
This took another day. Luckily there were no changes of mind by the Buyer. Otherwise all
these efforts would be in vain.
This case illustrated that there needed much active agency follow-up for
a foreign Owner in order to close promptly.
With proper planning via email and phone calls to the American Seller, we sold his Holland
Peak Condo 3+1, 122sm for $1.0 million which was $100,000 above the desk-top valuation
price in June 1999.
It took 2 weeks of anxiety as the property market could go into a tail spin with the
Indonesian political instability during the June elections and the history of riots and
demonstrations.
The wife was earlier in Singapore to ask us to rent the condo in April 1999 but there was
practically nobody interested in renting unless the rent was below S$2,000 per month. Sale
was recommended as the return on investment was too low.
I always emphasize on agency follow-up for all Asia USA Realtors.
Many cases could have been closed if there were active follow up by the agency.
Dr Sing Kong Yuen.
drsing@asiahomes.com
Founder.
Asia USA Realty
Asiahomes Internet
INTERNET ADVERT RATES & HOUSE-HUNTING
E-mail your advert/query to
judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668-6468.
ŠAsia USA Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com Pte Ltd
Website:
asiahomes.com.
Blk 1002, Toa Payoh Lor 8, #01-1477, Singapore 319074, Republic of
Singapore
Estate Agents Licence No. L3007306B
Salesperson Name/Registration No. Sing Kong Yuen/R030822Z
Asia USA
Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com Pte Ltd
Finding Affordable Homes
For Expatriates |
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