Meet Our Founder
Realtor, Investor and Mentor
in Commercial & Industrial Properties
With over 20 years of knowledge and experience in Singapore real estate, Richard Tan has led his team in transacting more than $2.2 billion worth of properties across shophouses, buildings, offices, industrial, hotel, and other commercial assets.
Richard began his real estate career with PropNex in 2004. Built on client needs, service, and trust, he has grown into one of the industry’s respected realtors, known for his market experience and practical advisory approach.
He first focused on resale HDBs in Bedok and Tampines, helping families upgrade and unlock the potential of their homes. He later expanded into condominium transactions in the Core Central Region, serving high-net-worth Singaporeans and foreign clients.
Today, Richard’s work is strongly focused on commercial real estate, where he continues to guide investors, business owners, and property seekers through Singapore’s evolving commercial property landscape.
Richard’s Passion in Singapore’s Rich History and Conservation Properties
With the 2012 property cooling measures beginning to impact the residential property market, Richard discovered a property segment that could provide his clients with opportunities and value. However, as Richard was new to this segment of heritage buildings and shophouses, he worked tirelessly to build a solid foundation and grew brick by brick to offer unrivalled value to his clients.
As Richard loves Singapore's rich history, he was determined to share more about this complex yet lucrative shophouse segment. He worked diligently to not only sell but educate customers about this rare segment. Richard is widely known as one of the pioneer practitioners of the art of shophouse marketing.
Richard’s Opinion Is Often Sought After by the Media
His analysis has only proven true over the years, with many shophouse districts and streets becoming designated heritage zones and tourist hotspots, attracting the interest of property investors and business owners alike, as shophouses provide for decent rental yield as well as solid capital appreciation.
Unlike the residential property market, commercial properties are often transacted privately and discreetly, as sellers and buyers will like to reserve their privacy. Hence, to connect qualified buyers and sellers together, Richard decided to create a network of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), corporations, entities and family offices from Singapore and overseas.
The Straits Times | 4 February 2026
Richard Tan was featured in The Straits Times for his insights on why Little India remained a strong draw for shophouse buyers despite a slower wider market. He highlighted how entry pricing, tenant demand, and steady footfall continue to shape buyer interest in the district.
Achievements & Recognition
Richard has transacted over $2.2 Billion worth of commercial and residential properties, which garnered him numerous achievement and performance awards over the years. Besides awards and accolades, the real estate industry views Richard as a humble and respected icon of the industry.
Some of the recent awards that Richard has achieved through his stellar performance are Top Commercial Transactor, Super Platinum Award, Top 50 Champion Producers, PropNex Ambassador Award 15 Years and Top 10 Group District Director.
A Sought-After Mentor and Speaker in Commercial & Industrial Properties
While Richard focuses on his clients’ needs, he also believes strongly in supporting his colleagues. This belief has resulted in him being a leader of a growing team of real estate professionals.
Richard regularly conducts training sessions and workshops on a variety of topics to empower and enrich his fellow PropNexians to deliver their best for their clients.
Heartfelt sharing from Richard Tan
20 Years PropNex Ambassador
My 20-year journey with PropNex has been incredibly fulfilling, filled with love for my job, immense satisfaction, and a deep sense of purpose. It’s been a fruitful adventure that has shaped me into who I am today, and I’m determined to continue excelling and staying relevant in the real estate business.
Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:
#1 Never Get Comfortable: In our business, we must keep learning, refining our skillsets, and diving deeper into our focus areas. There’s always more to achieve in prospecting and building meaningful connections.
#2 Focus on the Bigger Picture: It’s crucial to stay clear on my vision and goals, avoiding distractions from small, insignificant matters. When my purpose is bigger than myself, I find the drive to give my all and achieve my aspirations.
#3 Action First, Talk Later: For over 20 years, taking action has been in my DNA. I believe in moving forward rather than waiting for perfection. Over-planning wastes time—taking decisive steps always leads to growth.
#4 Aim for Leadership: Becoming a leader in PropNex is a goal everyone should strive for. Leadership challenges you to lead by example, constantly improve, and add value to your team.
#5 Self-Love is Key: Loving yourself is the foundation for loving others, including your team and clients. When you prioritize self-care, you bring the best version of yourself to every relationship and transaction.
These reflections have helped me stay consistent and relevant in real estate, and I hope they inspire everyone here to find satisfaction and success in this amazing journey. Here’s to thriving in our careers and making a difference!
A Passionate Philanthropist
Richard is not only a successful realtor but also a compassionate supporter of charity. He assumed the role of a philanthropic chairman, spearheading initiatives to raise $400,000 for the Chen Su Lan Charity. This undertaking signifies more than a financial achievement; it encapsulates Richard’s deep-seated commitment to giving back to the underprivileged and less fortunate children. This stands as his most meaningful event as a chairman — a chance to make a difference in the lives of those in need.
Giving Back to the Community Through Knowledge and Charity
In line with his open and transparent sharing nature, Richard decided to share his knowledge and passion of shophouses in the form of a comprehensive book, co-authored by Tyson Yuk. The book is aptly titled, “The Untold Truth of Investing in Commercial Properties”.
The book covers 3 main segments, which cover an introduction to commercial property, generating income from commercial properties and understanding macro-economic factors to determine the best property investment in Singapore.
Through the publishing of this top selling book, the community will benefit from the knowledge and strategies for commercial property investment in Singapore. In addition, the revenue collected from the book will be matched by the PropNex management and the significant sum will be donated to a charity.
An Avid Golfer & Traveller
Golf and Richard are an inseparable pair. Richard enjoys playing golf whenever there is an opportunity, as his golf clubs and kit are always readily accessible in his car booth. He developed the love for the game during his earlier years in the real estate industry.
With Richard always ready to take on challenges, the game has brought Richard to many different golf courses in Singapore and overseas, which offer different playing conditions, obstacles and terrain.
Through playing golf, Richard has built an extensive network of businessmen and executives, who have become part of his real estate clientele. Besides playing for leisure, Richard also actively participates in golf events, like the PropNex Golf event that he was a key organising member.
Besides playing golf, Richard prioritises on bringing his family for holidays to various overseas destinations. Bonding and enjoying with his loved ones during holidays are what makes Richard feel very happy. During his travels, Richard appreciates the beauty of nature across different lands. This helps him to relax and unwind, before continuing his work for clients and colleagues with a fully recharged body and mind. As Covid has brought a temporary stop for travelling, he is planning his travel wish list.