Melvin Lim (born c. 1982) is a Singaporean real estate entrepreneur and CEO of PropertyLimBrothers (PLB), a pioneering real estate media technology company known for revolutionizing property marketing in Singapore through innovative home tour videos.
Together with co-founder Adrian Lim (not related by blood), Melvin transformed from a prison officer to one of Singapore’s most recognizable real estate figures, presenting over 1,454 home tour videos and helping to sell more than 2,000 properties throughout his 18-year career in real estate.
Background & early life
Family
Melvin Lim grew up in a medium-low income family in Singapore. His father was a hardworking and responsible breadwinner who drove a taxi to support the family. Despite financial constraints, Melvin’s parents were supportive and played crucial roles in shaping his work ethic and values.
Career history
From the remarkably young age of 13, Melvin began taking on various part-time jobs to pay for things he wanted, developing a strong work ethic that would define his later success:
* Vitagen delivery boy (age 14) – Delivered Vitagen to neighbors three times a week to pay for his first home computer
* 7-Eleven store assistant
* Door-to-door Christmas card salesman
* Cheese brand sales promoter (wore a mascot costume)
* Waiter at banquets and restaurants
* Bank credit card promoter at roadshows (became a top sales promoter)
* Tuition teacher (taught 10 students while in university)
When Melvin wanted his first home computer at age 14, his father helped by putting down $500 as a down payment and taking up a hire-purchase loan, while Melvin contributed by delivering Vitagen to pay off the computer.
Education
Melvin pursued a degree in Banking and Finance at Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), paying for his own school fees through part-time work. However, after completing his second year, he encountered financial difficulties and couldn’t save enough money for his third-year tuition fees despite teaching 10 tuition students and doing multiple part-time jobs.
Facing burnout and financial constraints, Melvin made a pragmatic decision. He converted to a private university candidate and signed on as a prison officer with the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore Prison Service) for a three-year bond, which provided stable income to complete his degree as a night class student while also allowing him to get married and buy a HDB flat.
Marriage and personal life
At age 24, while working full-time as a prison officer and studying for his degree, Melvin married his girlfriend Yifen. He later reflected that coming from an average family made him think carefully about having focus and being the main support for the family he and his wife wanted to build together.
The couple has four children, with their youngest being 2 years old as of 2021. Yifen homeschooled their children until Primary 6, demonstrating the family’s commitment to hands-on parenting despite Melvin’s demanding work schedule.
Career
Prison Officer (2004-2007)
On the first day of training camp at Sembawang with the Singapore Prison Service in 2004, Melvin met a fellow trainee named Adrian Lim, who would become his closest friend, business partner, and brother-in-Christ.
Professional growth
Despite initially signing on primarily for financial stability, Melvin’s three years as a prison officer proved transformative. His “world view” opened up while looking after inmates. The role taught him discipline, accountability, and counselling skills. Melvin explained the impact:
“When you speak to inmates under your care, you learn about their stories, their family background. The experience opened his eyes to people in different demographics, different life stages in Singapore, and helped him to be less absorbed in small, day-to-day first world problems and choices, like what to eat today.”
During his time with the Prison Service, Melvin and his wife bought their first HDB flat and had their first child. As a new Sergeant, his salary was approximately $2,500 per month, respectable for someone without a completed degree at the time.Toward the end of his bond, the Prison Service offered Melvin a placement for senior officer, recognizing his potential for advancement in civil service.
Quitting his prison officer job
While still in the Prison Service, Melvin met a friend who was doing real estate and earning five figures monthly, a stark contrast to his $2,500 salary. The friend’s success intrigued Melvin, especially the idea of selling products (properties) that buyers had to physically walk into to view, a fascinating concept for someone in his mid-20s who loved sales.
Both men resigned together after completing their three-year bonds and entered the real estate industry full-time in 2007.
Real estate agent (2007-2016)
When Melvin and Adrian entered the real estate industry in 2007, they faced a hostile environment. As ambitious newcomers with no real estate background, they were viewed with suspicion by industry veterans. Melvin recalled:
“They saw us as threats, that we were here to snatch their rice bowls. We don’t blame them. That was the culture at the time.”
The duo started with a small real estate firm for two years before bringing their team to PropNex, where they would spend 13 years building their reputation and business. For their first ten years in real estate (2007-2016), Melvin and Adrian operated as traditional solo real estate agents, working on the ground daily using conventional prospecting methods.
A few years into the industry (around 2010), Melvin suffered severe burnout. He worked 16 hours daily, leading to the unhappiness of his wife while not being able to see his kids due to his work.
The “Four-Year Drought” (2012-2016)
In 2012, Melvin and Adrian made what they described as a “business decision mistake” that drained their bank accounts to zero. What followed was a four-year period during which they struggled to make sales.
This devastating drought became a turning point. Rather than giving up, Melvin and Adrian used this time for a “total reset” of their approach to business. They spent time in prayer and reflection, leading to a fundamental reframing of how they viewed clients:
“We viewed customers as ‘walking commissions’. We just wanted to close the deal. We didn’t think about the implications of how we conducted the business.”
Creation of PropertyLimBrothers
In December 2016, after questioning why properties in Singapore were always marketed the same old way just photos on portals, Melvin decided to try something radically different.
The video was far more effective than static marketing. Within one month, the property sold, breaking their four-year drought.
Melvin believed that video storytelling could bring much more value to both home buyers and sellers, though there was extensive preparatory work involved, including staging homes, a practice most homeowners resisted in 2016.
Growth & expansion (2017-2022)
PropertyLimBrothers evolved into PLB Holdings, comprising three main divisions:
* PLB Media: 89 media creatives across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines
* PLB Realty: 58-65 real estate consultants
* PLB PropTech: Technology and innovation arm
Total team size grew from just 2 people to over 140 employees.
Reach
PropertyLimBrothers built an impressive multi-platform presence with their YouTube having over 52k subscribers, 900 videos and a whopping total of 49 million views.
By 2021, their videos had garnered over 35.9 million views across all social media platforms.
Sales
The PropertyLimBrothers approach proved highly effective:
* From 2018-2022: Helped sell 985 homes
* Since 2019: 475 team transactions
* Melvin’s career total: 2,000+ properties sold
* Average selling time: 2 months from launching a PLB Marketing Campaign (based on 2021-2022 records)
* 2021 property deal value: $674 million
Melvin estimated that 70% of their leads came from social media and online channels, with 30% from their own network.
Becoming PLB Realty
On September 9, 2022, after 13 years with PropNex, Melvin and Adrian officially launched PLB Realty as an independent boutique agency with 55 full-time realtors. Melvin stated:
“We joined the real estate industry together, starting with a small firm for two years before bringing our team to PropNex. We have been in PropNex for 13 years. It’s been a great journey and we have made many friends there.”
Notable achievements
Melvin has received numerous accolades throughout his career:
* PropNex Millionaire Realtor: 2019, 2020, 2021 (achieving over $1,000,000 in gross commissions)
* EdgeProp Excellence Awards: Multiple wins for Top Transactor in Condos, HDB, and Landed properties
* SME100 Awards 2024
* Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards 2023
Melvin humbly attributed team achievements to collective effort: “It’s all our team’s effort because PLB works on a team model.”
Melvin has also become a recognizable figure in Singapore’s real estate scene:
* Video presentations: Appeared in 1,324+ home tour videos, 2,000+ property presentations
* Speaking engagements: Events for 99.co, Assembly, UOB, HSBC, and other major organizations
* SIM Trailblazers: Featured as an exemplary alumnus by Singapore Institute of Management
Other ventures & contributions
Assembly.sg
Melvin co-founded Assembly.sg, an educational platform offering masterclasses for:
* Property investors seeking to learn investment strategies
* Realtors looking to improve their skills and knowledge
Publishing
Melvin authored a comprehensive 300-page guide titled “Positioning: PropertyLimBrothers on the Art of Selling Your Property to Its Maximum Potential” designed to help property owners maximize the sale value of their homes.
Podcast: “Nuggets on the Go” (NOTG)
Melvin hosts the “Nuggets on the Go” podcast on Youtube, providing:
* Real estate insights
* Market analysis
* Investment strategies
* Industry trends
Newsworthy incidents
Cheating scandal
In late January 2026, a private video clip reportedly captured in PLB’s office circulated widely on WhatsApp and local forums, leading to a viral “tea” thread on Reddit and HardwareZone that framed the incident as a “cheating scandal” between Melvin Lim and his staff, Grayce Tan, also known online as “babygrayce.”
The footage, allegedly shot by colleagues from a neighbouring office, showed a woman loudly moaning inside the office, followed by Melvin Lim and Grayce Tan exiting together and locking the door, which many interpreted as evidence of an intimate encounter between them. The matter triggered furious online debate with commenters pointing out that both Melvin Lim and Grayce Tan are married to other people, and that Grayce had only recently (September 2025) married her long‑time boyfriend.
Amid the online firestorm, Melvin Lim and Grayce Tan has been removed from the PropertyLimBrothers website and announced they would step down from their active roles in the company, citing the need to protect the organization’s integrity and prevent further distraction. In effect, Melvin Lim is no longer serving as the CEO or public face of the company and operations continue under the existing leadership team, and PLB has not announced permanent replacements yet.
