Special Feature

‘Landed Prince’ scaling new heights

By Willi Ching

/ Brought to you by Huttons Landed Division |

January 16, 2023 3:00 PM SGT

For Willi Ching, constantly upping the game to serve clients better lies at the heart of what he does (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)

SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - It has been nearly two years since EdgeProp Singapore last sat down to speak with Willi Ching. Smartly dressed, the associate district director at Huttons Asia is warm and effusive as he greets us for the interview. It has been a groundbreaking period for Ching, who also heads the Huttons Landed Division (HLD), which he founded in 2015. Previously known as the MTD Landed Division, Ching grew the team until Huttons invited him to rebrand the group as its official landed property arm in 2020.

Read also: ‘Landing’ his dream against the odds

This is the third time Ching has been featured on EdgeProp Singapore. “A lot of breakthroughs have taken place since the last time,” he says. Indeed, the realtor has been steadily racking up new achievements and improving the services offered by HLD to buyers and sellers of landed property.

Milestone achievements

HLD crossed a new milestone last year when it brokered the sale of its 300th house. It is an achievement Ching is proud of, further validating his decision to focus on the landed market segment years ago. He says: “While other agents are often opportunistic when it comes to the landed market, we have been consistently focused on landed properties, and we have the accumulated experience and unique skill sets that clients need.”

HLD’s concentration on the landed segment has enabled them to establish a dedicated, landed-focused platform with an ever-growing audience. HLD’s website, which boasts an extensive online database of landed properties for sale, has about 300 active listings as of the end of 2022. Meanwhile, its YouTube and Facebook pages have nearly 3,000 subscribers and followers.

The division’s talent growth is the third cornerstone of HLD’s achievements. With 20 consultants in 2015, Ching has gradually expanded the team. HLD has nearly quadrupled its headcount, with about 80 consultants now working with Ching.

Ching and his teammates of Huttons Landed Division (Picture: Huttons Landed Division)

Game-changing services

HLD’s reputation in the industry has been forged on a strong entrepreneurial spirit dating back to its formation. “We’ve been forging this path in the landed market for a long time, figuring out the most effective strategies for the landed market,” Ching says. “We provide tailored solutions for buyers and sellers.”

That spirit, combined with a dedicated focus on the landed segment, has underpinned HLD’s willingness to explore new methods and technologies that cater to this market. Ching highlights three new value-add strategies that have proven to be invaluable, practical tools leveraged by clients:

Live open houses

One of HLD’s signature content pieces, live open houses offer a unique opportunity to get an in-depth view of a property from the comfort of one’s home. Through a video streamed live on its YouTube and Facebook pages, Ching and other HLD consultants take viewers on a tour of the house and its surrounding environment. “Our goal is to keep it relatively raw and unscripted as if we are presenting the house to a client that’s there for a house viewing,” Ching says. “It’s an authentic view of the property in its entirety.” The live open house is one of three video series HLD has curated on its YouTube platform. The other two series — called ‘Charming Houses’ and ‘Hot Buys’ respectively — offer very different viewpoints: The former has a more cinematic quality, with thoughtfully framed shots and a relaxed feel. Meanwhile, the latter focuses on shorter-length videos that provide a quick overview of a property and its key features.

One of the many landed houses sold via HLD’s signature monthly (2pm on every first Saturday of the month) online live open houses (Picture: Huttons Landed Division)

Consumer webinars

Over the years, Ching and the HLD team have built extensive knowledge and a database of the landed segment. Since 2019, the group has produced detailed written reports on the landed market, which later evolved into a quarterly consumer webinar during the pandemic as a way to engage with clients and the public.

The webinars received a strong response, prompting HLD to bump up the knowledge-sharing sessions. The sessions, which are free and available on HLD’s YouTube page, provide a comprehensive overview of the market and the outlook for the coming months. Says Ching: “It’s important to stay ahead of the market, and we want to provide all landed stakeholders — be it buyers, sellers or investors — with useful insights that can help them make informed property decisions.”

The upcoming quarterly consumer webinar will be on 17 Jan 8pm. Please contact your preferred HLD landed consultant or Huttons salesperson for the registration link (Picture: Huttons Landed Division)

Redevelopment proposals

When it comes to older landed properties on the market, Ching says that such houses, particularly homes that are prime candidates for redevelopment, additions and alterations (A&A) work, or renovation, frequently face a disadvantage. “Prospective buyers find it challenging to visualise the full potential of a site,” he adds.

He has crafted a solution to help bridge that gap: Working with architects and 3D rendering artists, HDL can produce a full redevelopment proposal that shows how a site can be redeveloped or renovated (such as this one for a landed property at Jalan Jelita). “This helps buyers address the unknown and have more clarity on what their future home could look like and how much it would cost,” Ching says.

https://sg.tepcdn.com/public/usr/a0fgoy/f96f71-Redevlopment.jpg<br https://sg.tepcdn.com/public/usr/a0fgoy/f96f71-Redevlopment.jpgHLD’s first redevelopment concept in early 2022 helped the owner of this semi-detached house in District 15 to achieve his desired price within a month (Photo: Huttons Landed Division)

Beyond the three new strategies, Ching and his fellow leaders in HLD have more in the pipeline. For the “Landed Prince”, it is clear that constantly upping the game to serve clients better lies at the heart of what he does. “As the market gets more developed, consumers are becoming more sophisticated. We must always stay ahead of the curve and cater to their needs in the best way possible.”

With every new height scaled by Ching and HLD, we look forward to the next appearance of the “Landed Prince” and his new achievements and contributions to the landed segment.

Securing and selling exclusive listings with sellers, such as this brand new four-storey house

What to expect in 2023 for the landed market

Ching expects the landed market to be “more balanced” in 2023:

Return to pre-Covid normalcy

“Do not expect the unprecedented market rush in the last two years. Transaction volume, which has already declined by 43% in 2022 from the decade-high record of 3,296 units in 2021, should return to the market norm of around 1,500 units. Given the current global economic uncertainty, prices will not repeat the 10.1% and 13.2% increase in 2021 and 2022, respectively.” Ching advises buyers not to expect unrealistic “fire sales” as the fundamental imbalance in demand and supply of landed properties remain unchanged.

More sellers will enter the market; less ‘frenzy’ for buyers

“More sellers have been approaching us since the end of last year, concerned that they may ‘miss the peak’. Ching adds that unless more positive news arrives, this trend should continue. “With more listings in the market, buyers will have more choices and more time to search than before.”

Deeper understanding of the market is required to make the best decisions

“The landed market has always been complex due to more factors that affect prices. One street across can mean a 15% to 20% price difference, not to mention differences in layout, interior condition or facing. With a more balanced ‘power play’ between buyers and sellers, sellers have to market their houses more strategically, and buyers have to likewise analyse beyond price alone to determine what is their most suitable home. Therefore, sellers and buyers have to engage the most experienced professionals to achieve the best outcomes.”

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Contact Willi Ching l 94315145

Associate Group Director (R014380H)

Huttons Asia Pte Ltd

Website: http://singaporelanded.com.sg

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HuttonsLandedDivision

YouTube: http://bit.ly/HuttonsLandedDivision

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huttonslandeddivision

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