Category Archives: CEA

Why property agents should act for only one party

I REFER to last Thursday’s Forum Online letters by Mrs Teresa Yao (‘How new rules can protect property agents’) and Mr Teo Kueh Liang (‘Barring same-agent property brokerage not practical’).

Both writers have highlighted the plight of the majority of ethical property agents, whose image has been tarnished by a small group of unscrupulous and dishonest agents.

In any profession, it is impossible to completely wipe out the bad hats. Therefore, after an acceptable standard of practice has been established, understood and made into law, non-compliant practices should be punished.

In any property transaction, the two most important parties are the seller and the buyer. They must enter into a legally binding contract in order for the sale to go through. It is therefore natural that we facilitate the interests of the seller and the buyer first.

The interests of the property agent come after those of the seller and the buyer, as his role can come into being only after he has been appointed.

The terms of appointment, that is, what the agent can or cannot do, for example, must be expressedly agreed between him and the one who appoints him, so that there is no ambiguity that leads to future problems. Continue reading

Nurturing ethical estate agents

I REFER to the Institute of Estate Agents’ letter last Saturday, ‘New rules for estate agents: Ethics just as important’.

Singapore Accredited Estate Agencies agrees that ethics is key to the real estate agency profession which has been rife with complaints of errant agents and doubtful practices. At the same time, it is our belief that ethical conduct is developed fundamentally through the estate agent’s education. Right behaviour stems from right learning in the concepts of law, marketing, salesmanship, government regulations and general real estate matters.

Even ethics can be taught as a code of professional conduct and modelled by sterling examples of ethically competent estate agents who have imbibed sound values and are financially successful.

We support the proposed regulatory framework in that every estate agent will have to pass an industry entrance examination before he can be accredited to practise. Estate agents also have to stay relevant on the job by compulsory continuing professional development courses. This is recognition that sound estate agent education will produce competence and desirable professional conduct.

Dr Tan Tee Khoon
Chief Executive Officer
Singapore Accredited Estate Agencies

Source : Straits Times – 3 Nov 2009