How Monika Tu was able to rise to the top

Monika Tu lost what would have been her first property sale because of the car she was driving.

“The buyer asked me if the Mercedes S500 out the front [of the house he was inspecting] was mine. I said ‘yes’ but he told me I clearly made too much money and I needed to give him a discount,” she recalls.

“I told him that [for the townhouse he was looking to buy], $430, 000 was the best price he’ll get, but he didn’t buy the property from me – he thought I was too expensive because of what I was driving.”

Because of this lost sale, Tu – who had never worked in real estate prior to this listing – started thinking about what she wanted to make of her career in real estate.

“[I realised that] I didn’t want to drive a Toyota or a Hyundai to sell a $430, 000 property. I didn’t want to lower my lifestyle to sell something which is probably not within my brand – I wanted to sell luxury property.”

So, the next property Tu represented – her first real estate sale – was a $13.5 million home.

“I told my friend Judy that I was selling luxury properties, and she told me about someone she knew who was looking to buy.

“On a Wednesday, I called him and said that I’m a real estate agent and asked what it was that he was looking for.

“He said he wanted something with waterfront views and his budget was about $10 million – and he wanted to look at properties on Friday.”

Tu told him it wasn’t a problem – “fake it till you make it” – but had to quickly come up with a plan as she didn’t have any properties to show.

“In real estate, you have to be open to working with other agents so I worked with an agent on Sydney’s Upper North Shore called Mark Manners, who has now passed away. He said his partner Richard Simeon had a waterfront property that we could show.”

On Friday, Tu picked up the buyer in her Mercedes S500 to show him the property.

“He said, ‘Monika, you must be very successful’ [because of what I was driving], but he didn’t ask how many properties I’d sold.

“Then the next day, I picked him up in my other car, a BMW – remember, you fake it til you make it – and the third day, I got the Porsche 911.

“He didn’t know that I’d never sold anything in my life – I couldn’t even sell a $430, 000 townhouse! – but he bought the property from me for $13.5 million.”

This sale helped Tu discover the niche market her company, Black Diamondz Property Concierge, which she founded alongside her husband Jad in 2009, would go on to service.

“[For this buyer], it wasn’t just about buying a home – he also needed my help to build a life here in Australia. He wanted to start a development company so I would bring a lot of resources for him to start this company.”

Tu established Black Diamondz – which specialises in high-end and luxury and residential property sales, investment strategies and business solutions – to help Chinese immigrants adjust to life in Australia by introducing them to schools, shopping, healthcare, social networks and lifestyle resources, something she didn’t have when she first arrived here from China in 1988.

“I’m Chinese and what I can bring to the table is helping Chinese migrants – you really have to find that niche market which represents you, your value and your brand. And I want to make sure my personal brand is very strong so nobody can compete with me.”

Tu says social media has played a significant role in developing her brand – she’s got active profiles across 10 different social platforms, including Chinese socials like Red Book, where she says she’s a “number one influencer”.

“My socials are about lifestyle, not just real estate. You have to engage with socials. What message are you putting out there?

“My brand is a bridge between East and West and its luxury. My brand is a niche but it’s also a lifestyle. You have to find that personal brand.”

SOLD - Price Withheld

4 Wyuna Road, Point Piper NSW 2027

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While real estate will always remain at the core of what she does, Tu says giving back to the community is what drives her.

“Eighty per cent of my time is focused on real estate because if I don’t sell, I don’t get paid. And if you don’t get paid, how can you help the poor? How can you be a philanthropist? Where the money goes is very important to me.”

Tu says she loves that her work and personal life have become one, with vendors and buyers becoming her friends.

“Real estate is the best business. It has longevity, and you can work until you’re 85.

“For people who have just come to real estate … [know that] you don’t have to change yourself. You can elevate yourself to sell something, rather than lower yourself to match that brand to who you are not.”