Real estate agents don't get a salary. If you searched for the real estate agent salary in Singapore, hoping to find one number, here's the honest answer: there isn't one. Agents earn commission when a deal closes. When no deal closes, they earn nothing.
This guide shows how the money really moves. You'll see how commission is agreed, what comes out of it, why payment is slow, and what a steadier income looks like. It also shares how Fendy Lee Group (FLG), a team at Huttons Asia, thinks about pay. There are no made-up income tables here. You'll see how it works, and you can judge from there.
Do Real Estate Agents Get a Basic Salary?
No. Most real estate agents work for themselves and earn commission only. They sign up with a property agency, but they don't get a monthly paycheck from it. If an agent closes no deal in a month, that month pays nothing. That's the biggest difference from an office job.
There's a second difference. An employer adds CPF on top of an employee's pay. Agents who work for themselves don't get that. If an agent earns more than $6,000 a year after costs, the agent must pay MediSave contributions personally. You can read the rules on the CPF self-employed MediSave page. So the money an agent earns has to cover savings, tax, and health costs as well.
That's why the real estate agent salary in Singapore isn't really a salary at all. It's what's left after costs. It's also why looking at real estate agent jobs and expecting fixed pay doesn't work. A property agent career is closer to running a small business. You find your clients, pay your costs, and wait for deals to complete.
How Does Commission Work for Property Agents?
Commission is a fee the client pays when a property deal is done. The law doesn't set the rate. The client and the property agency agree on it, and it goes into a written estate agency agreement. The commission is paid to the agency, not straight to the agent.
The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) has standard agreement forms for this. They list the agent's duties and the agreed commission. In a deal, your agent should represent one side only and collect commission from that side. If two agents work on one deal, they may share the commission, and that's an agreement between the agents.
For a sale, commission is usually linked to the price. For a rental, it's usually linked to the monthly rent. This guide doesn't give a fixed percentage on purpose. Rates are negotiable, and they change from deal to deal. Any page that gives one fixed rate is simplifying.
Where Does the Money Go Before an Agent Keeps It?
The commission goes to the agency first. The agent gets a share, and the agent pays business costs out of that share. These costs often include ads, listing fees, travel, and phone bills. So the amount on the deal and the amount the agent keeps can be very far apart.
Fendy Lee, who leads FLG, has been open about this. According to an EdgeProp feature, early in his career he led a team of 10. The group earned about half a million dollars a year in commissions. After costs, he took home less than $30,000 a year. He points to heavy marketing spend on finding leads as the problem.
He joined Huttons in 2013 and worked on ways to cut costs and earn steadily. The lesson is simple. A big deal doesn't mean big pay. What the agent keeps depends on the costs.
Real estate awards and lists of top property agents in Singapore work the same way. They show who sold the most, but not what an agent kept after costs. Always ask what an agent's costs look like, not just what the agent sold.
Why Does Commission Come Months After the Deal?
Commission is paid only after the deal is complete and the agent has done the work in the agreement. A sale can take months to finish. Rentals are usually quicker. So an agent often pays for ads and travel long before any commission arrives.
Agents pay costs first and get paid later. Some deals also fall apart late. Fendy Lee shared that one of his first deals at Huttons was a condo penthouse sale, and the buyer chose not to go ahead. When that happens, the time and money already spent don't come back.
So a new agent needs savings to cover the slow months. If a team promises quick money in the first month, ask more questions.
Why Does an Agent's Income Go Up and Down?
Pay depends on closed deals. Deals depend on the market, the agent's leads, and timing. An agent may close three deals in one quarter and none in the next. Slow months can hit any agent. That's why income looks uneven from month to month.
CEA counted 36,058 registered property agents at the start of 2025, according to its key statistics page. Many agents share the same market, so a steady flow of leads matters.
Fendy Lee warns about one common trap. Agents lean on new launches because they can close faster. But new launches rise and fall with the market, and so does the agent's income. A good real estate team leader plans for that, so the team doesn't depend on one kind of deal.
What Does a Steadier Income Look Like?
A steadier income comes from mixing deal types. Fendy Lee describes resale homes as the main dish, new launches as dessert, and rentals as insurance. The goal is to always have homes to sell and clients to serve, so income doesn't rest on one kind of deal.
FLG teaches this through two systems. The first, The Complete Circuit (TCC), covers four areas: Leads, Report, Analyse, and Connect. It's built to help agents earn a steady income. The second, Accelerated Asset Progression (AAP), treats an agent's career like a shop. Every agent needs "inventory" of listings, so there's always something to sell.
You can read how these work in FLG's real estate agent training guide.
Can Training and Mentorship Help New Agents Earn More?
It can help, but it can't promise pay. Good training teaches how to find clients, research the market, and control costs. A good team gives new agents someone to ask when a deal goes wrong. Ask what training covers before you join any team.
Training matters because new agents repeat the same mistakes. Fendy Lee says he built TCC and AAP after seeing agents make the mistakes he once made. His mentoring is one-to-one and fits each person's style. Some agents need structure. Others want freedom.
The same EdgeProp feature says FLG earned over $11 million in commissions in 2023 and had about 260 members by April 2024. That's team commission before costs and splits. It isn't what one agent takes home. A member who joined in September 2023 was also named Huttons' top-ranking rookie for the first quarter of 2024.
To see how a program works, read FLG's guide to real estate mentorship and what good property agent mentorship and training look like.
What Should You Ask Before You Join a Team?
Ask how commission is split, which fees you pay, which marketing costs you cover, what training is included, and how you get support. Get answers in writing where you can. A team that answers clearly is a better sign than one that only talks about big earnings.
Here are six questions to take with you:
- How is commission split between me and the agency?
- Which fees do I pay each month, if any?
- Which marketing costs do I carry?
- What training do new agents get?
- Who helps me when a deal goes wrong?
- How do agents in the team keep their costs down?
If you're comparing options, FLG's guides on how to switch real estate agencies and the best property agency to join can help.
FLG's split, fees, and payout rules aren't listed on this site. For those, contact FLG on WhatsApp so you get the right answer.
Final Thoughts
The real estate agent salary in Singapore is really commission minus costs, paid after the deal. Agents who last learn to plan for slow months, control costs, and mix deal types. If you want to talk about joining Huttons Asia with FLG, message FLG on WhatsApp.