UPDATE: NREA marks its 10th year of recognising excellence in the property industry

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21): This year marks the 10th year since the National Real Estate Awards (NREA) was launched in 2009 to recognise excellence in the real estate industry, including real estate agents, real estate firms, real estate negotiators and probationary estate agents or valuers.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), NREA held a gala dinner at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur tonight and the event was graced by Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad.

"Celebrating 10 years of recognising the best in the fraternity is an achievement by itself. Tonight is the recognition of the 'cream agents' of the practice who have excelled in the year 2017," he said.

MIEA president elect and NREA organising chairman Lim Boon Ping said by reaching the first decade of this award, MIEA has established itself as a leader in recognising real estate practitioners who excel in their chosen field and the next 10 years will be more exciting for the association.

“The public wants to deal with agents who are award-winners, because they are exemplary, and they, through their professionalism and integrity, embody the best the industry has to offer," he said.

Meanwhile, MIEA president Eric Lim said NREA, which is a symbol of moving away from mediocrity and towards excellence, should be a goal every negotiator should work towards to establish themselves to be the best in what they do and push themselves to the limit.

This year’s NREA features 17 award categories, including the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online REN Of The Year Award, the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Most Innovative Marketing Idea Award, the Top Real Estate Firm Award and the Real Estate Agent Of The Year Award.

The MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online REN Of The Year Award was awarded to Focus Estate Agency Sdn Bhd project manager Eugene Yap.

Yap, who has been working in the real estate sector for about seven years, said that the award came as a surprise and he is honoured to receive the award.

"This award has boosted my confidence level and it motivate me to deliver better service to my clients in the future," he told EdgeProp.my at the gala night.

He added that EdgeProp.my provided him with good exposure to the public through different channels such as its website and digital copy of its weekly pullout.

"A few clients came to me after they saw my listings on EdgeProp.my's website and e-newspaper and ask me to help them market properties. So I think this is a very good channel," he said.

Meanwhile, the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Most Innovative Marketing Idea Awards went to Cornerstone Realty, which is a consecutive winner for the award category.

Cornerstone Realty executive director Wong Yau Long who received the award on behalf of the agency said that he was excited to receive the honour as it meant a lot to him and all of the team members at the agency.

"It is a recognition of a group of people who alway think outside the box to break through the clutter and be outstanding.

"Innovation is the key to the future of our industry. Digital and social marketing is already a norm but innovative marketing is really more than that. It is about creating value and a compelling consumer experience," he said.

Both the Most Innovative Marketing Idea Awards and the MIEA-EdgeProp.my Top Online Real Estate Negotiator Of The Year Award was sponsored by EdgeProp.my.

Meanwhile, this year’s MIEA CEO Of The Year Award went to CBD Properties Sdn Bhd’s Datuk Adrian Wang while the Top Real Estate Firm Award was again won by Hartamas Real Estate (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Nixon Paul from Carey Real Estate Sdn Bhd.