These stars will search property for you
According to AsiaOne News:
HOUSEHUNTERS may have received a pleasant surprise when they flipped through the property section of The Straits Times’ classified ads recently.Three separate ads fronted by Rayson Tan, Benjamin Heng and Lynn Poh appeared in the 19 Jan issue. They were tagged as the ERA Celebrity Team, touting a newly-launched project near Bedok Reservoir.
Ms Dale Tan, a 33-year-old homemaker looking for a four-room flat in Bishan, told The New Paper on Sunday: ‘My first reaction when I saw the ad was, they can be property agent, meh? Doesn’t it run into conflict with their acting contract or something?’
But The New Paper on Sunday understands that under MediaCorp’s independent service contract, artistes can pursue their own interests.
According to Benjamin, the ERA Celebrity Team was set up late last year and it included a few more artistes.
He declined to name them, saying they preferred to keep a low profile.
However, an earlier report by Shin Min Daily News cited artistes such as Chew Chor Meng, Yang Libing, Huang Yiliang, Huang Shinan and Cynthia Koh as some who have taken up selling property as a sideline.
Benjamin took up the job last year, but went into it fully only this year, after closing the Far East Square noodle cafe he ran with former actress Deborah Sim.
A chance meeting with Rayson some time last year set things moving and soon, they were banding with the others to form the celebrity team.
Benjamin has no qualms about using his celebrity status in this way.
The 31-year-old told The New Paper on Sunday: ‘Some people say, ‘Why not just lie low?’, but that’s not right. We are public commodities whether we like it or not, and there’s a certain level of public trust in us… So because of who we are, we cannot mess up.’
Benjamin, who has been tapping on his friends’ networks and client bases so far, admitted that the learning curve was steep. He lost a few deals and ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ due to inexperience and impatience.
He’s doing better now and finds the career switch ‘very rewarding’.
TWO PHONE NUMBERS
Though his new job means revealing his handphone number to the public, Benjamin said it hasn’t been a nuisance. He has received only a few calls from curious people who wanted to know if it was really him and they just wanted to say ‘Hi’.
‘Of course, we have two phone numbers – one for work and the other, personal,’ he said. ‘And those who read the property section are probably serious buyers anyway.’
Interestingly enough, The New Paper on Sunday called Rayson and Lynn using the numbers in the ad repeatedly over a few days, but could not reach them.
Neither did they call back.
Like Benjamin, Lynn has reportedly gone into property full-time.
Her acting contract with MediaCorp expired last year and was changed to a freelance one, which means she will be paid only when she acts.
MAKING ENDS MEET
She told Lianhe Zaobao that she chose property because it allowed her to be in control of her own work.
Lynn, 31, joked: ‘Please paint a pitiful picture of me in the paper, so people will buy property from me!’
In earlier interviews, both Rayson and Chor Meng had said they were selling property only as a sideline.
Rayson said: ‘My main job is still acting. And because I don’t really have much time outside of that, property can only be a part-time commitment.’
Chor Meng, who is married with two kids, said he has not earned much from selling property yet, as he hasn’t been able to commit to it full-time.
Former actress-turned-property agent Jaslyn Tang Miaoling figures that it’s the hot market that is luring the celebrities to the job.
NO THREAT
But the 40-year-old, who is with property firm OrangeTee, shrugged off the possibility that the new entrants might pose a threat to former celebrities-turned-agents like Liang Weidong, Wang Xiangqing, Angela Ang and herself.
She said: ‘The market is big enough. Anyway, property selling is a personal service, so it’s not so much about competition from others.’
Property agents we spoke to also didn’t see the celebrity team as competition.
Mr S Lee said: ‘Ultimately, it’s the buyers who have to look at the service and decide for themselves. Some buyers will be swayed by the celebrity image, but in the end, if you are professional enough, it doesn’t matter if you’re a famous face or not.’
Another agent, Mr David Lim, said: ‘Everybody starts from the same level. Even celebrities need experience and need to know the tricks of the trade before they can close a deal.’
And property buyers do not seem too impressed by the celebs.
Mr P K Poh, who recently sold his flat and is looking for another, said: ‘I wouldn’t hire an agent just because he or she is well-known.
‘What matters more than fame is whether or not my agent is capable.’
And to Ms Dale Tan, having a celebrity agent may just be a bonus.
She said with a laugh: ‘I know my husband would love to meet Lynn Poh.’
Meanwhile, ERA assistant vice-president Eugene Lim said it was never the company’s intention to ride on the TV artistes’ fame.
He said the company decided to bunch the actors into the same division when they noticed more of them joining the company, but there was never an intention to officially tag them as such and ‘market the name to the public’.
Mr Lim said: ‘But you cannot deny that at the showflats, they add to the visual appeal and make the project more interesting in terms of marketing.’
He added: ‘Property is, after all, a people industry and celebrities will definitely have an advantage because of their skills in that area.’
But Mr Lim shot down whispers that the celebrities receive a ‘better deal’ than ordinary agents.
He clarified: ‘They are subjected to the same internal standards we have for our other agents. If they cannot fulfil the quota, we will not renew their contract.’ -Additional reporting by Reena Perumal, newsroom intern
- Next Celebrity Bankers, Celebrity Brokers, Celebrity Insurance Sales Team …wait that already exist liao. I guess these celebrity no longer hold their status a few years after they switch jobs as nowadays young people watch internet videos more then televisions.
