How Alvin began his career
After completing his Cambridge "A" Level examinations, Alvin Lee signed on to serve as a police officer for five years. After his service, he decided to take his talents to the financial services sector as an insurance agent. In his first year, Alvin logged the highest number of cases sold and won the Rookie of the Year award. From there, his success would continue, and he would go on to win numerous awards throughout the ten years he spent in the industry. Along with the solid fundamental values of discipline, hard work, and a strong mindset that he picked up as a police officer, he learnt how to create frameworks, processes, and systems which have helped him excel as an insurance agent.
Transitioning to real estate
In 2009, not long after the Global Financial Crisis caused the housing market to fall to its lowest in recent years, Alvin saw a good opportunity to join the real estate sector as the economy began its transition into a recovery phase. Today, Alvin is a Division Director, in charge of new residential development launches (examples include The Santorini, The Alps Residences, and Parc Komo, to name a few). Alvin and his team have sold over half a billion dollars worth of real estate since he joined the industry, and when he's not outside closing real estate deals of his own, he spends his time sharing his experiences and creating more success stories as a mentor to other realtors.
Attributes of his success
"I've always been a natural 'people person," Alvin recalls. "As far as I can remember, I've always been well-liked, ever since I was a kindergartener." Not only has his gift served him tremendously well in his work as a police officer and insurance agent, he also got to practise and sharpen his people skills in various environments to achieve different outcomes.
"The ten years of experience I've had as an insurance agent is definitely something that can give me an edge, as well as approach my work in the real estate sector with a different perspective," Alvin reflects on the value of his past experience. "The frameworks, processes, and systems that have brought me to great heights back then definitely add value to how I can serve others as a realtor." Some of these processes include identifying the needs and goals of his clients, as well as aiming to help all of them have a peace of mind in every deal.
Acknowledging his challenges
With an impressive career filled with nothing but accomplishments and success, what challenges did Alvin face?
"My early days as a rookie realtor weren't easy. I didn't have a mentor figure who was focused on guiding me to success," Alvin said. "I didn't have a strong grasp of the technical skills needed for my work, so there was a lot of trial and error. I learnt from anyone I could get a hold of, I attended as much training as I could, I learnt from YouTube videos, and spent years trying out ideas that could help me grow." In fact, the lack of a mentor figure is a challenge that Alvin still currently faces, even at his level of success thus far. "I feel there's always something that I'm missing, or something I can be better at," Alvin acknowledged. "That's why I want to be a mentor to my juniors, because I don't want them to feel lost like I was, and waste their time experimenting with things that I know don't really benefit them."
Commitment to the process
Alvin sees learning as a lifelong process that never stops. It's just as, if not more important, for him to pass down and impart knowledge to others. The accomplishment he takes the most pride in isn't any one of his individual accolades, but his track record of taking new realtors under his wing and guiding them to earn more than $500K annually. He welcomes anyone looking to learn more about buying their first home, investing in real estate, or looking to create their own success stories by joining his team. Alvin can be connected via his website.
