You may have heard of real estate and alternative investments (we have an alumni group formed around it!), but what does the industry entail? Meet Corene Chin (BAcc & BBM 2015), a Real Estate Private Equity Analyst with SC Capital Partners (SCCP). Corene was first introduced to the world of real estate by her father, who encouraged her to invest in overseas properties even before university. The fledgling interest grew into a passion after her first few jobs exposed her to the unique and intriguing nature of alternative investments. We catch up with Corene to find out more about the naunces of real estate.
Hi Corene! You graduated in 2015 with double degrees in Accountancy and Business Management. What was your fondest memory from SMU?
My fondest memories from SMU are definitely built with my friends from my courses – be it celebrating Singapore Day in London (I did my exchange programme in London Cass Business School), creating new experiences together in Amsterdam, to memories closer to home like working hard on an M&A case for APB and celebrating thereafter at a pub with a tower (or a few towers) of Heineken.
Corene (front row, 4th from left) with fellow Singaporeans on exchange in London, celebrating Singapore day 2014.
Of course, as part of the ASoc executive committee serving as the Corporate Relations Director, organising networking events for the student body formed a huge part of my time in SMU. Bridging the corporate world to the student body had been an extremely memorable and meaningful experience, and even till today, I enjoy sharing career opportunities/ my network with others.
Corene (1st from left) with her friends from School of Accountancy at Photo Day 2015.
How did you get introduced to the area of real estate?
To be honest, I kind of stumbled upon this industry. My initial interest started before SMU when my dad encouraged me to invest in overseas residential property for higher yields. I did not think much about it in SMU as I was focused on getting into Banking and Finance, which I eventually pursued. I was lucky enough to have huge sector exposure to real estate during my time in the Banking sector and ultimately decided to move towards real estate private equity about 1.5 years ago.
What excites you most about the portfolio of real estate investment?
Unlike financial products, real estate is considered as “alternative investments” and it is intriguing to me because transactions are mostly private in nature, it is highly illiquid and yet most investors will have real estate forming part of their portfolio for diversification reasons. Most importantly, real estate is an asset that requires real asset management i.e. you can visually see the results of asset enhancement initiatives on the performance of your asset, which is unlike any other products. If you like travelling, real estate is perfect for you because it is almost essential to see the asset to manage it, unlike other financial products which are paper trades.
Corene is currently a Real Estate Private Equity Analyst with SC Capital Partners
Could you describe a typical day in your life at work?
I work in a real estate private equity fund and my role revolves around investment, asset management and portfolio management. On the investment front, I assist in the underwriting of a potential acquisition target which includes creating/managing the financial model and performing due diligence for a transaction. Once an asset has been acquired, I am retained to execute the asset enhancement initiatives and tracking actual performance against underwritten numbers. Lastly, on a portfolio level, I assist in tracking fund performances and answering investor’s queries.
Although this may sound hectic, I am rarely tired because of my strong passion in real estate. I recharge myself by going to F45 during lunch time and after work.
How did you benefit from the last Real Estate and Alternative Investments (REAL) Alumni Group event?
The last REAL alumni event was my first event and it has been incredibly insightful with guest speaker from JLL sharing our working in an international real estate firm as well as capital markets in general. During the event, I also manage to connect with peers in the same industry and we followed up with drinks after the event.
Corene (2nd from left) with her industry peers at post-event drinks after the last REAL Alumni Group event.
What are your aspirations for the next few years?
I will love to work overseas for 2 – 5 years. Working overseas provides great exposure and helps to re-calibrate working styles, adaptability and independence.
A group photo of Corene and her work associates at a business trip to Yangon, Myanmar, taken at the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Do you have any words of advice for juniors who may be interested in the same career path as you?
Go for it! Real estate is an industry that never dies!
Interested to find out more about the real estate industry? Sign up for the SMU IndustryCONNECT: Building the Future - A Smarter Way to Live, Work and Play, happening on 20 November 2019, Wednesday, at Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore, to hear from industry experts and learning more about the sector.
