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Vivien Yap credited the 131 per cent growth in her settlement values in the REB Top 50 Agents Western Australia 2022 rankings to a strong marketing campaign and creating multiple purchasing opportunities through one buyer or seller.
The Ray White Dalkeith | Claremont principal has emerged as the top-ranked agent for the second consecutive year in the 2022 Western Australian rankings and has widened the gap between her and the other agents in total value of residential properties sold.
She increased her total settlement value from $145.2 million in 2020 to $335.7 million in 2021, the highest value among the agents in the rankings. Furthermore, she slashed her average days on market from over 116 days in 2020 to around 42 days in 2021.
Ms Yap also had 155 sales (the third highest) and 171 listings (the fourth highest), while her average sales price grew from $1.8 million in 2020 to $2.2 million in 2021 (the fifth highest in the rankings).
With a focus largely on family homes in “prominent” suburbs within close proximity to good schools and the University of Western Australia, Ms Yap noted that demand for property in Perth has gained pace after waning in recent years.
While this robust property market propelled her figures across the key metrics used to measure agents’ performance for the rankings, Ms Yap attributed her meteoric rise across the metrics to a strong marketing strategy and boosting brand awareness through print and digital media, as well as billboards at stadiums.
“We made sure that we increased our brand awareness because there’s a shortage of listings in Perth at the moment. The stock shortage has meant that buyers are making decisions a lot faster, so sales are taking place at a faster pace as well,” Ms Yap told REB.
“We also made sure that we delivered what we promised and ensured that transactions do take place and settle.”
To combat the challenges of securing listings amid the property stock shortage, Ms Yap said she has been assisting vendors with purchasing their next property by searching for suitable properties.
“Therefore, there are multiple purchases happening all in the same chain,” she explained.
“A buyer could also be your vendor if they’re looking to sell their home but haven’t already. There are just constant connections there.”
Alongside this, Ms Yap and her team utilise their connections with the Ray White network to cross-refer their clients with each other, as well as data management software Vault to maintain a comprehensive database on their clients.
When the coronavirus pandemic caused significant disruptions (including lockdowns and bans on property inspections and in-person auctions), Ms Yap viewed it as an opportunity to form connections with clients by calling to check on them and dropping off COVID-19 kits with masks, sanitisers and anti-bacterial soaps.
Explaining her reasoning for this, she said: “It’s about the level of care that we can provide for our clients. It was good to check in on them with follow-up phone calls, and allowed us to make more calls.”
During the restrictions on inspections and auctions, Ms Yap’s office conducted virtual 3D tours of properties and online auctions (which were also streamed).
“We also did a lot of auctions out in the open like a park near the property, or in a garden to comply with social distancing rules,” Ms Yap explained.
When asked for advice on how other agents could replicate her performance and success, Ms Yap urged agents to persevere and “don’t give up”.
“You certainly don’t get to see the fruits of your work for at least another six months to a year,” she said.
“So, it’s like putting your money in a piggy bank with everything that you do, whether that’s the connections you build, or the relationships you form and nurture with your clients.”
Click here to find out who placed in the REB Top 50 Agents South Australia 2022.
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