After joining PropNex Realty in 2020, she swiftly earned the Platinum Achiever and Top Landed Property Transactor awards, ranking top 1% among 11,000 agents.
Legacy-planning is often overlooked among property owners. And yet, having a plan to distribute wealth and property to the next generation has become a necessity amid the current landscape, says Sharon Ong. With Singapore having one of the highest homeownership rates in the world at about 90% and a rapidly ageing population, the need for estate planning has increased significantly.
Ong is at the forefront of this shift. The seasoned realtor has helped several clients navigate legacy planning where it relates to property. “More property owners today are thinking about how they can partially distribute their assets now to their children,” she observes.
Her success within this unique niche has propelled her to achieve consistently outstanding results. After switching from a different agency to join PropNex Realty in 2020, she soon started obtaining the agency’s monthly Platinum Achiever (given to agents with earnings of at least $100,000 a month) and Top Landed Property Transactor awards. In her first year, she ranked within the top 3% of PropNex’s entire roster of agents, totalling around 11,000 at the time.
Ong receiving her Top Producer award at the Propnex Annual Convention 2023, presented by PropNex Realty Deputy CEO, Mr. Kelvin Fong. (Picture: Sharon Ong)
Since then, she has continued to scale new heights. In 2022, Ong accumulated earnings that put her in the elite 1% of all PropNex agents. The following year, she ranked within the top 5% of PropNex agents which today stand at over 12,000.
Ong is modest when talking about her impressive trajectory in the past few years. “I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right people,” she says, alluding to the boom in the property market following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ong celebrates with her clients post-sale. (Picture: Sharon Ong)
A unique facet of Ong’s expertise in legacy planning is the fact that she has personally dealt with the implications of not doing so. After the passing of her parents, she witnessed how disputes can arise among family members over an estate, resulting in disharmony in the family.
Having experienced this firsthand, Ong emphasises the importance of having a clear arrangement when it comes to estate planning, as this will provide certainty on how assets are to be distributed. This, in turn, will help to maintain harmony and cohesion in the family, avoid disputes, and ensure a fair and timely handover of the assets to the beneficiaries.
Ong’s personal experience has also been advantageous when it comes to advising her clientele. Many of her clients are landed homeowners who are empty-nesters at a significant juncture in their lives. “The children are no longer living with them and the house is now too large for just the two of them. Cleaning and maintaining the home becomes quite a chore,” she points out.
This, in turn, often prompts the process of legacy planning. “My clients typically come to me when they are looking to downsize to a smaller home. In addition to selling their house, they are also considering how best to distribute that wealth among their children,” she explains.
Ong guides them through the process, helping them to determine their objectives for bequeathing wealth for the next generation as it pertains to their property portfolio. She conducts extensive due diligence that considers various factors including the financial situation of her clients, retirement plans, how they intend to apportion their assets between children equitably and ringfencing assets for protection.
Each case is distinct, with Ong finding the right solution that perfectly suits each client’s circumstances and goals. For example, in the case of one of her clients, Ong secured a deal to sell their landed home and subsequently found three new condos within the same area for the client and each of their two children.
In other cases, some clients may choose to invest in property to generate a steady stream of income while others see it as a timely opportunity to restructure their entire property portfolio. With Ong’s help, the client can ensure their wealth creates lasting legacies across generations.
Ong seals the deal on a stunning landed property. (Picture: Sharon Ong)
Ong’s meticulous approach when working with her clients stems from an inherent love for problem-solving.
Before becoming a realtor in the early 2010s she spent 17 years in the car industry, working in sales and distribution for notable brands. While her career was rewarding, after nearly two decades, Ong decided to pivot. “By then, I knew all the ins and outs of the business and it was starting to feel a bit repetitive,” she explains. What Ong craved was a challenge, something that would utilise her sales skills while also leveraging her ability to craft solutions. She decided to turn to real estate.
She began in the rental market, working with friends, family members and contacts she had accumulated throughout her career in the car industry. Over time, she transitioned into brokering purchases and sales of properties. “A lot of the landlords I was working with started engaging me to help them buy or sell property, and from there, the referrals grew,” she recalls. Ong established long-term relationships with many of her clients, some of whom later became the clients that she helped with legacy planning.
Ong’s inclination to add value for her clients often goes well beyond the average agent. Besides finding or selling their property, clients have consulted her on everything from buying furniture to interior design ideas and how to scale down their possessions when downsizing to a smaller home. With some of her less tech-savvy clients, Ong has even helped them list items for sale on Carousell to help them sell off items in good condition. “I’m a one-stop consultant for everything,” Ong jokes.
Ong placed 2nd in the Top Landed Property Transactor and was also a Platinum Achiever in 2023. (Picture: Sharon Ong)
Today, Ong largely focuses on the private residential market, doing sales and rental transactions across both landed and high-rise properties. While the work is challenging, she finds it deeply fulfilling. “Every transaction I work on is unique — it involves a specific set of circumstances that requires its own solution,” she observes.
Arriving at that solution calls for carefully considering the client’s goals, the property’s traits, market conditions, knowledge of regulations and various other factors within a constantly changing environment. It is daunting to navigate all these considerations successfully but Ong relishes the challenge. “I get satisfaction from being able to add value for my clients and help them reach their goals,” she remarks.
At the end of the day, whether her client is a landed homeowner seeking to plan for their family’s next generation or a young couple buying their first home to build a future together, Ong has the same principles when working with all of them. “I aim to serve with the heart, and to work with honesty and integrity,” she emphasises. In fact, for Ong, doing right by her clients is her definition of success. “I just do my best and God will do the rest.”
For more information,
Contact Sharon Ong | 87776777
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR (R040719H)
PROPNEX REALTY PTE. LTD.