Health scare drives Tech Realtors Properties’ boss to focus on building company

• “This came as not something bad actually. It changed my lifestyle and my philosophy in life; and that is why I started to grow the company.”

KUALA LUMPUR (June 20): Tech Realtors Properties kicked off back in October 2006 with founder and managing director Alex Lee at the helm with just eight staff.

But its rapid growth started only around 2015. Why?

“Well, I experienced a health scare in 2015 which made me take stock on all aspects of my life, which included my business,” Lee told EdgeProp.my.

Lee, who was 42 then, brought his father to a doctor when the latter complained of chest pains in 2015. “After running a few tests for my father, I was also a bit curious about the state of my own health, so I asked the cardiologist to have the CT angiogramme scan done for me too,” he revealed.

And the result? The doctor found three of Lee’s arteries had blockages.

“I was shocked and realised I could not take my health or any aspect of my life for granted.”

Change

Lee then embarked on a lifestyle change in light of the test results.

“This came as not something bad actually. It changed my lifestyle and my philosophy in life; and that is why I started to grow the company.”

“I am now more enthusiastic and driven to build the company – using the same mindset, method, perseverance and discipline to rebuild my body – to apply that onto the agency. Basically it has changed my career goals,” added Lee.

Currently, Tech Realtors Properties has more than 500 negotiators registered with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers (BOVAEAP), making it the fifth largest agency in the country, said Lee.

The company has branches in the Klang Valley, Penang and Melaka.

Humanity

Lee said he uses “humanity” to motivate his staff.

“My style is hands-on. I make sure I get to know everyone by name as best as I can, especially those in the Klang Valley.

“And passion is very important. I still wake up every day feeling excited about my work after 27 years.”

And there is one record that Lee is proud of, which is testimony of how well-trained his team is: “After 17 years, we have never been officially fined by BOVAEAP. It has of course questioned us about complaints, but up to today, we have not been fined by them”.

Tech Realtors Properties’ focus is on subsale of properties as “we do not do auction, property management or projects, and we serve all groups of the public”.

Collaboration for innovation

Lee recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with EdgeProp.my, because he is impressed with the innovations offered by the latter.

“The new digital platforms and apps it is coming up with have prompted me to collaborate with EdgeProp.my,” said Lee after the signing with the property portal.

“I see EdgeProp.my working hard to get a bigger slice of the market. I also believe that there should not be just one property portal monopolising the industry,” he added.

Signing on behalf of EdgeProp.my was managing director Alvin Ong.

“We have started collaborations with a number of agencies over the months and Tech Realtors Properties is the latest to join us. We are especially motivated by the work ethics shown by Alex and his team. We also have a capable team which is ready to deliver and meet Tech Realtors Properties’ requirements,” said Ong.

Health

If you are curious about how Lee is managing his health, he revealed that he has still not gone through an angioplasty since the three blockages were not severe.

“At this moment, I can only do regular check-ups every year. I was told to take statin but I did not want to as it will be a lifetime thing and has side effects,” Lee opined.

He took another test which showed the calcium score build-up in the arteries a couple of years ago, and the blockages had only grown at a “mild level”.

“There may come a time when I will have to do an angioplasty, but right now I am managing my health with lifestyle changes.”