Home / Guides / Choosing an agency
How to choose a real estate agency as a beginner
Size is the easiest thing to compare and the least useful. The agency that fits is the one whose team, pipeline and culture match how you want to work.
Agency-fit check
Nothing is submitted. This runs in your browser.
How to shortlist
-
Write your priorities
New launches or resale, mentoring, training, income runway. Rank them before you talk to anyone.
-
Meet the team leader
The brand gets you in the door. The team leader decides whether you actually learn to close.
-
Ask the five questions
Pipeline, mentoring, culture, flexibility, and what happens in a quiet year. Compare answers, not logos.
-
Join, then register
Sign with the agency that answers best, then complete CEA registration before you transact.
The checklist
What to check before you sign.
Every agency will tell you it has training and support. These are the questions that separate a real answer from a brochure.
| Mentor | Who, specifically, will coach you — and do they have a track record you can verify? |
| Pipeline | Which new launches or resale segments will you actually get access to in your first months? |
| Training | Is it structured onboarding, or a one-off briefing shared with fifty other new agents? |
| Culture | Do teams share leads and expertise across divisions, or compete internally for the same deals? |
| Flexibility | What happens in a quiet year — fees, renewals, and support when you are not closing? |
| Commission | What is the split at your level, and when does it improve? |
Where Huttons sits
- Third largest agency by headcount — and the largest privately held agency in Singapore.
- Private ownership means decisions are made for agents, not for public shareholders.
- A family culture: teams share across divisions instead of competing for the same deals.
- More caring and generous to agents — support continues through quiet periods, not only good ones.
- Strong in new launch project marketing, with a high average of transactions per agent.
- How to qualify as a property agent — eligibility, RES course, exam, registration
- RES exam dates, fees and registration — three sittings a year, S$512.30 for both papers
- What it costs to become a property agent — the full ledger and subsidies
- What property agents actually earn — commission distribution and payment timing
Questions
Before you commit
Should I join the biggest property agency in Singapore?
Not necessarily. A larger agency gives you a bigger internal network, but the team and mentor you join matter more than the logo. Compare the people, not just the size.
Does it matter whether the agency is publicly listed?
It can. A listed agency answers to public shareholders; a privately held agency can make decisions around agents. Ask how each handles fees, renewals and support in a quiet year.
What should I ask a property agency before joining?
Ask the same five questions everywhere: who your mentor is, what launches or listings you can access first, how training is run, whether teams share across divisions, and what happens in a quiet year.
Can I switch property agencies later?
Yes, subject to your agreement and CEA rules. Choose carefully the first time, but a later move is possible.
Useful next reads: part-time property agent, what it costs, meet the team.