🤠's Real Estate (Negotiator) Journey

Yours truly just read Jesslyn Choo’s very impressive Real Estate Negotiator's journey from rookie to Team Leader in less than 5 years at Hartamas. 👍 I presume Team Leaders at Hartamas probably make a minimum of RM0.5m a year and supervise maybe 5 to 10 juniors? But I think with an MBA with distinction, Jesslynn might have earned more than RM0.5 million per annum if she had transitioned from a middle management role in IT to senior management.

🤠’s Real Estate Journey

My humble real estate (negotiator) journey is less scintillating than Jesslyn's. Yours truly also completed a two day NCC at Hartamas Academy in 2017, ie a year earlier than Jesslyn. I paid RM600 for the well attended course. I remember there were at least 60 people in my batch taking the NCC at Hartamas Academy, held every one to two months.

There was no requirement for prospective real estate negotiators (RENs) to sit an exam after the NCC. You automatically get a certificate of attendance, just for showing up. Then you can then scout around for a job as a REN with a real estate agency. See here

But back in 2017, the trouble was BOVEA had a rather silly rule that restricted the number of RENs that could be supervised to just 30 for each Real Estate Agent employed by a real estate agency. So I think but cannot be 100 % certain, if a agency employed two REAs, it could only take in 60 ( 2 x 30) RENs. I think the rule has been relaxed. Now the permitted ratio is I think 1 REA to 50 RENs.

After getting my attendance certificate I applied for a job as a REN at a real estate agency in Damansara Perdana. I didn’t get the job because of the above rule. Apparently there weren’t enough places left.

Post Script

1. Like Jesslyn I also have a MBA (but no distinction) - from the School of Management, Bradford, ranked by a specialist UK publication The Times Higher Education as “Best Business School 2021”.

I also marketed Unit Trusts at a Big 4 bank in Red Dot Island in the 1980s.

2. With the benefit of 5 years hindsight I think but cannot be 100% certain that the real reason I didn’t get an offer was my white hair ( the reason why I wear a cowboy hat🤠). Maybe I was simply “too old” . But I know several RENs who are even older but are still productive.

3. Being fired or rejected for a job (if you're lucky and keep your wits) might prove to be a boon to your career trajectory. I have two property blogs now, to prove " It's never too late" : 360 KLCC, Real Estate Marketing 101