OKAY.com Manager Louise Garnaut does not stop at finding the perfect home for her clients: she is equally committed to helping families joined together by adoption or fostering rediscover the meaning of “home”.Since 2013, she has served as Chairperson at the Adoptive Families of Hong Kong (AFHK), a non-profit volunteer-run charitable organisation made up of people connected by the common experience of adoption or fostering. Below, she talks to OKAY.com about her personal experience with adoption, the challenges she faces in her role, and the changes she hopes to see in society.OKAY.com: What inspired you to get involved with AFHK?Louise: When I’m experiencing a challenge or an unfamiliar situation, my natural inclination is to look for support. So, when I adopted my son, I wanted to connect with a like-minded community, especially since we’re an interracial family that has been joined together by adoption. I also wanted to educate myself about how adoption impacts a child of a different race.Since joining AFHK as a member in 2008, I’ve learned a lot more about what it can be like for children who have come from difficult circumstances. Children arrive at adoption due to loss. They lose a family or a culture, before they gain a new family. On the other hand, adoptive parents arrive at adoption with a gain. My journey over the past decade since we came together as a family has been full of surprises and challenges.OKAY.com: What are some challenges you face in your role?Louise: Finding a balance between my responsibilities at AFHK, my busy schedule as a property agent, and as a mother of two. Because we’re an all-volunteer organisation, it can be difficult to manage people’s expectations. People have high expectations of what we should be doing and we are a small group of volunteers trying to make a difference to the community through regular family events, monthly discussions, film nights, talks and professional conferences—all on a tight budget. And with people coming and going as they always do in Hong Kong, finding volunteers is that much harder.Being relatively reserved, many local families are reluctant to talk about adoption, which can cause problems. We also want to recruit more volunteers to work at a community level, within both English and Cantonese-speaking communities.Thankfully, we have a great backend system that was specifically designed for NGOs, which has been very helpful in running AFHK. I’m fortunate enough to also have a great backend system and database at OKAY.com, which has allowed me to serve my clients from home when needed, and to be highly productive with my time. This gives me more time with my family, and to be active with AFHK.OKAY.com: How do you manage to stay on top of work, and your role at AFHK?Louise: I work with a team in both places, so there are people to call on when help is needed. When I’m unable to attend AFHK events, someone will always stand in for me. As a property agent, when you are working on a sale, no one goes home until the documents are signed, so I have to build flexibility into my commitments. Fortunately, we have great team spirit at OKAY.com, with team members who proactively offer to help when they know I’m in a tight spot. Knowing that there are others on whom I can rely on helps me stay on top of my various responsibilities.OKAY.com: How does the AFHK fill existing adoption-related social service gaps? Louise: We work with both local and international families through education and providing information that can help parents and professionals in the community understand the difficulties of children who’ve had a less smooth start in life. We support adoptive and foster parents who are facing situations that are more difficult than anticipated, and we also help families and professionals to connect with each other.OKAY.com: What kind of change would you like to bring about?Louise: As an interracial family, people often stare at us—I’ve even had a woman ask me how much I paid for my son. The staring questions the validity of us as a family, my validity as a mother to my son, and my son’s place in the family. The situation is improving, and I hope to see adoption understood and accepted unquestionably in Hong Kong, and, within the local community, greater support and acceptance for people touched by adoption or by foster care. There’s more to every OKAY.com agent than meets the eye. Click here to keep up with our multi-talented team.

OKAY.com saw tremendous growth in 2017: in addition to welcoming many new property agents, the company had a record year, including many real estate transactions on Hong Kong luxury properties HK$50 million and above. Here are some insights on what led to this success (and a few of last year’s challenges) from our own leading ladies, Lily Wong, Hiroko Byrne, Andrea Ott and Belinda Woo:Strong Presence in the Luxury MarketOKAY.com Director (Residential Division) Lily Wong, who has been a brand-building presence in the Hong Kong luxury property market since joining OKAY.com, was the top-performing real estate agent at the company last year, completing several luxury property sales in the HK$50 to HK$150 million range, in addition to many other luxury sales and leases.Lily attributes her success to an inspiring work environment, mutual trust, and a management team that does not micro-manage its employees: “If it’s clear that you care about your clients and work with integrity, they trust you to help clients as you see fit. This creates a comfortable and positive environment that allows you to focus on your work and clients.”Changing GearsTransitioning from her own boutique relocation firm, to sales and leasing beyond corporate relocation at OKAY.com in mid-2016, Senior Manager Hiroko Byrne devoted additional energy and resources to promoting her team to her predominantly Japanese client base. Her efforts paid off in 2017 as her team expanded and began generating significant revenue.Director (Residential Division) Andrea Ott recalls her first HK$50 million transaction and the challenges she overcame to make it happen, including going a week without sleep to fit a second viewing and a feng shui meeting for a Stubbs Road apartment into a 12-hour window: “The old tenant had just moved out, and the new tenant was moving in the next day. What made the process even more difficult was convincing the landlord that I had a sincere buyer after he was inundated by sales calls from other agents. When we finally signed the deal, it was like the stars aligned!”Continuous ImprovementAlthough all four team leaders have distinct leadership styles and personalities, they are equally committed to ensuring the success of their teams.Hiroko spent 2017 laying important groundwork for her team. “Real estate is the kind of profession you can do all your life. I want everyone on my team to feel like they are building careers for the long term”, says Hiroko, who is in her 70s and “still very passionate about the business”.Meanwhile, Belinda Woo, Director (Residential Division), showed appreciation for the company’s open management style, which has enabled her to learn new ways to improve her leadership skills, to develop great relationships with her team members and to foster success at even higher levels.And Andrea, who had an “extraordinary” 2017, describes seeing almost everyone on her team surpass their personal goals (some by a lot!) as a “rewarding” experience. “2018 will be our ‘Year of the Team’. Having now built a team of over 20 great professionals, I want to focus on helping each person to advance one, or two, tiers above where they are now”.Reaching New HeightsIn the coming year, all four team leaders have set their sights on growing the ever-expanding OKAY.com family. On top of that, Lily, who is known for treating her clients as though they are her friends, would like to take full advantage of OKAY.com’s technology in following up on quieter clients to see what she can do for them, rather than waiting until she has extra time on her hands, which rarely happens.Belinda says she simply cannot wait for even more high-calibre property agents who are committed to making a lifelong career in real estate to join OKAY.com, while Andrea has high confidence that “we’re going to stand out even more in Hong Kong real estate”. “It’s going to be fantastic!”, she says.Are you the high-calibre property agent we’re looking for? Drop us a line—we’d love to hear from you!

Hong Kong property agents are spoilt for choice when it comes to technology: for many property agents, map-reading, calculator prodding, scouring newspapers for Hong Kong apartments for rent and the latest property prices, and carrying around stacks of paperwork, are things of the past. We asked our agents what their favourite apps and tools are for navigating the Hong Kong property scene, and here’s what they said:Know Your Way AroundPublic bus service providersMany Hong Kong properties, such as those in Stanley and Sai Kung, are not accessible by train, but can usually be reached by bus. Hong Kong’s largest public bus service providers—Citybus and New World First Bus, and the Kowloon Motor Bus Company—each has an app that comes with route details, timetables, and more.CitybusNWFB: App Store / Google PlayApp 1933 - KMB ‧ LWB: App Store / Google PlayHKeTransportAlthough this government-owned app claims to be a “one-stop service” for planning journeys on multiple forms of public transport, including trains, ferries and buses on Ma Wan and Discovery Bay [https://www.okay.com/en/guides/discoverybayguide], it is best used for looking up green minibuses: Hong Kong homes that are neither accessible by larger buses nor by the MTR can most likely be reached by these public vehicles.App Store / Google PlayMTR MobileIf you’re pressed for time between viewings, travelling by the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is probably your best bet. The MTR is almost always on schedule, and hardly ever congested. Use its app to estimate journey times and identify the correct station exit for your destination.App Store / Google PlayFly Taxi–HKTaxi Booking AppYour team member beat you to booking the company car. Do you Uber, or cab it? If you’re not picky, you might want to opt for Hong Kong taxis: they’re cheaper, more abundant, and can also be booked on an app. Fly Taxi enables you to hire a cab right away, or a day in advance—just make sure you select the correct option.App Store / Google PlayHong Kong Taxi TranslatorIf you’re a Hong Kong property agent who doesn’t speak Chinese, you’ll love this app: it translates English addresses into Chinese and displays them in the format of a flashcard that you can show your taxi driver.App Store / Google PlayGoogle MapsAs the property agent’s go-to app, Google Maps is especially useful for planning viewing schedules and familiarising yourself with various locations.App Store / Google PlayKnow Your ProductTITAN (exclusive to OKAY.com property agents)Developed exclusively for OKAY.com property agents, the company’s proprietary mobile database, “TITAN”, empowers agents to access, gather, update, personalise and share information with clients and landlords wherever they are. Agents can add properties and schedule viewings on-the-go, which gives them greater control over their own schedules. TITAN is one of the reasons OKAY.com’s website is so comprehensive and accurate (i.e. not littered with stale listings). Talk to us if you’re an experienced property agent who is tired of the way traditional Hong Kong property agencies are run, and wants to explore the advantages of using a modern platform for you and your clients.PortalsProperty portals, such as Spacious, GoHome and Squarefoot, help aggregate listings from multiple agencies. However, many of the agencies that send listings to portals send old listings to attract clients, which is something that the portals cannot control—so expect to experience some disappointment.Spacious: App Store / Google PlayGoHome: App Store / Google PlaySquarefoot: App Store / Google PlayXE CurrencyIf you work with many expat clients, speak your clients’ language with the help of this currency conversion app. It’s especially helpful for people new to Hong Kong, and helping clients think in terms that are familiar to them will, in turn, help you differentiate yourself from your competition.App Store / Google PlayGet Things DoneEvernote ScannableWhether you’re at a signing, handover or working from home, Evernote Scannable allows you to scan documents, save and share them.App StoreSignNowSignNow allows users to sign documents electronically on their phones, so you can work closely and more efficiently with your clients, wherever they are.App Store / Google PlayPut Yourself Out ThereInstagramMany agents use Facebook to promote themselves or their properties, but relatively few use Instagram effectively for their business. This may be because Instagram is more about branding, and less about “selling”. But, in the long run, a great personal brand will lead clients to your doorstep. For agents interested in more than just the next deal, go the influencer route: showcase your listings, share client success stories and keep your clients in the loop on Instagram. Click here to learn more about building your personal brand as a property agent.App Store / Google PlayUseful as these apps and tools may be, they can never replace the skills and experience of a knowledgeable property agent. Stay in the know: sign up to receive helpful articles, new listings and market updates.

Take one look at the Hong Kong property market and you’ll immediately see how working as a property agent dealing with home sale transactions in Hong Kong real estate can be a rewarding career. While you can earn a consistent income from rental transactions, it’s property sales that tend to be most lucrative. Monetary gains aside, facilitating a property transaction is an excellent opportunity to hone your craft as a real estate professional and work with more clients—whether they are tenants or landlords, purchasers or vendors. So, don’t let the opportunity pass you by—here’s how you can prepare for your first real estate sale:Know Your ClientPeople buy properties for two reasons: for self-use, or as rental properties. A prospective owner-occupier would likely be looking for a home which is in a neighbourhood that suits their lifestyle, is well-connected to other parts of the city, and has access to facilities such as schools and malls. On the other hand, a pure investor may look for properties that offer a good return on investment as rental homes.What your client wants to get out of their purchase and the reasons behind it should drive the way you present their options, and how you communicate with them. For example, using emotive language when speaking with an owner-occupier could be more effective than going into quantitative detail, which may be best left for investors.Know Your ProductWork up to your first sale by taking clients on as many rental property viewings as reasonably possible. This creates opportunities for inexperienced property agents to explore and learn more about different Hong Kong properties. When working with an investor, understanding what tenants are looking for will also help you gauge the yield potential of a property for sale. You will then be better-informed when speaking with buyers looking for investment properties. And, when working with an owner-occupier, you will be able to paint a better picture of what living in a building or district might look like. Think long-term: make a habit out of staying up to speed on the Hong Kong property market, latest property transactions, real estate news, market research, and even the stock market.Before you go on a viewing, read up on the age of the building, transaction history, property prices in the area, identify possible illegal structures, survey the conditions of the external building, and find out from property management whether the building will undergo renovation anytime soon. If you’re dealing with a village house, look up land ownership details and whether the surrounding land has been gazetted for development. This will initially require rote learning, but, eventually, the process will become more intuitive.As tempting as it may be to do a virtual tour from your desktop, if you’re less experienced and not already familiar with all the major buildings, then Google Street View isn’t quite the same as visiting a location in person. Physically visiting apartments (on your own, or on viewings with rental clients) lets you pick up on details such as a uniquely shaped or boldly coloured building that other people may not know about. If you do not have access to certain properties because they are occupied, try to visit similar vacant units in the building that are on the market. Or at least familiarise yourself with the surroundings, such as the entrance to the residential building—there is nothing worse than getting lost with your client in tow. Your familiarity with the neighbourhood and the homes—from the nitty-gritty to the lesser-known quirks—will give you give you fodder to…Talk the TalkAt this stage, you may not be as experienced as you would like, but by making a good first impression and getting support from your colleagues, you can earn your client’s trust. Having done your research and accumulated a wealth of product knowledge, you should be able to give your client all the information they need (and more), and be the real estate professional who speaks in a confident and assertive manner.But, if you prefer being more up-front, it’s okay to let your client know that although you are relatively inexperienced, you have garnered plenty of experience in dealing with rental properties and made a consistent effort to keep up to date with market research. Paired with your determination to become a good real estate professional, the support of your co-workers empowers you to provide your client with advice and assistance to the best of your ability. There are no hard and fast rules on how property agents should present themselves, but whatever you do, put your best foot forward: many clients who are interested in real estate investing are relatively experienced, and it’s unlikely that they would want to do it through a real estate agent who is less knowledgeable than them.Ask the Right QuestionsOne of the most important things you’ll want to find out from your client is how much cash they have as this affects how much they would need to borrow from the bank, and, thus, the properties that are available to them. Tactfully reveal to your client how much they should expect to pay in cash for a certain property, and advise them to speak with their bank about it. Also ask if they are a Hong Kong permanent resident, and whether they own existing Hong Kong properties, because this could affect taxation on the piece of real estate. Politely ask specific questions about your client’s financial situation while making sure that you explain why you are asking. Help your owner-occupier client move quickly ahead of other potential buyers when they find their desired home by explicitly letting them know that they should be getting funds ready to make a down payment.The more you converse with your client, the more you can pick up on what they are looking for, and the more efficiently you can identify the most suitable real estate listings for them. Take time to build a relationship with your client and to make a lasting impression—even if you don’t end up being the property agent who closes the deal, you’ll have access to more opportunities as a real estate agent who your client remembers.But, be careful not to push too hard: for most people, buying real estate is a big decision and shouldn’t be done in haste. If a client is still exploring their options, build more trust by focusing on educating them and proposing caution, so when they are ready to proceed with their purchase, they can move quickly.Grin and Bear It (Or Not)Ideally, you would want to be the real estate agent for both the vendor and the purchaser. But, if you need to co-op, find an agent you can trust by asking your colleagues who they’ve been working with. If you can’t find any good recommendations from your internal team and database, find a co-op agent who appears to be straightforward and responsive. Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid of looking stupid—after all, you’ve got a potential purchaser. Take care not to overdo the confidence and stay sincere when making enquiries: you wouldn’t want other agents to think that you’re only there to fish for information.Cold-calling other property agencies is the more convenient alternative, but be prepared for half-hearted responses. After all, in-person meetings are more effective for developing personal relationships.Maintain Open Communication with Your MentorYour mentor or team leader is there to help, so don’t be afraid to approach them for advice. Internal training workshops and role-playing different scenarios with your mentor can give you an idea of how you could approach specific situations and conversations with clients and landlords. If it gives you assurance, invite your mentor along when meeting your client. Be as well-prepared as you can if you don’t want your mentor to unintentionally show you up.If It Happens, It HappensOften, a real estate agent’s first property sales transaction happens with someone they know. The opportunity may crop up six months, or six years into your real estate career. Being prepared by becoming familiar with buyers’ motives, the sales market and the transaction process will help you find opportunities to expand into sales and take your career to another level: it’s been said that when you’re watching a Hong Kong movie and the details of the buildings appearing in the film automatically come to mind, you know you’ve got it in you to be a great real estate professional.Good luck!Dedicated to growing your personal success? Sign up to receive helpful articles, new listings and market updates!

Today, real estate is known as a man’s world, but women are finding their place in the once gender-skewed industry. Hong Kong property agencies have some of the largest concentration of women employees in Asia-Pacific, however, only a small number of firms have women in senior positions due to the lack of flexibility which is crucial in their professional success. Per a recent study conducted by Urban Land Institute and professional services firm EY, of the 280 women surveyed in Hong Kong about half said they felt constrained by the challenges of balancing family and work. 60% of the respondents cited the factor as an obstacle. In general, companies are good at bringing women into the industry, but the challenge lies in keeping women employed in the long-term.Fostering an environment where women can thrive while managing familial obligations is just one of the goals for OKAY.com, with a management team that consists of 67% women. In addition, 74 of our 105 employees are women.The Chairman of the Board, Beverly L.W. Sunn, is one of the first American female entrepreneurs to establish a successful corporate relocation firm in Asia and a founding member of the prestigious Women of Influence annual conference. Moreover, the most important senior positions across OKAY.com real estate teams are all held by women, making them responsible for the entire salesforce. The top earners in the company are also women.When it comes to leadership development and other workplace practices related to advancement of employees, OKAY.com advocates gender neutral policies with performance-based approaches. The company has successfully retained and attracted female leadership through their overall philosophy in which people enjoy flexible working arrangements. They receive team support should they be pregnant and flexibility to take time off to focus on their families. Even in the company’s short history, 75% of women leaving for maternity have chosen to return to the company after the arrival of their child.Supporting and developing women is critical to the overall success of the organization, especially given that women comprise almost 75% of the company.Powerful Success Stories That Will Inspire YouOKAY.com has made diversity a priority when structuring the internal operations and the management teams, with the overall mission to create an environment that nurtures talent based on merit, not on gender. The overall company philosophy is about its flexible arrangements, which includes fully flexible hours, working from home, job sharing and a healthy work-life balance. These principles benefit the entire company and are part of the high job satisfaction and very low turnover. The flexibility to choose a schedule based on your needs has empowered the women of OKAY.com to control their time and, choose how busy they want to be.Although this goes against the grain of most companies in Hong Kong that require long working hours, this balance and control has led people to be even more committed to their careers, and OKAY.com generates revenue per agent that is over 3x the industry average. Furthermore, the flexibility has enabled many of the male employees to bear a greater share of family and child obligations, in turn allowing their spouses to pursue their own dreams and careers.OKAY.com is working hard to dispel the negative connotation that is often associated with flexibility, the most common being the fear that individuals would risk being passed over for promotions or raises. Shifting the power back to women to make their own decisions has quickly accelerated their positions within the company.Beyond flexibility, OKAY.com provides several programs that perpetuate the advocacy of women within the organization. Programs such as mentorship alliances, which gives women the opportunity to partner with others to shadow and learn from. Or even the job-sharing aspects which give women the opportunity to reallocate work to their team members if they are too busy, have other obligations or if they simply need a helping hand. The entire organization has embraced this culture and are themselves recruiting others to join the organization, driving the 100% growth seen in the last 12 months.Without excessive hierarchy or the formality of “development programs”, OKAY.com has seen engagement and personal growth occur organically. People here are asked, but not forced, to help their team members, whether in the form of knowledge sharing, mentorships or development. They are welcomed to propose new ideas for professional development or company improvements, and many of the multitude of ideas have been incorporated across technology, marketing, services, pricing, recruitment and training.Studies show that women in executive roles are less inclined to help female newcomers, driven by heightened competition when there’s few other women. This is absolutely not the case at OKAY.com.Women at OKAY.com don’t see others as threats because of the overarching business model. In an industry known for being hyper-competitive, OKAY.com has the reverse approach, focusing on collaboration, teamwork and knowledge sharing. Women are emerging as dominant players who know what they want and how to go about achieving their goals while balancing family and career. And with balance being a key driver in career decisions, this trend is set to continue over the longer term with the power of choice plus power of women generating an industry changing force.We can only imagine what that might mean.Dedicated to growing your personal success? Sign up to receive helpful articles, new listings and market updates!