SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 16 May 2019 - ERA Realty Network (ERA) has been awarded the highest industry's honour -- the "five-star" distinction in the "Real Estate Agency Single Office" category -- during the Asia Pacific Property Awards gala dinner at The Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Bangkok, held on the 14th -15th May 2019. Widely recognised as a world-renowned mark of excellence, ERA has emerged the top amongst the award winners in the Asia Pacific regions.

ERA Chief Operating Officers Mr Marcus Chu and Ms Doris Ong receiving the award during the Asia Pacific Property Awards gala dinner at the Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Bangkok

Organised by the International Property Awards, the Asia Pacific Property Awards is considered the largest, most prestigious, and widely recognised programme throughout the region. Now in its 26th year, the awards recognise the region most outstanding real estate organisations and trailblazing property professionals from around the globe who have been redefining industry standards through the pioneering of real estate concepts and services.

The Asia Pacific Property Awards 2019-20 nominees were judged by an independent panel of over 80 industry experts, with judging focuses on the nominees' commitment to sustainability, design, quality, service, innovation, and originality. The panel is chaired by Lord Caithness, Lord Best, The Earl of Liverpool, and Lord Thurso; all of whom are the members of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament.

"Winning the five-star Asia Pacific Property Awards is a tremendous recognition as it is widely recognised as a world-renowned mark of excellence. This prestigious award is an assurance to everyone that we provide excellent support to our agents and it also gives our customers peace of mind that they are dealing with a reputable real estate agent. Besides, it is also a testament to the company's mission to become the real estate agency of choice for both salespersons and customers alike," said Mr Jack Chua, Chief Executive Officer of ERA.

Strong Presence in Asia Pacific

Headquartered in Singapore, ERA has been redefining industry standards through the pioneering of real estate concepts, technologies, initiatives and services since its inception in 1982. ERA currently has a presence in 10 countries with a total of 633 offices and 17,757 associates throughout the Asia Pacific region namely: Singapore, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its current agent strength in Singapore stands above 6,800 agents.

With the recent acquisition of the master franchisor for Indonesia and the direct ownership of the master franchise in Thailand, ERA continues to strengthen its presence in the Asia Pacific region. ERA has also acquired a new commercial property in Singapore to further harness its leadership position in the region. With the new building, ERA also becomes the first and only real estate agency in Singapore to own a building.

Serving as the head office of ERA Asia Pacific, this new full-fledged agent-service hub -- named the ERA APAC Centre -- is capable of supporting its strong network and to facilitate better collaboration with teammates across the region. With a gross floor area of more than 45,000 sq. ft., this hub will spot a premium agent lounge for meeting and recruitment purposes, 2 training theatres, numerous training rooms, agency services, F&B outlets and shops; as well as dedicated and co-sharing workspaces.

The Merger of Innovation And Marketing

One of the key reasons behind ERA's spectacular win is its wide-ranging digital innovations, one of which is the award-winning i-ERA mobile app. From the intuitive display of the training calendars, to comprehensive floor plans and charts, to allowing seamless personalisation of marketing templates, this mobile app allows ERA salespersons to access any information they need on-the-go.

Another outstanding feature of the app is the most-updated financial calculators that can help potential home buyers gauge their Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) or Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR), and assess the amount of Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD), Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD), mortgage repayments and interest payable.

Also greatly helping its agents to do their work is the ERA 24/7 PropWatch. This free listing tool maximises the reach and efficiency of ERA salespersons by keeping them informed with the latest property transactions in the market. Clients can also sign up for the service to get notifications on recent industry-wide neighbourhood property transactions and search for potential buyers or tenants for their property at no charge.

ERA also improves the search experience of the public with FindPropertyAgent.sg. With a smart algorithm running on consumers' searches, this site allows consumers to find the right agent for their property based on their preferred search requirements. The site also allows consumers to read genuine reviews, ratings, and awards attained by the agents. Besides benefiting the public, the portal also generates free leads due to the prevalent use of the portal by homeowners -- an exclusive advantage unique to ERA agents only.

All these innovations have been backed up with extensive company-level marketing efforts through published press advertisements, television and radio interviews, podcasts as well as various online marketing efforts in the form of posters and videos via their social media channels. These innovations and marketing efforts attracted major attention, improving ERA's online authority and brand visibility and led to unprecedented audience buzz.

References

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