Super agent: I was earning $120K a year in IT - I made more than that in a month in real estate

For Tejinder Singh, being a real estate agent was never an ambition. It became a career option when he needed a flexible job so he could support his ill daughter. But he found he had a knack for selling houses and is regularly one of Barfoot & Thompson’s top South Auckland agents. Last year, he was one of OneRoof’s biggest listers, handling 185 properties with a combined value of $159 million.

Q: What did you do before real estate?

I was in IT. I came to New Zealand from India to study IT in 2005. That was all I had done, other than working in a kiwifruit orchard while I was studying. I got my first IT job in 2007, working for Whitcoulls in their head office, then I worked for Baycorp. My last job in IT was for International Accreditation New Zealand as an IT security and infrastructure specialist from 2012 until 2020. IT was the only thing I knew and I never had a front-facing role.

Q: Why did you make the move to real estate?

My daughter Samrath was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was six. She had a lot of issues, including a brain haemorrhage. I could not go to work for two months because of everything that was happening with her. My CEO and manager were very supportive, the kindest people I have ever met. But I felt bad that I had taken so much time off, I felt like I was letting people down. I needed to do something that had more flexibility.

I had a former colleague who was in real estate, and he said, “Come and join me”. I could see it was flexible, but I didn’t want to leave my IT job straight away for a job where you earn commission only. My wife Navjeet and I were already under stress emotionally; we didn’t want to be under stress financially. I did my papers quickly, studying late at night, and then I worked in real estate at weekends, doing open homes, while still doing my IT job during the week. I got a listing from a colleague – a two-bedroom brick and tile unit in Papatoetoe – and it sold very quickly.

Singh: "A lot of real estate is about finding solutions, and I think working in IT helped me with that because your job is to find solutions." Photo / Fiona Goodall

I asked my friend who’d got me into real estate to give me the registers from open homes for the last three or four years. Back then, they were not digital, they were books. I called every single person who had come to open homes in the last four years, and I found one who was still looking to buy. I sold him a property, and things took off after that.

Q: How long did you do two jobs for?

A year. I started doing real estate in November 2019 and went full-time in November 2020. In January 2020, I attended training for new agents, and they asked us to do one or two sales in the first six months. I had done five already. I was earning $120,000 a year in IT, and when I left the job, I made more than that in a month. I knew that if I didn’t get any more sales for the next year, I would be OK. It allowed me to plan for the next 12 months and to be there for my daughter.

Since then, I have been very lucky. I sell a lot of properties. I started out working in a team, then I worked a bit on my own, and now I have my own team of seven. We’re the number one team in South Auckland for Barfoot & Thompson.

Q: Why do you think you’ve done so well?

Real estate just clicked for me. I think it is being able to connect with people at a personal level. I am actually very shy, I can’t talk to an audience. When we have annual branch awards, and I have to talk, that gets me every time. But one-to-one, I am OK, or even with three or four family members.

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I always want to understand people’s needs, so I know what they are after and how I can help them. I ask a lot of questions so I can find a solution for them.

A lot of real estate is about finding solutions, and I think working in IT helped me with that because your job is to find solutions. I started at level one help desk and moved up to level three, where you are the one who must fix the problems. It ends with you; there is no next level. I think that mindset has helped me in real estate. I like the challenge of finding solutions.

Q: What do you love about your job?

The people I meet and being able to help them. There are a lot of immigrants in this area, and most of us who come from India have owned homes there, we don’t rent. They come here, study, work and want to have their own home. When they achieve that, it is a proud thing, and I love being able to help someone achieve their dream.

I am very grateful that my job has given my family a good lifestyle and the flexibility that I need. My daughter had an appointment at Starship Hospital a couple of days ago, and I was able to take her.

Q: What’s tough about your work?

Your brain never switches off. Even if you take time off physically, mentally, you are still working. You are always thinking about what needs to be done. It is a slow market at the moment so we have to do extra work. You can’t relax like you can when the market is hot. Even if you have sold a house, if something goes wrong, the first call is to the agent and you have to fix it.

Singh: "I have no regrets about being in real estate. It has been a blessing for our family." Photo / Fiona Goodall

Your family does sacrifice a lot because you can be away in the evenings and weekends, and even if you are there physically, mentally you are not. But I have no regrets about being in real estate. It has been a blessing for our family.

Q: How is your daughter doing now?

Things are ongoing. The cancer she has is very unique. It was everywhere in the brain and couldn’t be taken out. She can’t have radiography, but she takes drugs two times a day, and the cancer hasn’t decreased but it hasn’t increased. We take that as a big positive.

Whatever happens is with God’s willingness, and we have accepted it. She is 14 now, and there are a lot of things she can’t do that kids her age can do. But she has a lot of strength, and she always brings a smile to our faces.

I always try to be happy and smile. I know people are stressed, people are dealing with a lot worse than we are. You don’t know what people are going through, so I always try to bring a smile.

Q: Do you have time for any interests outside of work?

Not really. I do play a bit of cricket. I used to play on the weekend before real estate for Papatoetoe Cricket Club. I do a bit of indoor cricket and I try to watch my son, who is 11, play when I can.

Recently agents from the different Barfoot branches have been playing against each other. That helps to relieve some stress. When you are playing cricket your concentration is on the game. You are not thinking about work.

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