Special Feature

Trusted voice in shophouses and commercial buildings

April 28, 2023 2:45 PM SGT

The “private banker” of shophouses to CEOs and families, PropNex’s Loyalle Chin has secured close to $700 million in commercial deals

“Where can I find a shophouse for my children’s restaurant in a prime location? Which is suitable for investment, a family office with my peers?” If you are in the shophouse market, the best person to ask is Loyalle Chin — he maintains one of Singapore’s largest shophouse listing banks.

Chin is a trusted voice among esteemed mainland Chinese and local clients, having successfully accomplished off-market commercial deals for them. As the leading shophouse specialist, he serves a clientele of C-suite executives, ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) and established family investors.

His expert competence in commercial real estate and exceptional ability to understand his client’s needs has earned him the title of PropNex’s Champion Individual Producer twice, as well as two-time Champion Platinum Achiever — the highest honours bestowed to the most consistent producer each year in Singapore’s largest real estate agency.

Supported by a team of 17 specialists under his division called PropNex ShophouseHuat, Chin’s scope of services extends far and wide within the realm of commercial property, from market insights to the acquisition, asset management, consultancy including obtaining approvals from relevant authorities, divestment and capital recycling — the end-to-end process of private equity real estate (PERE) investment.

Empowering business owners to optimise their property portfolio

One of his accomplishments is collaborating with the next generation of family business owners to optimise their property portfolio. One of the challenges many of his client’s face is balancing their commercial and residential real estate investments as they move through different life stages. Beyond capital appreciation, Chin’s clients have actively sought to invest in commercial assets for their children to manage or operate their businesses.

Chin has also served mature business owners keen on adopting a property investment strategy. These include buying commercial buildings for their usage or setting aside funds to invest annually in shophouses.

Occasionally, he works with ultra-high-net-worth individuals to grow their property investments to advance their preferred social or charitable causes. Having successfully worked with associations and churches brought great satisfaction for his clients and him to better utilise their real estate and solve problems in a niche space.

A loyal servant

A computer engineering graduate from the National University of Singapore, Chin is a self-professed idealist. Rather than pursue a career in IT, his entrepreneurial spirit landed him a recruitment consultant job right after graduation, where he enjoyed matching people’s skill sets to company needs.

Subsequently, he joined PropertyGuru as a business development manager serving key executive officers for real estate agencies. During his short stint there, he was invited to a PropNex Annual Convention, where he witnessed the supportive and entrepreneurial spirit led by CEO Ismail Gafoor and executive director Kelvin Fong. Chin subsequently joined them in 2012.

Like many before him, Chin will testify that being a property agent is not as easy as it looks. First of all, you do not draw a salary. The money you earn from commissions is through your own discipline and perseverance. When he started, much of the time was spent knocking on doors, making cold calls and reading widely.

With a name like Loyalle, he represents steadfast loyalty, having worked for PropNex for the past 11 years. “I was brought up to be resilient in the face of adversity. I earned less than $100,000 in my first four years but kept strengthening my foundation and persevered. Who I am today is because of a growth mindset, sharpened with deliberate practice, grit and focus.”

In his second year in PropNex, Chin saw the value in shophouses and began his specialisation. “I truly believe that people value the idea of permanence. One of the asset classes that I knew offered this was conservation properties, and a large majority of them were shophouses. The element of heritage and the idea that conservation will last as a legacy for the next generation resonates with many people.”

Since 2017, he has sold close to $700 million of shophouses, commercial buildings and luxury boutique hotels. He has achieved PropNex Millionaire consistently for six consecutive years.

Although Chin would humbly profess to be a work in progress, he is certainly reaping the fruits of his labour with year-on-year accolades as he sits among the company’s top earners. To him, the secret to being an outstanding real estate person is being mission-driven. But above all, it is to be authentic, resilient, and hardworking.

Passion for clients

He continues to value-add to his clients, recently obtaining certification for Family Office Advisors by the Wealth Management Institute, Asia’s leading centre for wealth and asset management education founded by Temasek and GIC. “By training myself consistently, clients will benefit from my wealth of understanding and network of practitioners.”

Chin also walks the talk, having invested in numerous properties, including a newer landed property where he and his beloved wife have resided since 2020.

This year, he intends to focus on serving his clients keen in the CBD, Chinatown and Bugis. “Jalan Besar and Bugis are the hotspots with many new residential developments completed by 2030. For one of these shophouses brokered last year, I have recently received offers almost double in value within a year,” he observes.

He adds that money and accolades are secondary to his real motivation: “Primary greatness”. His passion is to empower his clients to know what matters most and make the most of every opportunity. “I want to help my clients and loved ones realise what they can be best for the world, especially through their business and real estate investments,” he adds.

Chin has cultivated this relationship with CEOs and trusted clients, so they love to refer him to their friends as their “private banker” of shophouses.