Melvin Lim (PropertyLimBrothers)

Melvin Lim
Education	Degree in Banking and Finance
Alma mater	Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)
Occupation	Co-founder of PropertyLimBrothers (PLB)
Years active	2017-2026

Melvin Lim (born c. 1982) is a Singaporean real estate entrepreneur and former 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.

In January of 2026, Melvin resigned from his position as the CEO following online backlash emerging across forums and Reddit threads alleging that Melvin Lim was involved in an extramarital affair with a female staff member at PropertyLimBrothers, referred to in some posts as Grayce Tan. Videos circulated online allegedly showed moaning sounds from a closed office unit and then Melvin and Grayce exiting a room together, which many viewers interpreted as evidence of an inappropriate relationship. Both executives have since been removed from the company’s leadership page on the PLB website.

Background & early life

Family

Melvin and his family. Photo from Salt&Light (Web Archive).

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 history

Prison Officer (2004-2007)

Melvin (third from right), Adrian (third from left) and their prison officer colleagues. Photo from Salt&Light (Web Archive).

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)

Melvin & Adrian. Photo from Salt&Light (Web Archive).

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

Their 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

The PLB team. Photo from PropertyLimBrothers.

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

Melvin and Adrian holding the books they published. Photo from EdgeProp.

Publishing

Melvin, together with Adrian, 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

Melvin and Grayce seen leaving the room. Photo from TheOnlineCitizen.

The PropertyLimBrothers affair scandal

On 28 January 2026, a now-viral clip was shared on Reddit and social platforms, included audio in which sounds resembling moans can be heard coming from behind a closed office door. The 6:24 clip was filmed outside a second-floor unit in an old mixed-use building in Balestier. The viral video was allegedly filmed by PropNex agents after they were alerted to sounds coming from a nearby office. The agents were presumed to be working in the office unit opposite at the time of the alleged cheating.

The footage largely focuses on a tinted glass door of an otherwise nondescript unit, with a privacy curtain drawn behind it. Earlier in the recording, at the 1:21-minute mark, one of the PropNex agents is seen leopard crawling towards the unit, attempting to look beneath the gap of the privacy curtain. Upon returning to the group, the agent is heard saying "confirm sex". At the 2-minute mark, a man later identified by online commentators as Melvin Lim is seen emerging from behind the curtain inside the unit before exiting. He is holding what appears to be a packet of wet wipes. About 50 seconds later, he returns and re-enters the unit.

At the 5-minute mark, Grayce Tan and Melvin Lim are seen exiting the unit together. After leaving, Melvin Lim locks the glass door behind them.

Melvin's (alleged) apology to the PLB team on Telegram. Photo from Hardwarezone.

Removal from PropertyLimBrothers website

Amid the online firestorm, Melvin Lim and Grayce Tan has been removed from the PropertyLimBrothers website. Both individuals have also made their Instagram comments private 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. PLB later confirmed that both executives stepped down from their roles after an internal review, and stated they would not comment on “rumours or speculation.” The coverage referenced the viral video and Reddit posts as part of the reason the public was aware of the alleged situation.

Melvin Lim's message to the PropertyLimBrothers team on Telegram

On 29th January, a Reddit user shared a screenshot of a message purportedly sent by Melvin to members of the “PLB team”. In the message, Melvin Lim acknowledged having made a “personal mistake” and stated that certain boundaries had been crossed. He expressed responsibility for the matter and apologised for the disruption caused to colleagues and the organisation. The message also indicated that the issue had been addressed privately with family members, and that the sender intended to take a period of leave to focus on family matters.

The agency later confirmed that both Lim and Grayce Tan stepped down from their roles following an internal review, and appointed a new interim CEO, Marc Chan, to lead the company. PLB has stated that it is reinforcing its workplace conduct policies and governance standards in the wake of the controversy.

Netizen's reaction to the scandal

Within hours, commenters were sharing screenshots of social media posts, old photos of the two together, alleged holiday pictures, and even corporate details, as netizens pieced together what they believed to be a timeline of interactions between Melvin and Grayce. Some commenters on social media have pointed out and criticised Melvin's professed faith and the affair allegations, noting the contrast between his public image as a Christian business leader and the behaviour alleged in the viral videos and online discussion. Across Reddit and other forums, many netizens have expressed disappointment, sympathy for family members, or general commentary on personal conduct.