Of technology, human relationships and finding dream homes for people

Oct 2024 - 4 min read

For Devnath “Dave” Sumanta, a major goal as a real estate salesperson (RES) is to make his clients’ wish of living in their dream homes come true.

It is something that he enjoys doing tremendously, and he said that winning the Salespersons Achievement Award (Gold) at the Singapore Estate Agents Association (SEAA) Awards 2024 will only motivate him to keep working harder every day.

Dave is from Propseller, an estate agent touted as a tech startup. The proptech company offers a data-driven mobile app for clients to track each stage of a property transaction process in real-time, providing key information such as the number of enquiries or views for their property.

Propseller charges a 1% commission for resale property transactions – with a minimum amount of $5,000 – for its suite of services, which is lower than the industry norm.

To Dave, the lower commission rate is a step in the right direction. He said that it is due to Propseller’s strategic use of technology and the support of specialist teams – in areas like Marketing, Pricing and Operations – to provide an efficient transaction process for his clients.

“With all these efficiencies, we are able to pass down the cost savings to our clients which I feel is something very gratifying to do. I think I can provide my clients with more than twice the value-add in service and outputs, but for lower than industry norm commission rates.”

Having been in the industry for 12 years, Dave said: “It has been quite a long journey so far and I have had some challenging days too. Taken altogether, being an RES has been a learning journey for me, as every day and every deal is a new experience!”

One way he relaxes is by playing cricket, and occasionally, you can spot him playing with a local cricket team club on an early weekend morning. He also loves to cook Indian food, having run a food kiosk in a previous life.

Interestingly, there are times when work and leisure collide in a beneficial way.

Dave said: “I love visiting show flats to get new design ideas! I will implement some of these ideas in my own place, and also suggest them to my clients to inspire them!”

What would you credit as the success factors for winning the Salespersons Achievement Award (Gold)?

My colleagues at Propseller have always been there to support me and they are one of the most important factors for helping me to serve my clients successfully.

In fact, at Propseller, I don’t work alone on my deals; I am backed by a team of specialists, ranging from Marketing to Valuations and Operations, who assist me with the transactions.

Their support allows me to fully focus on serving my clients and negotiating the best price for them. It’s really the teamwork that makes it work!

What, to you, are some key skills and attributes that an RES needs?

Firstly, it is very important that we understand what our clients need, in order to help them find their dream home.

I think some of the key skills that we require now include the ability to put together a comprehensive report with information from various sources, that covers the financial status of the client and the resources the client might need to purchase their dream home.

We must also know how to negotiate well, to get the best deal for our clients.

Another important skill is the ability to explain property-related matters, which can sometimes be complex, in simplified terms to our clients.

How do you stay ahead of the curve in this competitive industry?

I interact with other RESs and also attend the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) classes which are quite helpful in staying up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry.

I also enjoy finding out about various innovations in technology that can help me in my work, such as ChatGPT and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Being part of Propseller, I also benefit from top-notch training from our managers, as well as the regular knowledge-sharing sessions with my colleagues.

In your opinion, how can RESs stay future-proof in the face of technology disruption and increased expectations from property consumers

Personally, I think that buying or selling a property is not only a matter of it being a tangible asset. In fact, we must remember that there is usually an emotional attachment related to each property.

So, to me, every property transaction will involve using our soft skills, and focusing on the face-to-face interactions to successfully close the deal.

Therefore, as RESs, we need to focus on building stronger relationships with our clients, rather than focus on closing deals alone, or rely solely on technology without the human factor.

This is the second of four winner profiles for the SEAA Awards 2024 that CEAnergy is featuring in our Industry Spotlight page, highlighting the qualities and skills that are important for RESs to possess.

Information accurate as at 21 Oct 2024

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