VIP sales at condo launches under scrutiny after agents get first dibs
CEA has engaged agencies on ensuring that regular buyers are not disadvantaged
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[SINGAPORE] The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) is in discussions with property agencies about the practice of VIP sales and priority bookings at new private home launches, The Straits Times has learnt.
This follows concerns that such arrangements – despite being legal – could leave regular buyers with fewer choices, as property agents and other selected buyers snap up units before public booking begins.
Two of the four largest agencies confirmed that CEA had conducted engagements with them.
Discussions centred on ensuring that regular buyers are not disadvantaged, and that property agents who wish to buy units “strictly adhere to disclosure protocols”, said OrangeTee’s chief agency officer Raymond Khoo.
Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, said that his agency’s engagement with CEA “covered existing practices and served as an opportunity to exchange views on maintaining transparency, professionalism and public confidence in the property market”.
“We will continue to review our policies and practices where appropriate, in the light of regulatory developments and evolving industry expectations,” he added.
The issue came under scrutiny after The Business Times reported in December 2025 that property agents bought up to 20 per cent of units at some new condominium launches, such as Emerald of Katong, before public sales began.
The report noted that between September 2024 and October 2025, property agents bought 635 units through priority queues, or about 4.2 per cent of all new private homes launched in that period.
The figure does not include other forms of VIP or early-stage sales to selected buyers, which could raise the overall share of early-stage sales.
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In an ST forum letter published days later on Dec 15, 2025, one reader raised concerns about conflict of interest and market professionalism when agents themselves purchase units at priority stages of a launch.
Responding to queries from ST on Friday (Jul 3), a CEA spokesperson said it regularly engages property agencies and industry stakeholders to seek views and feedback on matters concerning the industry.
“One area that CEA had engaged the industry on was regarding sales practices at new condominium launches, arising from public feedback on this matter,” the spokesperson said.
“We note that priority access is a private commercial decision by developers, which could involve buyers besides property agents, and does not contravene existing rules and regulations.”
PropNex chief agency officer Eddie Lim said that any priority access for salespersons is generally a market-wide practice and depends entirely on the developer’s discretion.
Both he and ERA Singapore key executive officer Eugene Lim said that CEA did not engage their agencies on the matter.
How do VIP sales work?
VIP sale arrangements typically allow selected buyers – for example, relatives or business associates – to book units before the main public booking day.
On the official public booking day, a sales board shows which units have been sold during earlier phases and which are still available, said OrangeTee’s Khoo.
Lim of PropNex said developers generally ensure that a good selection of units, including lower-priced ones, remain available for the public launch.
But one agent familiar with new launches, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that some developers are “very relaxed” about who gets placed on VIP or priority lists.
“Sometimes the VIP list can be very long,” he said. “To me, it’s unfair to the regular buyers as they would only find out on booking day that the units they want have already been taken.”
Another agent, who also asked not to be named, said such arrangements may drive sales by creating a fear-of-missing-out effect among ordinary buyers.
“When buyers see so many units sold on the display board on booking day, they would feel the pressure to act fast,” he said.
“For developers, selling units quickly reduces holding risk and marketing costs. Developers also save on commission when units are not sold through agents.”
Khoo said that his agency has safeguards to manage potential or perceived conflicts of interest. These include mandatory written disclosure for agents buying a unit in a project they are marketing.
In addition, modern launch bookings use centralised digital balloting and queuing systems which help to prevent manual queue-jumping, backdating or unauthorised unit blocking, he said.
He gave examples of how priority arrangements might work for upcoming launches under its purview.
For Lentor Gardens Residences, only multiple units purchasers with a proven first-tier relationship – such as a mother and son buying one unit each – would qualify for priority arrangements.
For Dunearn House, priority access would be given to those buying multiple units, as well as loyalty clients who had previously bought from the developer.
A spokesperson for Frasers Property , a joint developer for Dunearn House, said thar priority booking arrangements “may form part of our planning ahead of the public launch”, depending on the project.
“Such arrangements are intended to support an orderly sales process, while ensuring that prospective purchasers continue to have a meaningful selection of units available during the public booking phase.” THE STRAITS TIMES
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