chose a path “a bit different than the traditional realtor career.”
Prior to breaking into the business in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»in 2010, she was a successful insurance broker in Asia.
With a toolbox full of professional skills that transferred easily to her clients looking to buy and sell real estate in Greater Vancouver, plus numerous leads and relationships established, Yu felt ready to make the significant career change. And she has never looked back.
Leading a team of 45 people since 2013, Yu has seen the shift in how realtors do business, firsthand. “I think the biggest difference back then was creating the team structure,” she says. “Realtors generally do very local business, and I was told by some of my buyers that it is hard to reach their realtors who are often very busy without a lot of manpower to help them. They just did not have time to maintain the listings.”
The solution for Yu was to go team focused. “When we created a team structure, we introduced a very formal training program to teach our realtors how to maintain listings and take care of clients carefully,” she says. “We wanted to get the most exposure to our clients’ listings and offer the best way to get to the seller.”
As a team leader Yu shares that “it’s very busy, training and recruiting, being responsive to listings, and we must maintain the quality of the service. That is the key point, to serve the client better.”
As an example, Yu trains her team on the start to finish of conducting open houses, with a focus on scheduling, contacting the seller, how to be well prepared as both realtor and client, and more. The team structure “balances it all for the client, so they have more service from numerous people, at any time of day.”
Yu believes that licensed realtors on her team “have a good chance to learn, get into the business, and come to understand that clients are our priority. You can’t go further without the training.”
When asked how she advises her clients in today’s market, Yu has this to say, “the market is shifting. It started in mid-March after the increase of interest rates. The market has slowed down and we advise buyers not to rush if they can, and then they have a chance to shop around, and wait. That way there could be more choices, more inventory and more opportunities to negotiate the price.”
As for sellers, “I always say the timing is important and you have to make a decision quickly during peak season, without the luxury of too much time thinking.”
As a woman in real estate, Yu is reflective. “As a female realtor, it’s not easy to be successful, or outstanding in the business. We often have families to take care of and sacrifices to make. When I started my kids were teenagers, so I didn’t have enough time for them sometimes. However, every important event I was there with them, no matter how busy I was. I will always be there for them, and now they are adults and doing well.”
With her refreshingly honest approach, she tells us about a past situation where the struggle was very real. “One thing I really regret is that I wasn’t there for the kids’ graduation photos. I had a client emergency and was late. I tried my best, but sometimes we can’t have both.”
“My daughter is just graduating from university this year. Both kids have scholarships, and I am so proud. They are very focused, they study hard, and they say, ‘mom you are our role model’. They don’t seem to mind that I am not a good housewife (laughs), but I helped them know themselves and what they want.”
Yu is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and French, and won the 2011 BC Outstanding Chinese Women Award. She is one of the top 1% REALTOR® in Great Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Real Estate board since 2014.
Morning Yu is featured in the .
