Seow has closed deals at new luxury developments, including the 219-unit condo Midtown Bay on Beach Road; the 540-unit Irwell Hill off River Valley Road; and The Avenir, a freehold, prime 376-unit condo on River Valley Close.
With more than 11 years of experience under his wing, PropNex’s Associate Group Director Kane Seow is sure that the best strategy for real estate is to be practical and grounded in facts. He is not in the business of selling unrealistic dreams, even as he remains dedicated to fulfilling clients’ interests.
The property agent is well-versed in the workings of the real estate market. The job comes with plenty of hard work. He believes in looking at the raw data and keeping himself updated with the latest developments and policies to keep abreast of the Singapore market. His knowledge of the industry also comes with experience, which has made him familiar with how developers work, which ones produce quality developments, as well as how to deal well with them.
Seow’s dedication to clients has earned him many accolades. In 2023, he clinched the PropNex Millionaire and Champion Project Sales Transactor awards. On top of that, he was recognised as the Top 20 producer in terms of commission volume. He received the SEAA's Salespersons Achievement Award for two consecutive years, earning the Platinum award in 2022 and Diamond award in 2023.
Seow's dedication to clients earned him multiple awards, including Top 20 producer, PropNex Millionaire, and SEAA's Platinum and Diamond honors over the years. (Picture: Kane Seow)
Seow entered the real estate industry in 2013. Prior to that, his interest in business made him pursue a degree in business and IT on a part-time basis since he had to fund his own studies.
For Seow, business stood out to him as it relied on data and cold hard figures to make sense of the market. This pragmatic perspective would be the building blocks for his data-driven approach in real estate later on. “I like to look at things from a realistic perspective, based on data and current policies, to understand where the market is going. I bring this approach to real estate as well,” he says.
To support himself while studying, he worked in the banking industry as a telemarketer for five years. He did not feel a strong calling to the industry; it was a personal accident that ignited his desire for a career switch.
In 2012, he suffered a slipped disc injury, which barred him from work for over a year as he had to focus on recuperation. It was a painful experience for Seow as he could not earn an income. During that time, he met a friend who was working as a property agent. “He introduced me to the industry and it piqued my interest, so I thought I would try it for a year and see how it went,” he recalls.
Seow sharing his property expertise at a dialogue. (Picture: Kane Seow)
Seow passed all of the tests and within a month, he was already a certified property agent. The deal-breaker for him was the satisfaction he received from closing sales. “I feel very accomplished when I get to fulfil my clients’ needs and help them make money,” he says. “I found it more rewarding than my time in banking.” Seow has never looked back since.
However, his first few months in real estate was not smooth. He took a few months before gaining a more solid footing in the industry, which demanded him to be quick on his feet and adapt fast.
Seow still remembers the most arduous experience in those first few months, when he brought a client to view more than 50 homes in two to three months. The client wanted to dispose of her landed property and purchase a suitable HDB home for her elderly mother. However, her mother did not take to living in a flat immediately and needed some time to adjust her expectations.
Eventually, Seow was successful in securing a home for her, while gaining insightful lessons along the way. “I learned how to be more positive about everything and see setbacks as just one more problem to overcome. Once you get the hang of it and understand clients’ needs better, it becomes easier and faster to close a deal,” he adds.
He stresses the importance of providing clients with all the relevant information and letting them decide for themselves: “I don’t like the idea of forcing clients to accept my advice. That is not my style. For me, I give them all the facts and options, and let them decide.”
Seow receiving the Millionaire award from PropNex Realty CEO Mr. Ismail Gafoor and Deputy CEO Mr. Kelvin Fong. (Picture: Kane Seow)
When Seow receives a new client, he will conduct thorough research about the property they intend to buy or sell. This includes comparing with the neighbouring properties and how they have fared in sales recently, looking at market trends and asking the bank for valuation. After doing his due diligence, he will present the data and possible options to the client.
For Seow, a realistic approach must consider clients’ finances, needs and their ideal lifestyle. This is where his experience and understanding of the real estate market come in handy. “Sometimes, clients may have an idea of what they want, but they are not aware of the full range of options available to them,” he says.
He recalls that a young couple were interested in purchasing a two-bedroom apartment in a particular condo development in prime district Tanglin. Though the couple was fixated on the condo, Seow advised them to look at neighbouring condo developments.
“They already quite liked that condo because of the prime area, but I know of other better developed ones within the same vicinity,” Seow explains. In addition, the units were smaller compared to other two-bedders in the nearby condos, and the development had close to zero facilities, such as gyms or large swimming pools.
Seow with his team. (Picture: Kane Seow)
Eventually, the couple settled on a condo development in the same prime area, which came with a bigger unit size. On top of that, the unit had a private lift, closed kitchen and proper facilities compared to the initial development they had set their eyes upon initially. “These buyers know what they want; but because they are not well-versed in the market, they may need help to identify viable property choices,” Seow notes.
Besides available facilities, Seow is also concerned about the value of the property. “When I think of the client’s best interest, I also take into consideration their exit strategy if they want to sell or upgrade their property in the future.”
With his knowledge of and familiarity with the market, Seow offers clients plenty of options that will serve them in the present and future. Still, he does not believe in being pushy, nor expect clients to follow his advice to a T. He says that ultimately, clients know what is best for them and his job is to offer solutions.
He attributes his open attitude to rejection to his time in the banking industry, where he did sales and telemarketing: “When you do telemarketing, you need to be able to accept rejection because it will happen very often. Over time, you will learn that rejection is just something that happens, and to move on from it very quickly.”
Even with extensive experience, Seow remains open-minded, consistently learning from his clients. (Picture: Kane Seow)
Thanks to his “no-frills” approach to real estate, Seow has successfully helped numerous clients in upgrading of asset class. He currently works in a team of four agents at PropNex to market their properties and bring clients to view available units.
Of late, he has been securing more private property deals, particularly in new launches. Of the total transactions he brokered last year, 51% were private condo transactions, out of which 70% were new launches. Based on caveats lodged, most of the new sales were in prime districts, including District 9 (Orchard/ Cairnhill/River Valley) and District 10 (Ardmore/Bukit Timah/Holland Road/Tanglin).
According to Seow, he has closed deals at new luxury developments, including the 219-unit condo Midtown Bay on Beach Road; the 540-unit Irwell Hill off River Valley Road; and The Avenir, a freehold, prime 376-unit condo on River Valley Close.
Despite his years of experience, Seow maintains an open attitude and continues to learn from his clients. “At the end of the day, clients are the ones who know best what they want. Even with my industry knowledge, I need to understand my clients’ needs first before I can present my research to them. Listening to clients and learning from them is very important.”
For more information,
ASSOCIATE GROUP DIRECTOR (R049821E)
PROPNEX REALTY PTE. LTD.