Real estate agent

What does a real estate agent do?

A real estate agent helps people buy, sell and rent homes and other property in Singapore.

The work is regulated: agents register with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) and act through a licensed estate agency.

Most agents are paid by commission and build their own client base inside an agency. They work with buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, other agents, bank officers, mortgage brokers and conveyancing lawyers.

Agents cover HDB resale, private residential, landed, commercial or rental work. Many pick one segment and one or two areas, then build a name there.

What the work involves

• Post and refresh listings on portals such as PropertyGuru and 99.co, with photos and accurate details.
• Answer enquiries, qualify buyers or tenants, and arrange viewings around their schedules.
• Check recent transaction prices and prepare a price recommendation for a seller or landlord.
• Negotiate offers between buyer and seller, and explain each step of the transaction to your client.
• Run online ads, including Meta Ads, and follow up leads by phone and message.
• Complete forms and agreements, and coordinate with banks, HDB and lawyers until the deal completes.

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Skills a real estate agent needs

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Real estate agent job description

We are looking for a real estate agent registered with CEA to advise clients on buying, selling and renting property in Singapore.

You will find clients, market listings, run viewings and negotiate deals from enquiry to handover. You will work under a licensed estate agency and follow its compliance rules. If you hold or are working towards your registration, you do not need prior property experience.

Responsibilities

• Advise buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants on market conditions, pricing and the steps of a transaction.
• Prepare and publish accurate listings on property portals and social media.
• Arrange and lead viewings, and give honest answers about the unit, the lease and the neighbourhood.
• Present offers, negotiate terms and keep every party informed in writing.
• Complete estate agency agreements and transaction paperwork as CEA rules and your agency require.
• Generate leads through referrals, networking and paid ads, including Meta Ads.
• Handle client personal data in line with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
• Follow the CEA Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care, and your agency's compliance procedures.
• Keep up with market data, cooling measures and HDB and bank rules that affect your clients.
• Refer clients to banks, mortgage brokers or lawyers for advice outside your remit.

Requirements

• Registration with CEA as a real estate salesperson, which includes passing the Real Estate Salesperson (RES) exam.
• Association with a licensed estate agency that supports your registration and compliance.
• Meets CEA's entry criteria on age and education. Check the current rules before you enrol.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills, with a record in sales, service or relationship work as an advantage.
• Comfort with property portals, social media advertising and spreadsheets for simple price and yield checks.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends, since many viewings happen outside office hours.

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Real estate agent career path

Real estate careers grow through your client base, deal volume and, later, team leadership.

Titles differ by agency, but these steps are common in Singapore.

1. Real estate salesperson

   Entry

   You pass the RES exam, register with CEA and start building clients, often with mentoring from your agency.

2. Senior property consultant

   Mid

   You close deals steadily, hold repeat and referral clients, and often focus on a segment such as HDB resale or private condos.

3. Team leader

   Senior

   You recruit and coach a small team of agents and still close your own deals.

4. Division director

   Lead

   You run a larger group of agents, set training and standards, and share responsibility for compliance in your division.

5. Agency head or key executive

   Head

   You are accountable for the agency's operations, compliance and business direction. This role has its own CEA requirements.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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Real estate agent interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. Walk me through the main steps of an HDB resale transaction, from the first viewing to handover.

   What a good answer covers

   • Buyer and seller eligibility checks
   • Option to purchase, option fee and exercise period
   • Resale application with HDB
   • Financing: bank loan, HDB loan and CPF use
   • Completion with lawyers and key handover

2. How do you work out an asking price for a resale flat or condo unit?

   What a good answer covers

   • Recent comparable transactions in the same block or project
   • Adjusting for floor, view, condition and remaining lease
   • Current listings and market demand
   • Seller's timeline and expectations
   • Explaining the range to the seller with evidence

3. How do you write a listing for PropertyGuru or 99.co that gets quality enquiries?

   What a good answer covers

   • Accurate headline facts: size, tenure, floor, price
   • Clear, honest photos and a short description
   • Highlights that matter to the target buyer or tenant
   • Claims that are truthful and details that are current
   • Refreshing the listing and tracking which ones draw enquiries

4. A buyer asks how much they can afford. What do you explain, and what do you refer to others?

   What a good answer covers

   • Cash and CPF components of a purchase
   • Bank loan limits, such as debt servicing rules
   • Extra taxes and fees that apply to some buyers
   • Referring loan and tax advice to banks, brokers or lawyers
   • Never promising loan approval

5. How would you set up a Meta Ads campaign to find buyers for a new listing?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defining the target audience by location and interests
   • Creative: photos or short video with a clear call to action
   • Lead form or message ad, and a daily budget
   • Measuring cost per lead and lead quality
   • Following CEA advertising rules and PDPA when handling leads

6. How do you use ChatGPT in your work, and what do you never put into it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Drafting listing text and follow-up messages
   • Summarising long documents for your own use
   • Checking every fact and figure before sending
   • Never entering NRIC numbers, contact details or financial records
   • Keeping the final message in your own voice

7. What is the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive estate agency agreement, and why does it matter to a seller?

   What a good answer covers

   • Exclusive: one agency has the right to market the property for a set period
   • Non-exclusive: several agencies may market it
   • Effects on marketing effort, commission and flexibility
   • Putting terms in writing and explaining them before signing
   • Using CEA's prescribed agreement forms, which CEA advises agents and clients to use

8. An investor asks about rental yield on a condo. How do you explain it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Annual rent divided by purchase price as a simple gross yield
   • Costs that reduce returns: maintenance, vacancy, taxes, agent fees
   • Comparing with rents for similar nearby units
   • Yield differs from total return
   • Advising the client to confirm figures with their own adviser

1. A buyer wants to offer well below the asking price. The seller has already refused one low offer. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Check the buyer's comparables and how serious the buyer is
   • Explain the seller's position and the risk of losing the unit
   • Suggest a counter structure, such as price, timing or inclusions
   • Pass every offer to the seller promptly and honestly
   • Keep both sides calm and the talks moving

2. Two buyers you represent both want the same unit and offer on the same day. How do you handle it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Treat both clients fairly, favouring neither
   • Tell the seller about all offers
   • Let each buyer decide whether to raise or hold their offer
   • Create no false pressure and no made-up competing offers
   • Record what you told each party

3. A seller insists on a price far above recent sales. How do you respond?

   What a good answer covers

   • Show recent transactions and current competing listings
   • Explain what a high price does to viewings and time on market
   • Offer a plan, such as a review after a set number of weeks
   • Respect that the decision is the seller's
   • Decline to agree to an unrealistic price just to win the listing

1. Tell me about a deal you lost. What did you learn?

   What a good answer covers

   • A specific situation, described without blaming the client
   • What you could have done differently
   • A change you made afterwards
   • How you kept the relationship

2. You are starting with no clients. How do you build a pipeline in your first months?

   What a good answer covers

   • Telling friends, family and past colleagues what you do
   • Choosing a segment or area to focus on
   • Using portals, social media and ads steadily
   • Following up consistently and asking for referrals
   • Tracking leads and what works

1. You collect phone numbers from portal enquiries. How do you use them under the PDPA and the Do Not Call rules?

   What a good answer covers

   • Use personal data only for the purpose the person agreed to
   • Check the Do Not Call Registry before marketing calls or texts, unless you have clear consent on record
   • Keep data secure and share it only as needed
   • Delete or stop using data when asked
   • Follow your agency's data policy

2. A client asks you to act for both the buyer and the seller in the same deal. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Recognise the conflict of interest
   • Explain that CEA rules do not let a salesperson act for both buyer and seller
   • Tell your agency and get its guidance straight away
   • Make clear to both parties which side you represent
   • Decline to act for the other party

Common questions about a real estate agent job

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