NREA 2017 awards gala dinner honours industry stars

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): The Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) recognised the luminaries among real estate agents, negotiators and practitioners at its annual MIEA National Real Estate Awards (NREA) tonight.

Deputy Minister of Finance II Datuk Lee Chee Leong officiated the gala dinner held at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur here.

“It has been nine years since the NREA was introduced and I’m delighted to say that the awards have set a new benchmark for professionalism.

“As real estate practitioners, your role is more than selling and letting on behalf of the clients.

* MIEA bestows two honorary memberships

* Innovate to stay relevant in the real estate industry

“Professionalism in carrying out estate agency duty is vital and I strongly believe the winners of the NREA are the cream in the fraternity. We are really proud of your achievement and being role models to all,” he said during his speech.  

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Raymond Tang King Seng from Uptown Realtors.

Meanwhile, EdgeProp.my managing director and editor-in-chief Au Foong Yee and Impetus Alliance Advisors Sdn Bhd managing director and chief executive director Datuk Seri Michael Yam were accorded the MIEA Honorary Member Award.

A new award was given out this year — the MIEA Chief Executive Officer Award, which went to Reapfield Group founder and president David Ong.

EdgeProp.my sponsored two awards: The Most Innovative Marketing Idea Awards and the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online Real Estate Negotiator Award.

Both Cornerstone Realty and Knight Frank Malaysia Sdn Bhd took home The Most Innovative Marketing Idea Awards while Mohd Faizal Md Ismail of Rescom Realty is the winner of the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online Real Estate Negotiator Award.

Meanwhile, the Top Real Estate Firm Award was won by Hartamas Real Estate Sdn Bhd while the Real Estate Agent of the Year went to YY Lau of JLL Property Services Sdn Bhd. Another two notable award winners this year were Teo Zi Lin from Zilin Properties and Munirah Mohammad from Homefield Real Estate Sdn Bhd who each won the Million Dollar Producer Award, which is presented to estate agents who have collected RM1 million in professional fees in 2016.

NREA 2017 organising chairman Lim Boon Ping said digital disruption has changed the way real estate practitioners do business.

“We should stop calling IT a disruption and start calling it a tool for us to use to help our business,” he said in his welcome address.

Attendees of the gala dinner also witnessed the changing of the guard at MIEA, where Eric Lim took over as president from Erick Kho.

Kho imparted some sage advice to the assembled guests, saying the real estate industry needs to transform itself to survive.

“You must merge and consolidate into a larger entity to face challenges in a larger market place. Go global or be a realtor without borders. In short, build your agencies with a sustainable business model.

“For the past six months, I have been watching my successor Eric Lim and his team, and I am happy to give a thumb’s up and am satisfied with his delivery so far. Congratulations to MIEA’s 17th president and his team,” he said.

Meanwhile, current MIEA president Lim told EdgeProp.my: “It is a great honour to helm and lead the national real estate agents’ association where its members are the prime movers of the national property industry that forms the backbone of the economy.”

Moving forward, Lim said he will continue to elevate the standards and professionalism of the real estate industry through education and training.

“We will be conducting more relevant courses and bringing good speakers to share with our members. We are also collaborating with many regional associations of similar trades to share their best practices and training modules.

“With the enhanced knowledge, we believed our members can serve their clients better and give greater confidence in the marketplace,” he said, adding that more collaborative arrangements are also in the pipeline to expand MIEA members’ market reach beyond Malaysia.