Special Feature

Colin Ng: Down-to-earth agent earns clients’ trust by serving with heart

September 20, 2024 4:15 PM SGT

Colin Ng, PropNex Realty (SG) receiving the award from Shermie Tee, EdgeProp (SG) (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

During the pandemic, PropNex agent Colin Ng received a call from an expat who wanted to buy a property before moving to Singapore. Though the buyer had never stepped foot into the country nor met Ng in-person — communicating only through calls, emails and text messages — he eventually bought a newly launched condo unit through the agent.

Ng’s successful brokering is a testament to clients’ trust in him, including those who have never met him in real life before. His humble and honest personality shines through — even via online interactions — making clients feel at ease and willing to trust him quickly. The secret is simply to treat people as how you wish to be treated, he shares. “When you engage clients casually and constructively, and show how knowledgeable you are, it breaks the ice very fast and builds rapport,” he adds.

Ng: Real estate is a journey that I take with my clients. Whether they’re first-time buyers or seasoned high-net-worth investors, I’m there to guide them with data-driven insights and informed perspectives. (Photo: EdgeProp SG)

To add on to his credibility, the agent has five intensive years of knowledge and experience in the real estate industry. This is coupled with his tenacity and never-give-up attitude, which are exemplified through the fact that he took the real estate agent licence examination six times before finally passing it in 2019.

After that, Ng wasted no time learning the ropes of the field, diving straight into a tagger role where he had to quickly adapt to and learn about various property products and regulations.

His easygoing personality and reliable industry knowledge have made him the agent of choice, and earned him many accolades since the start of his real estate career.

Ng has been racking up one award after another since he joined the real estate industry as a full-time agent. (Photo: Colin Ng)

In 2020 and 2021, he received the Top Rookie award by the Singapore Estate Agents Association (SEAA), and charted on PropNex’s Top 50 agents under the age of 30 in 2022. In the same year, he received the SEAA’s Achiever (Silver) award, and continued climbing the ranks to achieve the association’s Achiever (Gold) award in 2023 and 2024.

Committed to providing tailored solutions

Ng had much practice developing his interpersonal skills in his previous vocations. Ng, who is by nature a hardworking person, took up various client-facing part-time jobs in university, including security event roles. There, he learnt how to communicate well with people from diverse backgrounds, including making light conversation — which requires deep general knowledge and solid communication skills — as well as managing stakeholder expectations.

His experience taught him to develop an approach of providing tailored solutions to his clients. “This has become necessary nowadays, with clients becoming more discerning and information more widely available,” he notes.

Ng serves the needs of diverse clients, whether for rental, owner-occupation or investment. (Photo: Colin Ng)

Being a believer in providing personalised service to his clients, Ng takes the time to get to know his clients, including their preferences, concerns and long-term plans. This approach has earned him the trust of clients who typically have higher risk levels, such as first-time home buyers and foreign buyers and renters who have never been to Singapore.

Ng remembers one client who appeared to be a cold lead at the start. At that time, the client was talking to 30 agents but was still not sold on any properties. With Ng’s finesse and patience in providing a personalised service, he successfully closed a new launch property deal with the client within five months. The skilful agent secured not only a deal but also the trust of the client, who still regularly meets him for casual catch-up sessions.

Building meaningful relationships with clients

For Ng, the ultimate goal in helping clients navigate their real estate journey is to build meaningful relationships with them. Many of his clients become friends who invite him to personal events, such as birthday celebrations and marriage ceremonies.

“I even have clients who invite me out to celebrate my own birthday,” he says with a laugh. “They show me appreciation in other interesting ways too. One client offered to buy me a new car to run my business better, but of course I did not take that up.”

Clients appreciate Ng for his personable attitude and tailored service, as well as his efforts in ensuring that their homes are a profitable investment. Whether the home is solely for investment or owner-occupation, and regardless of the client’s investment experience, Ng is dedicated to making sure that a home is not just a roof over clients’ heads, but also a money-making asset that can secure their financial freedom in the future.

“Commission has never been my priority. My priority has always been to help people make money,” Ng asserts.

Ng: Enhancing clients' investment asset is his priority. (Photo: Colin Ng)

He recalls one of his clients, a couple with two school-going children, who wanted to upgrade from their five-room HDB flat in Sengkang and invest in a separate property. However, having never had real estate investment experience before, the couple were hesitant and concerned whether their investment ambitions would overstretch them financially. With Ng’s real estate management expertise and convincing approach, he reassured them while offering legitimate solutions that could help them reach their goals.

On Ng’s advice, the couple sold their HDB flat and bought two private condo units: one freehold new launch condo for owner-occupation, and another freehold resale condo for investment.

All-in-one agent for buyers, sellers and renters

Beyond helping clients buy and sell, Ng has also developed a niche in helping renters secure quality rental units. He discovered an interest in the rental market in one of his first property-related jobs where he assisted major multinational corporations in relocating their employees to Singapore, including matching them with suitable rental properties.

His communicable personality and reliability enabled him to build a strong network of expats in Singapore. To this day, he still receives many referrals from former expat and ultra-high-net-worth clients or through mutual connections, some of whom have never even rented properties through him but have heard glowing recommendations from fellow expat renters.

He recalls one such high-net-worth expat client, who had a tight deadline of two weeks to find a suitable rental apartment before relocating to Singapore. This was not a problem for Ng, who easily secured a one-bedder that fitted the client’s requirements. As an expression of his gratitude, the client gifted Ng with an iPhone.

Ng at PropNex's annual convention in 2023. (Photo: Colin Ng)

Ng’s commitment and care for his clients genuinely touch them even after the deal has been closed. Clients trust his judgment and expertise and continue to seek out his help in securing properties. A sizeable number of his clients whom he has brokered properties for were previously expat clients who had secured rental properties through him and eventually decided to gain permanent residency (PR) status and stay permanently in Singapore.

Even today, Ng can confidently say about half of his clients who had rented properties through him are potential home buyers just waiting for PR approval before proceeding with their property purchase.

Ng was back at the PropNex annual convention this year with yet another award. (Photo: Colin Ng)

Clients of any background continue to find Ng to be an approachable and reliable agent that they can trust. “I’ve always believed that real estate is more than just a transaction,” Ng explains. “It’s a journey that I take with my clients. Whether they’re first-time buyers or seasoned high-net-worth investors, I’m there to guide them with data-driven insights and informed perspectives.”