Do you still need a property agent with the new HDB Resale Flat Listing?

What is HDB Resale Flat Listing?

HDB’s Resale Flat Listing (RFL) service is an online platform integrated into the HDB Flat Portal, designed to facilitate the buying and selling of resale flats. Sellers with validate intent to sell could advertise their listings, and buyer with valid HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter could view personalised payment plans based on their approved housing grants and HDB loan amount (if eligible), and more accurately assess if the shortlisted flats are within their budget.

 

How to ensure that the flats listings were genuine?

All listings are verified by HDB and duplicate listings are not allowed.

 

What are the benefit to sellers?

Sellers only need to upload photos and descriptions of their flat for marketing purpose. Key flat details such as the address, flat type and floor area automatically populated using HDB’s data.

 

Once listed, sellers can create viewing appointments for interested buyers to book. Only buyers with a valid HFE letter can obtain the sellers’ contact details and/or schedule viewing appointments through the HDB Flat Portal.

 

What are the benefits to buyers?

Provide assurance to buyers that the resale flats listed are owned by sellers who are eligible to sell their flat, i.e. they have a valid Intent to Sell with HDB.

 

Provide searches by location, flat type, remaining lease, or based on their ethnicity and citizenship under the prevailing Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) and Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) quotas.

 

Allows comparison of flat attributes of 3 shortlisted flats, as well as the preliminary payment plans such as monthly loan repayment amount and cash payment(s), if any.

 

Allow buyers to customise a search profile based on their preferences and be alerted via email when new and resale flat listings match their preferences.

Do you still need real estate agent?

No for putting out listings and arranging viewing appointment with owners.

 

Yes for a professional journey!

 

In the modern day online world, everything could be found on the internet if enough effort is spent.

However, how many of us still engage lawyers to defend our case? How many of us still consult the doctors to address our medical needs? How many of us still send our children to schools for education?

 

What are we truly paying for?

 

Professionalism

When the stake is high, when we could lose significant amount, we engage a professional even though we could defend our legal case ourselves, we could look up medicine ourselves, and we could educate our children ourselves; which some of us do.

 

A professional is trained to comb through facts objectively and provide an unbiased assessment that would best serve the interests of their client.

 

A lawyer, a doctor, an educator…. And a professional real estate agent does just that.

 

Assurance

When there are many twists and turns that could result in a different outcome, we seek assurance. We would prefer someone who was trained and experienced to undertake an engagement systematically and with proven results.

 

We want a peace of mind that our legal perspective would be well presented to the judge, our medical needs are treated based on an established diagnosis, our children learn based on a proven learning experience… and a real estate agent who had encountered many challenges during their career and could anticipate these before they happen in our selling or buying journey.

 

Wealth of options

An established lawyer will analyse our case and brought up various angles to defend our case. An experienced doctor would highlight the risks and prices of different treatments. A veteran educator would have seen the results of different teaching methods for different child’s needs and would use the most effective way to ensure our child learn with fun and develop the mental ability to learn and apply those knowledge for their life long journey.

 

A well trained real estate agent would share the various options that would address the needs of their clients. The agent would be able to open up the client’s mind and the client might end up buying a real estate that would meet their needs better in turn of location and price, and with better capital appreciation with future surrounding development plans.

 

Marketing Expertise

There are many legal, medical and educational establishments, and how were we attracted to them?

 

A successful marketing campaign is much more than putting up a listing or an advertisement. It encompasses detailed planning, presentation, appealing to the senses and highlighting features that might be overlooked or not even being looked out for by potential buyers.

 

A real estate agent is a communicator of ideas and presentation. An agent is trained to observe the behaviour of potential buyers, draw out their needs and would be able to highlight features that would be valued at a premium by potential buyers.

 

Have you ever wonder why a unit in the same block could sell for 10% premium over the neighbours even though they are in the same block and even the same floor, and even when the unit does not spend as lavishly as their neighbours in renovation?

 

Paper work

A win in legal case often depends on the thorough legal leg work performed. A win in medical treatment also depends on the thorough preparation by the medical professional. A good score in examination also depends on how well prepared an educator prepared the child.

 

A real estate agent would ensure that all necessary paper work are addressed by the bankers, the lawyers, the authorities, and the sellers and buyers to ensure that the transaction went softly to the point that the sellers and buyers hardly feel that the agent has done anything but they could just sign on the line and complete their transaction.

I am a real estate agent and feel that it is my duty to highlight some of the values that a real estate agent could bring to the table and is my intention to grow rich….but only after I make my customers grow richer; either materially or emotionally, through their property investment.

 

Feel free to look for me to explore your property options be it selling, renting or buying a private property or HDB.