“Gaining success while losing God’s delight is never worth the price”: Veteran OrangeTee leader Steven Tan on choosing integrity in the real estate industry

“Who wants to achieve S$1 million in a year?”

When a seasoned real estate agent asked this question to a group of about 30 rookies he was training, nearly every hand in the room shot up.

The trainer continued: “If you want to make S$1 million in a year, you have to follow what we teach you. Not your principles.”

Among the rookies was a young Christian woman who had just entered the real estate industry after passing her Real Estate Salesperson (RES) examination.

She was taken aback when she first heard what the trainer said. However, over time, she began to understand what he meant.

As she progressed in her training, the new property agent was taught the “must-learn skills” of a top producer in the real estate industry.

These “skills” included:

• pretending to represent a genuine buyer to poach listings from competing agencies,
• buffering offers during negotiations so that sellers receive a lower figure than what was offered,
• and applying psychological pressure to lower sellers’ confidence and reap a higher commission.

Rookies were also taught to avoid co-broking arrangements so as to bypass certain compliance requirements by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) in Singapore, as well as to offer cashbacks, an illegal practice in which an agent gives part of their commission back to their client as an incentive to close a deal.

While the young woman initially felt uncomfortable with these dishonest practices, seeing other rookies successfully secure deals and garner recognition gradually ate at her personal ethics.

Before she knew it, she had convinced herself that such skills were market practices that she could not avoid if she wanted to succeed.

Steven Tan, Director and Key Executive Officer of OrangeTee International, told this story at Salt&Light’s Christian Real Estate Professionals gathering on May 19 to illustrate how compromise does not happen overnight.

“It happens slowly. We adjust a little, justify a little … and before we know it, we are no longer different from others,” said Steven, a veteran real estate executive with more than 20 years of experience, to an audience of about 180 real estate professionals.

“Instead of influencing the world, we allow the world to influence us.”

Our dual-identity at work

After compromising more and more over time, the young Christian woman gradually became one of the top producers in the company and achieved her financial goals.

“She felt successful,” said Steven, who was formerly the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of OrangeTee & Tie. “But the question here is: Was she truly successful in God’s eyes?”

Pointing to Romans 12:1-2, he reminded those present that, as Christians, we are called to present our bodies as “living sacrifices” and to resist being conformed to the practices of the world.

“When Paul talks about a being a living sacrifice, he’s saying that our whole life belongs to God – not just on Sundays, not just in the church,” he emphasised.

At work, all Christians carry two identities: A professional identity and a Kingdom identity as a child of God, and a disciple of Christ. “We are not just property agents. We are also representing God in the marketplace,” he said.

So, whether it is at work, at home or in church, our hearts must be fully submitted to Him, he stressed. “Our work, our deals, our decisions – everything is an offering to Him.”

Is money evil?

While money is a dangerous master, it is not evil in and of itself, Steven clarified.

There is nothing wrong with having financial goals and being motivated to succeed. The danger, however, comes when money moves from being a tool to our master and an idol.

When money quietly takes God’s place in our hearts, our focus shifts from pleasing God to earning the highest commission. “Instead of asking, ‘Is this right?’, we ask, ‘Can I get away with it?'”

He noted that the Bible is clear on certain principles:

• We cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24)
• God delights in people who are not liars, but are trustworthy (Proverbs 12:22)
• We must subject ourselves to the governing authorities that God has established (Romans 13:1)

These principles must guide the way we pursue our financial goals, said Steven.

“Many people may gain success in the eyes of the world – more deals, more recognition, more income. But if success comes at the cost of integrity, what have we lost?

“Remember: Doing the right thing may cost us something today, but gaining success while losing God’s delight is also never worth the price.”

Not just a career, but a calling

Sharing his personal testimony, he recounted how he had entered the real estate industry in 1994 after an economic crisis shuttered the business he was running.

At his new job, success followed. He managed to pay back all his loans within a year and joined an international property consultancy as a team leader in 1996. He grew the team so quickly that his company opened a new branch just two years later for him to helm.

In 2000, OrangeTee’s founders approached Steven to help build their agency. It meant sacrificing more than half of the income he was earning as his family’s sole breadwinner.

Some 180 real estate professionals met at Salt&Light’s Christian Real Estate Professionals gathering, where Steven was the keynote speaker.

Despite the cost, Steven, who became a Christian just two years earlier in 1998, felt that this new opportunity was not merely a career decision but a calling from God.

“At that time, the industry was very, very messy. People called it a cowboy town. CEA (the government regulator for the real estate agency industry) had not formed yet, and there were so many unscrupulous practices, so many unethical practices,” said Steven.

“So when OrangeTee approached me, I sensed this was not just a business opportunity. It was an opportunity for me to lead and build a sales force based on the right values.

“It reminded me that God had placed me in the workplace for a reason – not just to sell property, but to serve Him and influence others for His glory.”

When the pressure came

However, holding the line on integrity was not easy, admitted Steven, who played a central role in OrangeTee’s business growth, restructuring and digital transformation during his time there.

About eight years ago, cashback arrangements were rampant in the real estate industry. Many of his agents told Steven that if they did not offer cashbacks, which is illegal, customers would be lost to competitors who did.

After much prayer and discussion, Steven and his management team stood firm: No cashbacks.

For a time, it looked like they were paying a heavy price. Many agents and deals were lost. A few years later, however, they learnt that others had to deal with the authorities for their dealings against the law.

“Sometimes, it seems like we may lose something, but we know that God is in charge.”

“People are not just listening to what we say. They are also watching how we live,” said Steven, who has more than two decades of real estate experience.

Steven also shared that it matters how we conduct ourselves at work. He recounted how he had once lost his patience and snapped at a colleague during a leaders’ retreat attended by 50 people.

That night, the Holy Spirit convicted him that his outburst was not Christlike and had damaged his testimony as a Christian. So, that same night, Steven wrote a long email apologising to his colleague and sent it to all who had been in the room as well.

“In the commercial world, many people may say that, as a boss or a leader, sometimes losing our temper is acceptable or even justified. But as a Christian, we are called to a higher standard,” he said.

“We are not just leaders. We are also witnesses for Christ. People are not just listening to what we say. They are also watching how we live.”

Pursue God’s success

Acknowledging that there are many pressures in the real estate industry, he encouraged the audience to see that God has placed them exactly where they are for a higher purpose.

“You are not just selling property, you are representing Christ. So in this broken world full of temptation, don’t just focus on doing things right. Focus on doing the right thing that pleases God.

“Because one day every one of us will stand before Him, and on that day what matters most will not be our awards, our commissions, our titles or our status.”

Representing Christ in the marketplace: A group photo from the second Salt&Light Christian Real Estate Professionals gathering, 2026.

Success in God’s eyes, Steven said, is not measured by how much we earn. Rather, it is measured by choosing God over ourselves, integrity over profit, and living a transformed life.

He said: “I may not earn a million dollars a year. But by God’s grace, I have enough. I have peace. I have a loving family. I have the privilege of serving God.

“And most importantly, I know I am walking in His will.”

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