Agent goes far by going the distance for clients

Wed, Jun 23, 2010 The Straits Times

It is an image that goes down well with her millionaire clients.

Over the past two years, Ms Png has been specialising in marketing properties in Sentosa Cove. These homes start from about $4 million for a condominium and can hit more than $30 million for a bungalow.

She collects a 2 per cent commission from each sale but declines to reveal the tidy sum she makes each year. Her clients are from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and China.

The 29-year-old business and marketing graduate from the University of South Australia started work at real estate firm OrangeTee in 2005 and said she is still learning the ways of her wealthy Chinese clients.

One thing she has found out is their aversion to revealing personal details, even in small talk.

'I once asked a couple what part of China they came from, and they replied: 'Why must we tell you?' ' she said.

Ms Png has also met Chinese nationals who do not fully appreciate the rules here and assume that money can buy everything.

She related the case of a man who showed up to make a purchase, shouting that he wanted to buy a house immediately.

When told that there was a sales process to follow, he left in a huff.

'But he came back the next day with two suitcases full of money. Often we have to explain to such people that there are rules and paperwork in Singapore and you can't just buy a house like that,' she said.

Other real estate agents note the difference in tastes between Chinese clients and those of other nationalities.