Carried away by Miss Lee

Beauty queen turned actress/model wanted more - and got it.

Wed, Jul 13, 2011
The Star/Asia News Network

By Willy Wilson

With radiant skin, slender figure and doe eyes, Carrie Lee Sze Kei fits the bill for a beauty queen. And given her confidence and pleasant personality, it is hardly surprising that she won Miss Chinese Cosmos 2004 competition.

A dream come true Click on thumbnail to view

Run by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite TV, the pageant is an annual international competition opened to women of Chinese origin.

Winning the title, according to Carrie, has helped her build a career as a model and actress in mainland China and Hong Kong. But she wanted to have more - a big car and a bungalow "big enough to house my entire family", to be exact.

Admittedly, the entertainment industry pays generously. But the competitive nature of the industry made it difficult for one to reach the top. Realising this, Carrie decided to head home and became an entrepreneur instead.

"Upon returning to Malaysia, I contacted the pageant organiser, and expressed my intention to buy the franchise. I was only 20 years old at that time, but luckily the organiser took my offer seriously," Carrie says.

She subsequently founded White Fairy Sdn Bhd, a company that deals with event organising business, including Miss Chinese Cosmos pageant. According to the 25-year-old Kepong girl, becoming an entrepreneur was the turning point in her life.

Soon, as her business was growing, one of her dreams came true: She bought a luxurious 3,000 sq ft residence for her family. Another stroke of luck came in 2009, when her pageant business became a hit in neighbouring countries.

While not busy running a business empire, Carrie spends time at home with her family. StarProperty.my chats about property investment, saving habit and interior design with the SMK Segambut Jaya recently.

You bought this house four years ago, when you were only 21. How did you manage to do that?

I've always been wise with money. Coming from a humble background, I learnt from an early age about the value of money and self-discipline. I have been working as a model since I was 16 years old.

A dream come true Click on thumbnail to view

Together with my sister, who was also working at that time, we helped our parents to generate more income. I can proudly say that we both never indulged in expensive fashion items at that time, since our priority was to buy a house for the family.

Three years later, I found myself dispatched to Hong Kong to compete at Miss Chinese Cosmos. As chance would have it, I won the competition. What followed next was a string of modeling and acting gigs in China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. I saved a big chunk of my income to buy this house.

You decided to take a leap of faith by becoming an entrepreneur. What motivated you to work hard at such a young age?

My career was going well in Hong Kong, but being away from family was hard. Furthermore, I wanted to live in a comfortable house. In Hong Kong, my entire apartment is probably the size of my bedroom in Malaysia!

I decided to return home in 2005. I took a leap of faith when I bought Miss Chinese Cosmos franchise. Back then the organiser of Miss Chinese Cosmos didn't have a proper pageant show in Malaysia. Instead, a few judges were appointed by the organiser to select a Malaysian representative to compete in Hong Kong.

I saw it as a business opportunity, as I could create a full-blown Miss Chinese Cosmos Malaysia (and later on, Southeast Asia). Along the way, I learnt about marketing, sponsorship, event organising and business in general.

Impressive. Tell us what does this house mean to you.

It means everything - success, hard work and love. I went to a great length to buy this house. Now, all my family members - parents, siblings, in-laws, and a cousin - live here. There are 11 of us living here!

Well, luckily you have a big house! Tell us about the layout and the interior of the house.

It is a two-and-a-half storey house, with five bedrooms and two living rooms. The ground floor consists of a living-cum-dining, and a kitchen. The first floor consists of four bedrooms and another living room. Meanwhile, my bedroom, with its attached walk-in wardrobe and bathroom, occupies the entire top floor.

As for the interior, I was going for a modern classic concept. Focal interior pieces include chandeliers, classic paintings and dramatic curtains. Materials such as bronze and wood were employed heavily.

How much renovation work went to this unit? And how much did it cost?

Renovation work included changing the plaster ceiling and knocking down some walls on the ground floor. Other than that, it's just a paintjob and some soft finishings.

How much did you buy this house for, and how much is it worth in the market now?

I bought it for RM660k (S$267,600) five years ago, and the market value as of this year is RM1.3mil.

Are you interested in investing in other properties? And what would be your considerations when investing in properties?

I am interested in commercial properties. In fact, my cousin and I had just invested in a building in Puchong, which will be turned into a badminton centre.

As for residential properties, I'm thinking of investing in houses that cost around RM200k to RM300k. I believe this kind of investment is safer for me, as I would like to see the value increase over the years.

As with many other people, my mantra when buying property is location, location and location!