Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development
visited Huttons office with Mr Lim Chee Hwee, Executive Director, Council for Estate Agencies (CEA), Mr Chan Mun Kit, Deputy Executive Director, CEA, and engaged Mr Mark Yip, Huttons CEO and management team in a dialogue
Singapore: Huttons Group launched new enhancements to its apps and will be refreshing its training roadmap through engagement with Institute for Adult Learning; an industry first, this month. On 23 August, Huttons was also ranked 1st position in the real estate agencies category under The Straits Times “Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2023/24”!
Huttons Analyzer app is equipped with a new feature – landed street view which helps our associates to visualise each landed property on the map and explore the surrounding using street view without going there physically. With past transaction and landed housing zone information, Huttons associates have all the vital information at their fingertips to provide higher professional service to their clients.
Huttons Link Up app is powered up with a search for resale listings by keywords, tags and land size in addition to the existing comprehensive filters. With a click of a button, our associates can send the relevant listings as a professional report to their clients. This saves Huttons associates time and increases productivity.
Mr Mark Yip, Chief Executive Officer of Huttons Group said, “As Singapore’s Largest Private Real Estate Agency, it is vital to continue upskilling our associates and empowering them with the latest tech tools such that they can go the extra mile to deliver a high level of client satisfaction with their next dream home or investment property. Good customer service is the cornerstone of our business. Our associates’ dedication to delivering great customer experiences resulted in our achievement in the Singapore’s Best Customer Service survey by The Straits Times and research firm Statista under the real estate and banking category.”
“Huttons’ consistent commitment to enhancing digital resources for their property agents is aligned with our Real Estate Industry Transformation Map 2025. This map aims to promote technology adoption by property agencies, as well as encourage the digitalisation of property transaction procedures. By placing strong emphasis on the skills development of our property agents to harness the benefits of technology, Singapore’s real estate agency industry will in turn become more professional, productive and resilient,” said Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State (MOS), Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development.
Huttons is the first real estate agency to engage Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) to conduct an overall review of skills framework and internal training programmes for associates and staff.
Huttons new training roadmap will be re-modelled to run parallel with the recently announced enhancement of the Council for Estate Agencies’s (CEA) Continuing Professional Development ecosystem in May 2023. The Competency Guide for Property Agents is broken down into 3 levels namely; Level 1 (New Property Agents); Level 2 (Experienced Property Agent); and Level 3 (Advanced Property Agent). Huttons is developing courses that will cater to the attributes and professional characteristics for associates’ learning at various stages of their career journey.
In addition, from October 2025, property agents will have to meet a higher training requirement to renew their license. The number of training hours property agents will have to clock a year to renew their license will increase to 16 hours up from the current requirement of six to nine hours. In response, Huttons is preparing and revamping course materials so that associates remain relevant.
New development programmes include Huttons Fast Track which was launched in July 2023 where aspiring RES will be mentored by Top Leaders and Producers to accelerate their knowledge across branding and digital marketing, resale markets and project marketing, prospecting, presentations and negotiations, asset progression and financial calculation. Other hands-on sessions to help associates and staff in adapting to new technologies will also be scheduled progressively.
Finally, with the proliferation of chat GPT technology, Huttons endeavour to future proof associates by equipping them with the right skills to increase productivity and optimise their work using AI tools. Therefore, Huttons will leverage on IAL’s expertise and toolkits such as the skills framework, to identify and develop the necessary skills and competencies of associates and staff to meet the needs of clients and the industry.
For the community, Huttons pledged to raise up to $150,000 towards Singapore’s OneMillionTrees movement under Nparks since August 2022. The funds raised for the Garden City Fund’s Plant-A-Tree programme will support the transformation of Singapore into a city in nature, which is a key pillar under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
On 5 June 2023, in conjunction with World Environment Day, Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for National Development & Communications and Information, joined in a tree planting session at Pasir Ris Park with Huttons management, associates and family members. These efforts will help to conserve Singapore’s natural heritage and create a better living environment for generations to come.
Huttons has also been supporting numerous events such as NKF Race Inspired 2023, Roxy Foundation Charity Car Wash 2023, The Private Museum Charity Golf 2023, YMCA 23rd Charity Golf, Arc Charity Gala Lunch 2023, Extra•Ordinary People’s 2nd Charity Golf Challenge 2023, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Golf Charity 2023 to go the extra mile for the society.
Mr Yip added, “We will continue to invest in raising the knowledge and skills of our associates so that they can provide prompt and professional assistance at every touchpoint, and go the extra mile to deliver a high level of client satisfaction with their next dream home or investment property. With our clear and forward-looking direction to reach 6,000 associates by end-2024, we will continue to build on our momentum to make a positive impact in people’s lives.” Mr Yip concludes.
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For further information, please contact:
Lee Sze Teck, Senior Director of Data Analytics, Singapore
Tel: +65 9183 6367 | Email: szetecklee@huttonsgroup.com
Shermaine Tay, Assistant Director, Head of Marketing and Communications, Singapore
Tel: +65 9127 7101 | Email: shermainetay@huttonsgroup.com