Special Feature

Determination and drive are the pillars of Donald Lin’s success

By Donald Lin

/ Brought to you by OrangeTee |

February 1, 2023 9:00 AM SGT

Lin: It is our duty to give our clients the full picture, so they can make an informed decision

Donald Lin’s star is on a single-track journey — upward. Despite having joined the industry just one year ago, he has already made his mark as 2022’s Top Project Rookie.

His success is even more incredible when one considers how Donald went 18 months without a paycheque before inking his first deal.

“I quit my job as a mortgage banker to take the Real Estate Salesperson exam. But I failed,” he recalls candidly. “I had no choice but to wait for the next exam, six months later.”

During that time, he spent time with his wife and two little girls — and studied very hard. When he passed, he was overjoyed. The moment he received his licence in November 2021, he began working towards closing deals.

The moment he received his licence in November 2021, Lin began working towards closing deals

“My first deal was a small rental,” Lin shares. “But I quickly found myself heading straight for new launches.”

Why? “New launches are exciting,” Lin says. “First-mover advantage is critical to capital appreciation. It makes sense to buy a new launch if you want good capital gains.”

Of course, not all projects have the potential to gain in capital. This is why Lin relies heavily on OrangeTee AAG’s highly lauded property app, InstantPro, which was personally developed by the agency’s Lester Tan. With his programming background, Tan has channelled his efforts and expertise as a seasoned agent into creating an app that was truly advantageous for agents.

Lin found the app invaluable for giving him in-depth insights into the market and projects. This was key to serving his clients with excellence. As Lin says, “I am not an order-taker for my business.”

Lin built his business on the firm belief that his job wasn’t just to help folks buy and sell property, but also to add value to their lives and assets

He has a great responsibility towards every client, since “property is the biggest purchase in most Singaporeans’ lives”. With his extensive mortgage banking background and meticulous approach, Lin built his business on the firm belief that his job wasn’t just to help folks buy and sell property, but also to add value to their lives and assets. This belief is well aligned with OrangeTee’s core value of putting clients first and building strong relationships that go beyond just closing a deal, making the real estate agency a good fit for Lin from the get-go. He also leverages OrangeTee’s wide suite of digital resources to support him logistically and get access to the latest updates on new launches.

“It is our duty to give our clients the full picture, so they can make an informed decision. Understanding clients’ needs is critical, and I love to listen to people and get an accurate sense of what they want — and need.”

Lin cites an example of how a family he knew had thought it would be a good idea to upgrade from a four-room unit to a five-room flat. “Their home had appreciated $300,000 in value, but they needed $400,000 to make the move. I did the calculations for them and explained that they were technically topping up $100,000 just for one more study room. This would have offset any capital gain they could have enjoyed.”

The family did not go ahead with the purchase after listening to Lin’s advice.

Lin counts himself fortunate to have two within OrangeTee, Victor Ng and Yvonne Tan.

Taking good care of people truly matters to Lin, who clinched OrangeTee’s Top Project Rookie without incurring heavy marketing or advertising costs. “The truth is, I only spent $2,000 on getting my PropertyGuru account subscription in my first year! My bosses taught our team to win sales without spending a lot on marketing.”

In the industry, successful agents are often the ones who have mentors who truly care for them. Lin counts himself fortunate to have two within OrangeTee, Victor Ng and Yvonne Tan. He met them as a mortgage banker, and, when he decided to become an agent, he knocked on their door again. Both of them guided him closely to ensure he was on the right track. They would regularly call him to check in on his well-being and progress as an agent. “My bosses even paid for classes on how to do Facebook advertising, and then gathered all of us to teach us what they’d learned. We have a great knowledge-sharing system.”

He has put this knowledge to good use as an agent, along with his patience and perseverance. “I only started closing deals properly in Q2 (last) year, but worked very hard in the months before that, to nurture relationships that bore fruits later on.”

Lin counts his clients among personal friends. When his daughter had her first birthday in November 2022, he invited a few of them to her party — and they came to celebrate with him. Some people may find Lin intimidating because of his height — he is 1.91m tall — but, “the truth is that I’m a gentle giant”.

Taking good care of people truly matters to Lin, who clinched OrangeTee’s Top Project Rookie without incurring heavy marketing or advertising costs

Lin finds his first year as an agent very memorable, not only because of the deals closed, friendships forged, and awards achieved, but also because he has enjoyed a lot more quality time with his wife and girls. “The work-life balance is a big draw for me,” Lin says. “I never would have imagined that I could make more money now than I used to while spending much more time with my family.”

His energy and optimism carried him through the first 18 months without a salary, without the certainty of success. “I have two driving motivators: My family’s support, and my own determination. I have done sales all my life, and I am a finisher. I am a closer.”

Yet, Lin doesn’t allow his success to go to his head. How does he stay nimble in an ever-changing industry? “I’m a Manchester United fan, and there’s a quote from Sir Alex Ferguson that’s always stuck with me: Every time you win the trophy, you celebrate for tonight, but tomorrow you start all over again. And that’s impacted me.”

Lin also looks forward to fulfilling his dream of building a team to call his own, “where we are aligned and can strive together, work hard together”.

Lin: Work-life balance is a big draw for me

He already has friends joining him soon to form the foundation of a fresh team, and he’s looking forward to nurturing more people to achieve success — together.

For more information,

Contact Donald Lin | 87225833

Senior Associate Director (R064683F)

Orange Tee & Tie Pte. Ltd.