79% of Singaporeans satisfied with services of property agents

Romesh Navaratnarajah5 May 2016

CEA reception resize

The survey found that consumers are mostly satisfied with the service standards of agents. (Photo: CEA)

Nearly four out of five Singaporeans are pleased with the performance of property agents here, according to the latest survey conducted by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA).

Around 79 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with their agents, but this is slightly lower than the 81 percent seen in 2012.

The marginal drop comes after the percentage of satisfied resale clients fell from 87 percent in 2012 to 82 percent last year, while that of rental clients remain unchanged at 75 percent.

Those polled said they are most satisfied in the area of service excellence, giving high marks to property agents for politeness, responsiveness and for reasonably accommodating customers’ needs.

However, respondents gave low marks in three areas, namely that their agents did not clearly explain the commission amount for brokering the deal, may have been forceful in pressuring them to complete the transaction, or did not do their best to secure the best price for the client.

The study also found that more people are undecided about whether to engage a property agent for future transactions. Compared to 24 percent in 2012, 31 percent said they don’t know if they would use their services.

Nevertheless, the proportion of respondents intending to work with a property agent is still high at 60 percent, versus 66 percent four years ago. Those planning to handle their own transactions also fell from 10 percent to nine percent.

“The findings provide us with useful insights to plan and develop initiatives that will further raise professional standards in the industry, as well as promote consumer awareness of industry practices. It also serves as a useful report card for property agencies and agents to review and improve their practices,” said CEA’s Executive Director Lee Kwong Weng.

The survey was conducted from November 2015 to February 2016, involving a total of 2,113 consumers. Of this number, 448 had not dealt with a property agent before, while 1,665 had used their services.

 

Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg

MG
May 17, 2016
I recently hv had a not so good encounter with an agent who does not seems to secure best buying price for buyer. The agent feels that the buying price at 21K COV is good and I have had my 1K deposit forfeited. Very sad.
Gratitude
May 14, 2016
Believe that agents work hard to earn their commission. The report results and accompanied comments show how a community can choose to be grateful or ungrateful towards work rendered. CEA is a professional body deserving of good work as well.
totally stupid
May 14, 2016
What a rubbish report, and even more rubbish comments. Selling DIY which i have done also, is totally up to you. Which part of Australia are you referring to? Aren't all Sales people polite because they want you to buy? I have never encountered any sales people being rude to me, except for some famous hawker stalls (which i promptly bring my business elsewhere), its very obvious that they will have to be polite to you, show that they are professional, isn't that a given if they want my business?
Danny
May 14, 2016
Not all agents are made equal. It all depends on your relationship and communication with your agents. How do you justify the amount of work that needs to be done for the commission that's earned? I would love to hear about it.
Aaron C
May 06, 2016
I agree. Agents here are a big joke. Singapore's real estate market is very transparent and easy to understand. For the amount and quality of work agents do (or lack of), the quantum of commissions charged is simply unjustified.
What A Joke
May 05, 2016
What a joke! CEA registered or not, knowledge and standard of service (i.e basic professional etiquette and politeness) of agents here seriously pales in comparison to property agents found in countries like Australia. Would rather DIY as seller but doesn't seem to be encouraged in our market - case in point, non-agents will not be able to advertise here in PropertyGuru.
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