Sample questions: Real estate salesperson exam

1. Mr Ho Kah Meng and his wife hold their condominium unit as joint tenants. His will leaves 'my half of the unit' to his son. He dies, survived by his wife. Who owns the unit?

1. His wife alone, by survivorship; the gift in his will fails
2. His son alone, as the will overrides the joint tenancy on death
3. His estate, until probate decides who receives his half share
4. His wife and son, as tenants in common in equal half shares

A joint tenant cannot leave his interest by will: on death it accrues to the surviving joint tenant, and his wife can have the death notified and the unit shown as vested in her (Land Titles Act 1993, s.114). To leave a share by will, Mr Ho would have had to sever the joint tenancy during his lifetime (s.53(5)).

2. CEA's Guide on the PMLPFTF Regulations describes money laundering in three typical stages. At which stage are funds that now appear legitimate used for investments such as buying real estate?

1. Placement, when illegal funds first enter the financial system
2. Layering, when complex transfers hide where the funds came from
3. Integration, when funds that now look clean are invested in assets
4. Structuring, when cash is split into small sums to avoid checks

The Guide lists three stages: placement (introducing illegal funds into the financial system), layering (complex transactions that conceal the source of funds) and integration (using seemingly legitimate funds for investments, including the purchase and sale of real estate). Structuring is a laundering technique, not one of the three stages listed. (CEA Guide on the PMLPFTF Regulations 2021, version 30 June 2025, para 2.1.1, p.5)

3. According to the RES Examination Syllabus 2027, what is the main purpose of BCA's Green Mark Certification Scheme?

1. To grade the workmanship of each completed home before it is handed over
2. To assess the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings
3. To score the construction quality of the building works of a whole project
4. To approve the sale of units in a new project before construction starts

The syllabus describes Green Mark as a rating system and framework for assessing the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings, to promote sustainable design and best practices. Grading the workmanship of individual homes is the role of the Quality Mark and scoring construction quality is the role of CONQUAS; approving sales of new units is not part of Green Mark at all. (RES Syllabus 2027, LO 3.9.1 and LO 3.10.7)

4. Mr and Mrs Wee buy a resale flat that is classified as a Plus flat. What is the minimum occupation period they must fulfil before they may sell it on the open market?

1. 5 years from the legal completion of their purchase
2. 10 years from the date the first owner took the keys
3. 10 years from the legal completion of their purchase
4. 5 years from the date the block obtained its TOP

HDB applies a 10-year MOP to new and resale Plus and Prime flats; unclassified and Standard flats have a 5-year MOP and Fresh Start flats 20 years. The MOP starts from the legal completion date of the buyer's own purchase, not from the first owner's key collection or the block's TOP.

5. A couple buys a 4-room HDB resale flat in Sengkang for S$680,000; HDB's valuation of the flat is S$670,000. How much Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) is payable on the purchase?

1. S$14,700 in BSD, computed on the S$670,000 valuation
2. S$20,400 in BSD, at 3% of the S$680,000 price
3. S$13,600 in BSD, at 2% of the S$680,000 price
4. S$15,000 in BSD, computed on the S$680,000 price

BSD is payable on the acquisition of any immovable property in Singapore, HDB flats included, on the higher of the price or market value, here S$680,000: 1,800 + 3,600 + 3% x 320,000 (9,600) = $15,000. The valuation is lower, so it is not the base, and a single flat rate ignores the marginal tiers (IRAS, BSD, FAQ 'I am buying an HDB flat' and rates on or after 15 Feb 2023).

6. Under the CEA's Option to Purchase template for private residential property, how does the purchaser exercise the option?

1. By signing the Acceptance Copy and delivering it with the stated payment to the vendor's solicitors
2. By signing a fresh sale and purchase agreement prepared by the vendor after a valuation is done
3. By paying the option money to the vendor's salesperson at any time before the completion date arrives
4. By telling the vendor's salesperson orally, before the expiry time, that he wishes to buy the unit

Clause 3 of the CEA template states that the option is accepted by the purchaser signing the 'Acceptance Copy' and delivering it to the vendor's solicitors together with the stated payment, which with the Option Money forms the Deposit, within the time set in clause 2. An oral indication to a salesperson is not a valid exercise. (CEA Option to Purchase template for private residential property, cl. 2-3)

7. Mdm Lee's new condominium unit has received its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) and she has been given vacant possession, but neither the CSC nor the strata title has been issued. What is the status of her purchase?

1. She is already the registered proprietor of the unit's strata title
2. She may occupy the unit, but legal completion has not taken place
3. She may not move in until the developer obtains the project's CSC
4. She must pay the whole balance of the price before collecting keys

TOP permits lawful occupation before the Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC); buyers take vacant possession and pay the TOP instalment, while part of the price remains payable at the later stages. Legal completion, when title passes, comes later, once the title can be transferred (syllabus LO 4.1.1: rights and duties at the OTP, S&P, TOP and legal completion stages).