Competition among real estate agencies in Singapore is set to heat up with boutique firm Ripton Realty looking to expand its small team of agents to focus on Singapore’s lucrative commercial property market, and in particular industrial properties.
The agency is on the lookout for experienced salespersons, with advertisements on its homepage and via Electronic Direct Mailers (EDMs) to agents.
Set up in 1997, Ripton recently shifted to a bigger premises in the Lavender area and now occupies an 883 sq ft unit at CT Hub.
"Currently we have a team of 41 agents but are looking to increase to almost 100," said Chua Yong Kang, Key Executive Officer of Ripton Realty, adding that the better infrastructure will help boost business.
With a bigger team in place, he hopes to tackle the industrial estates of Lavender, Woodlands and Tuas, areas which have seen a slew of new launches this year.
He noted that more than half of his current batch of agents specialise in commercial and industrial properties. With stiff competition coming from big players in the industry and only a small number of agents focused on this segment, Chua admitted that it makes sense to specialise in this niche market.
"Of course, in-depth knowledge of the industrial property market, for instance understanding the differences in usage of factory space such as Business 1 and Business 2 is important for agents looking to market such properties," noted Chua.
Recent media reports highlighted that the cooling measures targeted at Singapore’s residential market has contributed to more agents diversifying into the commercial and industrial segments.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
Oxley buys stake in Chinese firm
S’pore-based travelmob acquired by HomeAway
Keppel first half profit drops