Excuse Me, Are You A Property Agent?......(25)

It is good that now the government has tightened some of the rules such as compulsory courses for agents to undergo and putting the minimum of four O levels as the basic qualification.

I would also appreciate if the authorities could come up with more rules to help make it more viable for agents in their service to clients.

My recruit, Adeline shared with me that she took some clients from a foreign bank to look for a studio unit for rental. She drove them around to view some seven units, and the ERP charges came to quite a substantial sum. She asked if the bank would cover her expenditure on petrol, ERP, etc. However, the bank officers asserted that they would not have to pay, to which my well-informed and witty agent asked why the bank would charge for almost every little service they provide to customers.!

Another agent who does not drive, had to take her clients around in a taxi for three consecutive weekends, incurring a few hundred dollars in taxi fares. At the end, the clients found a rental unit with another agent.!

Once, an acquaintance from a toastmasters' club called me to ask me for help to look for an apartment as her apartment had been enblocked.

"You don't drive, right. That could be a problem."

I told her I don't drive, and if she expects me to chauffeur her around, that would be her problem. Because my problem is to find a good unit for my clients, a unit that is of good value and which will definitely reap them a good profit should they want to sell in the future. I decided not to serve the acquaintance from the toastmasters' club. I join the toastmasters' club and the church for the love of public speaking and worshipping God, and not as avenues to get more business.

I believe in working smart, and not just hard. My clients who understand my knowledge and expertise are not concerned about my not being able to drive; to them it is more important that I recommend them good properties.

Perhaps it is time that the authorities come up with a rule that when agents bring their clients to view a property, the clients would have to pay a token sum of say, $30 per viewing. Then agents would not be taken around for a ride, for free viewing could translate into indecisiveness and indifference on the part of buyers or tenants. I know of one diligent but overly enthusiastic agent who took his clients to view some 65 HDB flats.....at the end the clients decided to buy a brand new unit directly from HDB!

Whenever I have a viewing, the clients will meet me at the units. When clients make an effort to go on their own for a viewing, they would take the viewing more seriously. I do not drive because of my vertigo problem, but I guess even if I do drive, I will focus more on my knowledge and understanding of the property market, so that I will give sound and honest advice to clients at all times. This is my priority and my absolute duty, for I am dealing with clients' hard-earned money.

Gan Cao