You may ask why a real estate agent like me need to blog? Of course, we can always use this as a platform for property listing. However you see NO PROPERTY LISTING directly under Keithyip.com (though I host it separately from this blog which you can easily find the link at the sidebar) since the Singapore property porters are definitely doing a better work than mine. I expect my readers to be savvy and understand the power of online property porters, which are hosting all the competitive pricing by all available units in the market.

So why should I blog STILL?

Frankly, blogging needs lots of personal commitment in terms of time and effort. In drafting up a proper article, I have to do my own research, gather enough data and take the actual site photos if necessary. And this takes lots of perseverance if I want to sustain the quality of a good blog with high subscription. Therefore the pros must be greater than the cons factors, and I list the following reasons :

• Differentiation of MY service: Barrier of entry to being a real estate agent is low. Everyone can be a real estate agent after taking the real estate course. Therefore I need to create this blog to differentiate my service to the buyers: There are many things I could share with the buyers on the real estate industry: regulations and ruling, the community and neighbourhood they are buying, or even the financial investment of real estate. However most of time we do not have the luxury of time when we meet up for viewing. Therefore this has been an excellent platform for me to share the knowledge I have with the readers.
• Getting to know YOU OR ME without direct contact: Before I was a real estate agent, I hate encountering hard sales. Therefore I understand that there are many real estate browsers avoid direct contact with real estate agents especially hearing some scary tales and rumours from friends. I understand their aversion to sales pressure, or some care about not wasting our time especially when they are just shopping around without the urgency to buy. Therefore I can get past this with the direct communication using keithyip.com until the time comes for them to buy.
• Time saver: Maybe my fellow colleagues may say: “Do I hear wrongly? Blogging is simply wasting my precious time, how can you say it is a time saver!!!” Wait, this is true. Imagine there are so many times that we answers a same old question again and again: 

1.  
   1. What are the new units in the markets?
   2. How to confirm the distance from school formally for my kid’s registration?
   3. Am I allowed to deck over my planter box area? Which department I need to submit?
   4. Should I go for Sibor or fixed rate for my house loan?
   5. How much CPF I can use for 2^nd house purchase?

Instead of repeating the questions, my readers can get great comprehensive answers by subscribing to my blog. The benefits do not stop there. If the prospect find my blog informative and share with other prospects, this would increase my exposure and SAVE MY TIME in going out looking for new leads. To me, this is a clear LEVERAGE of my real estate service with my Keithyip.com blog.

• Lifestyle, community and neighbourhood: As I put it under “Just Thoughts”: This is not about a house, this is living a LIFE. If you would have realised, my blog appears more like a lifestyle magazine talking about my circle of community and neighbourhood, i.e. the good food, the schools, the business trades, and etc. I enjoy capturing all these special moments and experience. And I believe you would enjoy and appreciate them too.

I believe real estate blogging is the future of the real estate markets. And this is already proven in the mature and established real estate industry in USA and Europe. I recommend my fellow colleagues who are already blogging or considering giving it a try to read this article: Real Estate Blogs: Move Beyond Listings, or You’re Dead by Michael Martine/Remarkablogger.