How ZipMatch co-founder Chow Paredes is empowering Philippine real estate brokers

Chow Paredes belongs to a family of lawyers, but she isn’t one herself. She’s a licensed real estate broker. She has a simple explanation for why she chose a different path: “I’ve always loved sales. I do very well in sales because I truly enjoy doing it.”

That passion is what helped her land a job in real estate, which would later open up a world of opportunities for her.

After years of selling condominiums for various property developers, Paredes decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship in 2013 and co-founded Philippine startup ZipMatch, now a driving force in the economy. ZipMatch is one of the country’s leading real estate portals that list and review properties for sale and rent.

For Paredes, however, ZipMatch isn’t only a business. It’s an advocacy.

Professionalizing the brokerage industry

Through ZipMatch, Paredes is empowering property brokers and sales agents in the hopes of erasing a stigma around the profession. She says, “People see brokers as persons who want to make a commission out of customers. More for personal benefit. That’s the common perception of the market today.” Brokers, she explains, are caught in a difficult position: they are hired by property developers to exclusively sell their products so even if the properties are not a fit for clients, brokers push for those sales anyway.

It didn’t help that it was only in 2009 that real estate brokerage was professionalized in the Philippines. That year, the country signed into law the Real Estate Service Act, which required brokers and agents to undergo grueling licensure procedures. The intent was to boost the confidence of homebuyers by separating the grain from the chaff. The law laid down strict ethical standards and stiff penalties for fraudulent transactions and malpractice involving brokers that weren’t present before.

Paredes takes pride in being among the first batch of brokers who got their licenses in 2010. But she knows very well it takes more than a license to professionalize the industry. Old habits die hard – some brokers are still cutting corners and doing their business without a strong sense of accountability or genuine customer service.

This is where ZipMatch comes in. The team takes as much work as it can from brokers’ shoulders – from the nitty-gritty of researching properties for sale to listing these on the site and taking customer inquiries. This is so brokers can focus on what they do best aside from actual selling: relationship-building.

The team also provides useful content for brokers, focusing on topics like how to efficiently sell properties, how to be memorable to a client, and how to go the extra mile to service a client.

“The mission of ZipMatch is empowering homebuyers. In the same way, we also aim to empower professionals. If we raise the bar in terms of service, knowledge, and education, I believe we will indirectly be helping the homebuyers by matching them with well-rounded real estate sellers,” Paredes says.

A vital tool