Women Real Estate players in Sabah

Violet Chak

Property fixer @violetchak

When I was 23 years old, I closed a land deal worth RM10 million. This deal changed my life. I found my own confidence which enlightened me to know that “you get what you work for, not what you wish for”. I was determined to share my experience and explore real estate.

Although we have been practising gender equality for the past few centuries, a common challenge is that people always have the perspective that woman should be staying at home. It was indeed a challenging job to convince developers and investors without sufficient knowledge and experience. Once we build our knowledge, confidence and professionalism, we will be treated and respected equally.

I would say that the greatest achievement would be forming our platform - WHV, which allows real estate investors to learn, share and exchange real estate knowledge and market trends. We now assist more than 1,000 investors to manage their investments.

I take responsibility and plan for everything that happens in life. No matter what stage in your life that you are in right now, take your sweet time and ask yourself, what do you want to achieve in 10 or 20 years time?

Then start to plan out your short and long term plan and what your strategy is to achieve it. Real estate is all about data, market trends and experience. There are no learning shortcuts for this, it takes a lot of effort and determination. 

Ashley Yeoh

Founder of MOM Designer House

When I was younger I would go to my uncle's furniture factory and realized that I loved how he could turn an empty piece of paper into a real-life design. It triggered something in me to enter into the interior design field, which I found very challenging at first but it got me curious.

I have now been in this industry for almost 9 years and there have been a lot of different obstacles. For example, there are people with no background in interior design, giving cheap prices because of their lack of experience. This leads to wrongdoing in the construction plan and frustration for the client. When customers lose money, they start to doubt all our professionalism and work ethic.

My most precious achievement is seeing all my clients gain their business reputation through the interior design ideas we create for them. I would say passion plays a very important role in order to keep on running on this path.

If you are struggling in the industry now, think back to your starting point and why you entered this industry in the first place. I believe everyone must have a very special reason in order to choose this industry as her career path.

Crystal Liaw

Director of Portobello, mushROOM Management Corporation Sdn Bhd

After studying hospitality management, I realised that valuable real estate is the main thing that allows the business to thrive. In my early 20s, I started investing in properties. Getting a bank loan was quite tough as a young woman but I am proud that now I understand the process of real estate investment, from owning it to branding the property and finally seeing customers love them.

Women should stay curious in all aspects of the industry. The ones who are not afraid to try will always get surprised by their capability that they never expected. Secondly, be brave. Remember that bravery is not the lack of fear but the ability to move forward in spite of fear.

Stefanie Chen

Guest Relation Executive at Borneo Aloha Sdn Bhd

I started off with zero knowledge but I was curious and when the industry started to relate more with the tourism and more people were looking into Airbnb, I saw the business opportunity of it and my interest grew even more.

Along the way, I was flooded with many reading materials and data findings. I spent all my free time reading books, magazines and reports about this industry. It taught me new things like the jargons, market trends and strategies. All these are interesting at the same time yet challenging.

My sense of achievement comes from the positive feedback from our guests. Every time I read the feedbacks and comments from the guests, I feel like I am on the right track, doing the right thing. our company has also grown in numbers of workers and system, which I am very proud of.

If you are thinking of joining this industry, trust your instinct! Do not let any negative thought stops you from trying. For those who are struggling, seek advice from experts or peers. There is no shortcut or easy way in any field.