“We are all human,” says Alex Yao. “In this business, that comes first. That’s how you strive in it.”
Yao is an award-winning realtor and top performer specializing in Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, and Coquitlam. Yet, accolades and achievements aside, the personal and professional act of being of service to his clients is the most rewarding component of his career.
Before being in the real estate business in Vancouver for the past seven years, Yao spent ten years in the 5-star luxury hotel sector. After studying hospitality at Glion in Switzerland, graduating as valedictorian, and then being headhunted by the Four Seasons Hotel brand, Yao travelled the globe learning much about how to meet the expectations of high-income, high-net-worth individuals.
Does he bring the skills honed from those ten years into his present career as a realtor here in B.C.? “Absolutely,” he says. “Any business these days is a human business, and to be able to foresee the needs and requirements of clients, to be able to pinpoint those right away - have been key to my success.”
Yao values the opportunity to initially sit and talk with his clients during a discovery meeting and “just be genuine,” he says. “In the hospitality industry, we learned to simply be ourselves, not to be anything other than just us, so we are more reachable, if you will and have empathy.”
“I deal with mostly families, and I like to help people not just buy one thing or sell one thing,” Yao describes. “I manage the whole moving experience, lining up all the dates, dealing with all the intricacies of both or more properties, all that’s required - a one-stop shop in that sense.” Yao’s network includes mortgage brokers, wealth advisors, private bankers, stagers, home inspectors, cleaners, notaries, and lawyers. Whatever a client needs to make their real estate buying or selling smoother, he can provide.
At RE/MAX, Yao realizes the name carries significant weight as a trusted, respected real estate brand with his clients. “Although our marketing system is proven to net our clients the highest possible amounts, we understand that not all real estate transactions are money-forward,” he says. “Sometimes you have other needs that may surpass the dollar, which we can also tailor our services to.”
Yao recognizes his strengths and what he offers professionally and that some parts of the transaction are best left to his clients.
“I have a very analytical mind, much more than a creative mind,” he says. “I read a lot of numbers, a lot of news, and see how the market reacts. I have been pretty accurate in my predictions. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I have a good feel for the market, better than most. I like that I can utilize that to help my clients and ask them to handle the emotional part - so we can collaborate.”
That ‘emotional part’ comes down to a number of factors deemed best for any family. Timing, location, funding, the feel of a home, “that is all up to them. That is the emotional part,” says Yao. “Then I will give you all the other tools you need to make the best decision. The quickest, easiest way to get there I can help with.”
Fluent in three languages: English, Cantonese and Mandarin, Yao can easily shift gears between conversations with clients, including multi-generational families. For the past few years, he’s developed a friendship with a client whose elderly parents recently needed to sell the house they built in the 50s. The home that three generations of families grew up in. On the last day, after selling and packing it all up, the extended family gathered in the front yard to reminisce.
“I showed up with a watercolour painting of their house, and the mom just burst out into tears,” Yao remembers. “That felt really good – just to understand what’s important.”
