News from khmertimeskh : First Cambodia Real Estate Awards 2018 officially launched

After weeks of preparation, the much-awaited and prestigious Cambodia Real Estate Awards 2018 was officially launched on Monday.

CREA 2018, which promises to be the biggest event for the Cambodia Real Estate Industry this year, opened with a press conference at Lumiere Hotel that was attended by the organizers and representatives of different media organizations and real estate agencies/property developers.

Realestate.com.kh, Cambodia’s leading real estate website and marketing agency, is the main event organizer, with able support provided by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association (CVEA). Media partners include CTN, Khmer Times, and Biz Khmer.

Mr Tom O’Sullivan, CEO of Realestate.com.kh, said CREA 2018 recognises and celebrates achievements in the Cambodian real estate industry. “This is Realestate.com.kh’s chance to give back to the real estate industry, offering the opportunity for all businesses in the industry to celebrate the achievements that have been made,” he stressed.

“We are delighted to launch the Cambodia Real Estate Awards 2018, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Finance; and we sincerely hope that this awards series will lead to a new era or professionalism, competition and excellence for the Cambodian real estate industry as a whole,” Mr O’Sullivan added.

Dr Kim Heang, President of CVEA, noted during the media briefing that CREA 2018 is part of the effort to bring Cambodia to the world. “From now on, we should hold this event more often, so we can give value to the best agent, best valuer, to the best people in the real estate industry. We need to promote our own industry, we need to promote Cambodia to the outside world,” he said.

His Excellency Mey Vann, Director General of the Department of Industry and Finance of the MEF, said MEF is proud to support the undertaking. “The CREA, led by Realestate.com.kh, is an event to reward those agents, agencies and developers are your running legitimate operations in Cambodia – and pushing themselves to build stronger and better real estate businesses. It is with pride that the MEF join’s Realestate.com.kh in this endeavor,” he said.

Some 30 Agency and Individual based awards are up for grabs. The Agency Based Awards are: Real Estate Agency of the Year; Best Up and Coming Agency of the Year (Rising Tiger Award); Regional Agency Award; Valuation Company of the Year; Property Management Agency of the Year; Commercial Agency of the Year; People’s Choice Award; and Employer of Choice Award.

Individual Awards are: Service to the Industry Award (Hall of Famer), Rookie Agent Award (The Rising Tiger) and the Agent of the Year Awards, which is divided into 6 categories: Sales Agent of the Year; Rental Agent of the Year; Commercial Agent of the Year; Valuation Agent of the Year; and Property Manager of the Year. One visionary individual will also be awarded the “Hall of Famer” award and inducted into the CREA hall of fame, for overall service to the Cambodian real estate industry.

Nominations for the awards are now accepted. Nominations close on May 26, 2018. Anyone associated with the real estate industry can be nominated for the awards, and nominations are totally free. However, all nominated companies and individuals must have relevant licenses for their business operations, as will be verified by the MEF; all entrants must also be current members of CVEA.

A distinguished panel of judges will assemble to analyse the entry submissions, under the head judge, Dr Sok Siphana, Partner, SokSiphana&associates, a member of ZICO Law; and Advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia.

“For me, it’s an honor to be asked to head the judging panel. It is very important for the panel or the judges to be seen as credible, independent, and integral in their assessments of the candidates,” Dr Sok said during the press conference. .

The judging process will be monitored with diligence by established accounting and auditing firm Cambodian Investment Management (CIM) to ensure the awards are free from any bias.