Guide
The words we use, how we count, and tips if you're new to Singapore.
How to find an agent
- 1Tell Find what you're doingBuying, selling, renting out or renting, the type of home, and where. A postal code or MRT station is enough.
- 2See who has done the most deals like yoursAgents are ranked by how many deals like yours they did nearby in the past year.
- 3Check before you signLook the agent up on CEA's Public Register to make sure their licence is valid.
Types of home
- HDB flat
- A flat built by the government's Housing & Development Board. Most people in Singapore live in one.
- Condo or apartment
- A private flat. Condos usually have a pool, a gym and guards.
- Executive condo (EC)
- A condo built for Singapore families, sold cheaper at first with some HDB rules. After 10 years, anyone can buy it.
- Landed house
- A house on its own land: a terrace, semi-detached house or bungalow.
- Landed in a gated estate (strata)
- A house in an estate that shares its land, gate and facilities, like a cluster house or townhouse.
Kinds of deal
Sales
- Resale
- Bought from the person who owns it now.
- New launch
- Bought new, straight from the developer.
- Sub-sale
- A new home resold by its first buyer before it was finished.
Rentals
- Whole home
- Renting the whole flat or house.
- One room
- Renting a single room.
How we count
- A deal is one agent's part in one sale or rental. If one agent helped the buyer and another helped the seller, that's two deals.
- We count deals, not prices, reviews or how happy people were. Those aren't in the public records.
- HDB flats are counted by HDB town, like Tampines. Private homes are counted by postal district, like D10.
- The newest months look lower because deals are reported late. Charts shade or stripe those months.
- Each agent counts for the agency they're with today, even for deals they did before they moved.
Words you'll see
- Agent
- A person licensed to help you buy, sell or rent a home. The official name is “salesperson”. Every agent works for an agency.
- Agency
- The company an agent works for, like PropNex or ERA.
- Deal
- One agent's part in one sale or rental. When agents help both sides of the same deal, each of them gets one.
- HDB town
- The government's name for an area of HDB flats, like Tampines or Bishan. HDB flats are counted by town.
- Postal district (D1–D28)
- Singapore's 28 areas for private homes, numbered D1 to D28. Condos and landed houses are counted by district.
- Licensed agents
- Everyone on the Council for Estate Agencies' (CEA) list of people allowed to work as agents today.
- Five-year rule (MOP)
- Owners of a new HDB flat must usually live in it for five years before they can sell it. Flats reaching five years may come up for sale soon.
- Stamp duty
- A tax paid when you buy a home. People who aren't citizens pay more.
Moving to Singapore, or buying from overseas
Some homes have rules for people who aren't Singapore citizens or permanent residents:
- HDB flat
- Foreigners can't buy HDB flats. Many can rent one, depending on their pass.
- Condo or apartment
- Foreigners can buy and rent these. Extra stamp duty applies when buying.
- Executive condo (EC)
- Foreigners can rent an EC, but can buy one only after it turns 10 years old.
- Landed house
- Foreigners can rent a landed house. Buying one needs government approval.
- Landed in a gated estate (strata)
- Foreigners can usually buy and rent these, like condos.
Rules and taxes change. Check the latest with HDB, URA and IRAS, or ask your agent, before you decide.
Planned: for developers and investors
Data on new launches, land sales and prices for developers and investors is planned. Until then, the app counts agents' deals for homes.