A report by StraitsTimes shared how PropNex agent Shirley Seng, 26 became an overnight millionaire after selling a penthouse at the Le Nouvel Ardmore for a record $51 million last month.
The deal is reported to have Ms Seng a 3 percent commission amounting to about $1.5 million.
It is said that Ms Seng went into real estate against the wishes of her family. (read the full story here)
Commenters flooded with thread with different angles of what point was the article was trying to across,
Yeo Yam Hwee wrote, “So what are we supposed to say or how are we to react to this? Do we call her “lucky” or “successful”? What is the value of your report to society?”
Alvin Poon commented, “It goes to show that the prices of housing, private or govt, is/will still be rising uncontrollably and the govt indirectly support by publishing this kind of news”
Heng Hui Lin wrote, “Shows that anyone at any age can achieve something for themselves. Do you all think selling that $51m apartment would be easy?”
Daniel Tan, “I believe all success comes with a tinge of luck. No matter, at such a young age she has achieved results that many of her peers cannot even come close. Kudos to an ambitious young individual! At least she can be really proud compared to many silly graduates whom have not even recuperate their education fees , going around with their heads held high thinking they have achieved a lot. LOL!”
James Lee commented, “To tell you that there are many carrot heads out there for you to harvest? Jokes aside, there are a lot of factors that will affect winning that BIG deal in life; perseverance, strong and positive mindset, right timing and probably a bit of luck.”
One of such comments was from Mr Douglas Chow.
Wow, an article like this and so many angles from netizens come in
1) Government is trying to tell us that foreigners are good for Singapore. They create wealth and opportunities for Singaporeans
2) Government is trying to tell you that your education background doesn’t really matter in your success
3) Advice to Shirley not to squander her money
4) Put her down that she was just plain lucky
5) Exclamation that the property market is rebounding and more people should become estate agents
This is a lady who is very focused on what segment of the market to work on. Just like folks who target to work for Multi-national Companies (MNCs) and banks for better pay and benefits, she decided to target the well-heeled segment with investment properties to rent out. That’s how she built up her network according to the article.
This mega deal definitely wasn’t down to luck as it was almost 5 years of her work that resulted in that referral.
Whether Mr Sun Tongyu had gotten the best deal for his $51 m is up for debate. I would have advised him to split that into several property purchase or buy an entire development but then again, High networth (HNW) folks may have other considerations. It could be buying the biggest penthouse in Singapore. Or just setting the record price for their purchase. We should just congratulate Shirley for landing this mega deal with a comm of 3%.
The article is not about her spending that $1.5m on a Swarovski Crystal bathtub for her dogs or a car covered in hand sewn alligator skin studded with diamonds. She continues to be down to earth and I think that is the biggest takeaway.
At least you don’t see her on facebook posing with her big cheque unlike other agents who seem addicted to cheque showmanship. (A BIG BIG turn off, as many netizens have voiced out)
This article also debunks the myth that you need to be a pretty agent to close big deals. There are times the wife of HNW individuals don’t like their husbands to deal with pretty female agents for obvious reasons…the “less threatening” you look (presentable at the very least), the higher the chances you can continue to be in their network….of course there are the single HNW (single female or male category) market but that will be another topic altogether.
