ARE THERE ANY PRICE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN FOR-SALE-BY-OWNER TRANSACTIONS AND BROKER-ASSISTED TRANSACTIONS IN SINGAPORE'S PUBLIC RESALE HOUSING MARKET?

Abstract

With increasing number of property listing websites and information systems provided by the government, access to real estate market information has never been easier. The increasing use of the Internet to obtain information has reduced the gap of informational asymmetry between homeowners and brokers. Together with the recent launch of self-listing portals for homeowners to list their property, resulting in an increase in For-Sale-By-Owner transactions in recent years.

The result found no price differential between a For-Sale-By-Owner and Broker-Assisted transaction in Singapore’s public resale housing market especially in recent years. Although results from earlier years found a small price differential, the marginal increase in transaction prices from a Broker-Assisted transaction is insufficient to cover the services provided by a broker. Therefore, For-Sale-By-Owner transactions indeed results in cost savings.

This suggests that the market has become more efficient and transparent that informational asymmetry between broker and homeowners have reduced. However, the brokers are still relevant in the industry due to the foreign homebuyers are unfamiliar with the housing market in Singapore and high-income households have a high opportunity cost of time resulting in a lower transaction price when transacting private housing.