Kickbacks? Working on Sundays? Flaunting wealth? Christian real estate agents tackle tough questions at first Salt&Light industry gathering

Is it okay for a Christian real estate agent to offer potential clients a kickback? What about working on Sundays? And is it wrong to project a certain image of wealth and success?

These were some of the questions posed at the inaugural Salt&Light Christian Real Estate Professionals Gathering on November 13, which saw some 260 real estate professionals coming together to learn what it looks like to live out their faith at work.

Held at Toa Payoh Chinese Methodist Church, the event saw participants hearing more about God’s purpose for them in the industry, and how they can be a witness in their marketplace.

It also featured a panel session, where four real estate professionals expounded on the practical aspects of being a Christian in the industry.

Moderated by Pastor Edric Sng, Editor of Salt&Light, the panel featured:

• Loyalle Chin, a shophouse agent
• Patricia Kong, a commercial and residential real estate agent
• Andrew Phee, a residential real estate agent
• Christine Sun, a research and strategy professional in the real estate industry

Here is an excerpt of what was shared, edited for length and clarity.

What is your understanding of God’s calling at work for you?

Patricia: I was a real estate agent before I became a Christian. My aunt was in the real estate industry and she wanted me to help her, that’s how I became a real estate agent. Work was just work. It was just transaction after transaction. Every year you’re just chasing, and it’s endless. It’s a rat race. 

But things were different when I became a Christian. I started realising that my commission is actually not the biggest priority in my work. It is something that I can give up if God asks me to, and I’m willing to do that. So I don’t chase things like cars and watches all that. I don’t. I just learn to do my work. 

After becoming a Christian, real estate agent Patricia Kong (in blue) realised that her purpose at work was more than just closing deals.

I’ve questioned if it’s my calling to continue to be in the real estate industry. I’ve already been in it for so many years. Do I change to something else? But that was when God shifted my perspective.

I realised that in real estate, it’s not just about the clients that we deal with. It’s also the people we meet on a daily basis, like the security guard at the condo. All these interactions are so precious and important, not just the client and the deal that you sign.

I realised that this is where I am, and God has called me to just love the people I meet everywhere I go. So since then, for some security guards that I know quite well, I’ll buy them coffee. Or even the cleaner aunty, I’d just make conversation.

I’ve learnt that life is so precious to God, and it should be to us as well.

How do you manage the temptation to project a certain image of success and wealth?

Andrew: I think it’s about stewardship. After I restarted my business, God blessed me for two years. I think it was also a boom year, so everybody also did well. That’s where you get your six-figure income. That’s where you realise, “Eh, I can have this lifestyle, I can buy this watch, I can go for this holiday.”

But the next two years, 2014 and 2015, they were one of the worst years for real estate because the TDSR (total debt servicing ratio) came, the ABSD (additional buyer’s stamp duty) came, and the volumes dropped a lot. That’s when my business started failing, and I realised that the income I used to have was no longer.

That was where I had to tighten my belt, and that was God’s lesson to me: What He blessed me with, I need to protect it, I need to grow it, I need to use it well – and for whom? Not for myself, but for the glory of God. 

Through his career, real estate agent Andrew Phee is learning what is means to be a good steward of what God has blessed him with.

During that dry season, I also realised I needed to refocus the business on helping people – that’s what God had called me to. So I came back to doing rentals. By doing rentals, you are helping people with real issues. You’re finding them shelter, you’re helping a landlord earn some income, and you’re solving their daily problems – you’re fixing their tap, their aircon, all these things that I still do.

When we are too focused on the millionaire status, the diamond, the platinum awards, and if our agency keeps pushing us to achieve these things, then we ourselves will keep finding ways to close a big deal quickly. We will massage information to say, “Eh just buy this, don’t need to see other things already” instead of being like Jesus – being meek, being patient, being wise.

Loyalle: I think the real estate industry is a very broken industry. A lot of the motivation is external motivation – the awards that some people receive monthly or regularly, the need for personal branding on social media, as well as the need to show that you are rich, that you are successful.

I don’t drive a car because I want to tell myself that I don’t need to prove to people that I’m successful, or to show my value or my substance. Honestly, I still feel the pressure to win awards. But this is not the commission that Jesus has called us to.

Instead of being motivated by external awards, real estate agent Loyalle sets his own “internal” targets, like discipling four people a year.

If we can see what is of true value, and what are true gems and true diamonds, we’ll chase after it. So what I do personally, instead of external motivation, I have an internal motivation. I have a commission target from God to disciple four disciple-makers every year.

I have one sister-in-Christ here – I remember that when I convinced her to come for cell group, she joked with my friend saying, “Congratulations Loyalle, you have a closed a deal for cell group.”

I just see that we should not chase after worldly luxuries but Kingdom luxuries.

Is it ethical to present a buffered offer? For example, a seller’s closing price is S$2 million, but you counter-offer to buyers S$2.1 million. What about agents giving customers kickbacks or a developer who gives cashback to buyers?

Patricia: For me it boils down to integrity. At the end of it, if you want to give that buffer to help close the deal, you’ve got to make sure that it’s done the right way.

For our company, we are supposed to say what it is, as it is, and not buffer. So we try not to say things that are not based on truth. So if this is the closing price, I’ll just tell them that this is the closing price. I can’t buffer anymore.

Regarding the kickback, doing so definitely affects another agent’s business, if we’re both speaking to the same client. Then, to me, that may lack integrity.

About 260 real estate professionals came together to learn more about what it looks like to be a Christian in the industry.

Loyalle: How do you draw the line between being straightforward and managing emotional expectations? And is there a third alternative to say what is accurate without lying, and still manage emotional expectations?

I had a boss who taught me not to give a false statement but a case scenario question. For example, I have a S$10 million shophouse. The client offered S$9.5 million verbally and the seller is willing to sell at S$10 million. Instead of saying to the seller: “We got an offer of S$9.5 million, we’ll take it”, I’ve learnt to say two things.

1: “I got an offer for you but I rejected it for you. Why? Because this offer is not high enough for you.” So the seller is happy that you served them.

2: A case scenario question – “What if for the next three months, 10 buyers come and view the property and the highest offer is S$9 million to S$9.5 million?”

By this you’re not lying because it’s a case study question. It’s not a firm offer. It’s not a closed deal. But you’re also saying, what if it’s the highest offer?

Do you work on Sundays?

Andrew: Yes, I do. I’m most busy on Saturdays when there are church fellowship groups and committee meetings. So I make sure that from 9am to 2pm, I only focus on church and worship. Then viewings can happen after 3pm.

That’s why I have two phones. One phone, I can don’t look at it at all. I can set it aside and I don’t get distracted by all the messages during worship and church meetings.

The weekend also goes to the family. It’s ironic that we say our work is very flexible but when our spouse and our children are free, we’re not with them.

Loyalle: I chose to do commercial real estate in 2013 because I wanted to have more time with my family on Saturdays, and I wanted to have more time with my spiritual family on Sundays. I decided I will not touch my Sundays and just trust God.

Any advice for newbies in the industry?

Loyalle: Don’t open WhatsApp or Instagram first thing in the morning. Why? Because it’s going to clamour for your attention. At least open your Bible, if not open a sermon or a church app, because heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away. God’s Word will sustain you, it’s living and active.

Patricia: For myself, I learn from the things I do with my kids. So every morning before I send them to school I will pray with them to bless them on the way to school and to bless their entire day as well.

When I come back to prepare myself for work, I will take 10 to 15 minutes in my car – my car is my safe space – I will really bless my work and bless the people that I meet for the day.

That really helps because the way you start your day, that will anchor your day. And if you start the day with God, God’s going to bless it and you’re going to see Him handholding you all the way.

During the event, participants also had opportunities to connect with and pray for one another.

Christine: Something that I live by as a Christian in the workplace is the Bible verse that says God has marked out the race for us (Hebrews 12:1).

In my workplace, in sales and marketing, it’s quite a competitive industry, so we tend to compete with each other. I believe that agents face this as well. So what I usually do is that I keep reminding myself that I have to run the race that is marked out for me, that God has prepared for me.

This is something that I’ve had to grow in over the years. No matter how well someone else is able to perform, that is not my race. My race is what God has marked out for me.

So that gives me the confidence to be able to celebrate the success of my colleagues or my friends. Don’t need to be jealous of them or whatever, because everyone has their own race. I feel that this is very important in the workplace, because that will give us a sense of purpose and a peace in our hearts.

“Remember that is it not just a transaction. Whatever you are selling or marketing or renting, that is really a home that will make a difference to a person,” shared Christine Sun (right), who does research and strategy in the real estate industry.

As I pray, I just sense that many people in the real estate industry may have lost their direction, or are not sure what is actually the calling that God has for them.

This is something that my ex-CEO shared: We are there not to just sell homes. We are there to build homes. Because these homes are where families will bring up their children.

Remember that is it not just a transaction. Whatever you are selling or marketing or renting, that is really a home that will make a difference to a person, because that is where their families and their children are going to grow.

Another thing is that we are called to be gatekeepers, because we meet a lot of broken families. We can be there to see what is happening on the ground, to pray for people, or to even alert others when we see some things are going wrong.

So I do see that we have quite a big purpose in this property industry, and I really hope and pray that we can continue to share that vision with our friends and colleagues.

Look out for more information on GROW Groups coming to your industry in the coming month.

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