Passed Your RES Exams? 4 Practical Steps to Accelerate Your Real Estate Career
- Stuart Chng
- Dec 23, 2025
- 9 min read
Congratulations on passing your RES exams 🎉
That achievement alone deserves recognition—because the course and exams are no walk in the park, regardless of how many attempts it took.
But now comes the real challenge.
Passing the exams is only the starting line. This is where theory meets reality, and where many new agents either build momentum—or lose direction.
If you’re wondering what to do next, here are four essential steps that can help you gain traction faster and build a sustainable real estate career.
Step 1: Set Clear Goals and Treat Real Estate Like a Business
Your income as a property agent is directly tied to the number and quality of transactions you close.
Start by defining your income goal.
For example, if your aim is to earn $500,000 in annual commissions, work backwards to determine:
How many transactions you need
The average commission per deal
The number of appointments required to hit those figures
Break these down into weekly and monthly targets so they feel achievable.
Next, decide what types of transactions you want to focus on:
HDB or private residential
New launches or resale
Commercial or industrial properties
Trying to chase everything at once often leads to burnout and mediocre results.
High-quality listings—supported by professional photos, videos, and complete information—do more than just attract buyers. They also position you as a realtor with standards, which can impress future sellers and strengthen your personal brand.
Step 2: Choose a Target Segment and Commit to It
One of the biggest mistakes new agents make is overthinking without taking action.
Instead of analysing endlessly, make a decision and commit. You can always refine your approach later.
Ask yourself:
Which customer group do I naturally connect with?
Do I prefer working with buyers, sellers, landlords, or tenants?
Which market segment suits my personality and strengths?
There is a saying in real estate:
“Listings are king in the resale market and buyers are king in the new launch market.”
Each segment requires different strategies.
Understanding Market Differences
New launches: Supply is usually abundant. The challenge lies in lead generation, buyer analysis, and conversion skills.
Landed properties: Demand often exceeds supply. Success depends on branding, trust, and positioning yourself as a specialist.
Selling new launches requires imagination and reassurance. Selling landed homes, on the other hand, is often more straightforward because buyers can immediately see what they’re getting.
Secure More Owner Listings for Resale Properties
To secure more owner listings for resale properties, the time-proven formula is through GTA (Geographic Target Area) based consistent marketing.
The challenge is to build awareness of your personal brand in your GTA – where eventually you reach the point of being able to enjoy – consistent AND automatic listings generation.
Like all marketing, it takes time to build up a brand.
The quickest way to get started will be through direct prospecting and these days, many of us are turning to social media ads and videos alot more than other mediums.
Project Marketing To Attract Buyers
In project marketing, the game plan changes as you will be looking for buyers.
The most effective marketing channels today have mainly gone towards SEO, PPC & social media ads due to "push" and search based marketing.
Hence, to excel in marketing of new launches will require knowledge and greater application of technology platforms.
Residential Properties vs Commercial / Industrial Properties
Residential properties has much greater volume and wider appeal.
On the other hand, commercial and industrial are specialized – usually you will have to deal more with investors and business owners than home-seekers.
For the mass market and mid-tier residential properties – your weekends will be when most of your viewings happens.
For commercial/industrial properties – your weekdays will be when most of the activities happens.
In all segments, there is money to be made. I have personally seen million dollar per year agents in the HDB, resale/new condos market, shophouses market or even the industrial property segment.
The key here is in FOCUS.
Most agents are reluctant to give up opportunities and allow themselves to be pulled in all directions.
It is impossible to excel in all segments simultaneously and you will be wise to buckle down and focus on just 1 segment.
An analogy I like to share is: The difference between a specialist and a general practitioner (GP) is that one knows a lot about a little while the other knows a little about a lot.
And it is no surprise that society rewards the one who specialises, and he earns many times more than the one who generalises.
As an agent, you would do best to carve out a niche and branding for yourself ASAP in the segment of your choice.
Avoid "butterflying" around as, in years to come, you will regret having not build up much of a reputation in any market.
Your Time Will Be Limited
Your other pressure will be time.
Be very keenly aware about how much of your time is focused on revenue-generating activities.
You are not an employee – your time is within your control. Decide how to spend your working hours wisely.
For agents focusing on residential properties, your time will be spent mostly at:
- show flats
- condos
- areas with amenities
Most of these areas are accessible via many transportation options.
Commercial properties are usually located in highly trafficked areas too. Depending on which segment of commercial – agents will be spending their time at malls, shophouses zones or office districts.
These areas are fairly accessible places but with higher transportation costs.
For industrial properties, they are usually in less accessible places and require agents to have their own mode of transport.
Some might take you as far as Tuas or deep in B1/2 industrial sites that aren’t close to shelters or train stations.
When I first started out, I made the mistake of taking up any and every listing I came across.
At one point, I was doing a room rental in Stirling Road, bungalows in Braddell Heights, dormitory beds in Woodlands and serving buyers looking all over Singapore.
This lack of focus, coupled with the fact that I was not driving yet, was the reason I almost dropped out of real estate all together as I struggled to manage my time well, and didn't make an income for 6 months.
It is important to realise early on that any leads we generate should be "recyclable".
Example, if all my listings and activities were to be focused in just one district, I would easily be able to swing buyers to other nearby properties that I know of.
And any effort in branding and advertising would enjoy greater economies of scale and reinforcements that I couldn't have enjoyed in the example of how I started out.
Step 3: Build a Focused Marketing Plan
About 80% of Singapore’s population lives in HDB flats, making the HDB resale market a powerful volume driver for new agents.
Within this segment, you can further specialise:
HDB upgraders looking to move into private properties
HDB right-sizers or downgraders planning for retirement
The HDB upgraders are a growing segment that are becoming more aware of the limitations of their HDB flats.
Hence the idea of upgrading to a private property can be attractive – if you know how to bring your message across.
Here you can consider doing door-knocking at those HDB flats that has just hit the MOP. It costs zero dollars and lets you test your pitch immediately.
HDB down-graders / right-sizers might also be a potential segment as Singapore has a growing ageing and greying population.
The idea of monetising your HDB flat for retirement is also attractive – again if you know how to bring your message across to your target audience and understand the macro and political reasons why this is so.
If you are planning to get more listings, you can also consider going after the private residential resale market.
Think about how you can bring your message to the residents of private condo developments – will flyers still work best?
Door-knocking is impossible at private properties – so consider other ways to reach out to them.
If you plan to sell new launches, you need to consider how to attract buyers.
Zero/Low-Cost vs Paid Marketing
When starting out, it’s wise to keep expenses manageable.
Common low-cost strategies include:
Door knocking
HDB estate roadshows
Telemarketing
These methods are labour-intensive but excellent for building confidence, resilience, and sales skills.
As your income grows, reinvest into your business through:
Online advertising (Facebook, Instagram, Google)
Video marketing
SEO-driven content
As a new agent, you might want to keep your costs low. That’s why door knocking at HDB flats and roadshows at HDB estates are popular.
As a business, do not be afraid to spend on marketing costs. An effective lead generation strategy is a form of investment that can give you a lifetime of returns if done well.
I know of agents who made a mid life career switch to real estate and were not comfortable with investing in their business as they did not have to do so in their previous job.
This mindset will prevent you from doing well as money invested in your business is in fact helping you buy time and accelerate success.
In real estate, you either spend time or spend money to generate leads.
If you choose only to spend time, you will soon hit a bottleneck scaling up your business when you reach your maximum capacity.
Whether offline or online, presentation matters. Flyers, ads, and videos are often a client’s first impression of you—so quality and professionalism are non-negotiable.
Hence, investing money in marketing and a leads generation funnel is crucial to crossing over from the average income to million dollar income category.
Step 4: Seek Mentorship and Stay Coachable
No one succeeds alone in real estate.
You are new, and that’s perfectly fine. Mistakes will happen—what matters is learning quickly and moving forward.
Over the years, I’ve seen talented agents fail and unlikely candidates thrive. One consistent trait among top performers is humility.
Successful agents are typically:
Open to learning from anyone
Willing to execute consistently
Determined to overcome setbacks
A good mentor helps you:
Avoid costly blind spots
Stay accountable
Navigate inevitable low periods in sales
Shorten your learning curve significantly
Sales is a long game. Having the right guidance makes the journey far more sustainable and rewarding.
All the best! = )
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Stuart Chng, Executive Group District Director of Huttons, is a renowned leader and personality in the real estate industry.
He adores music and can play a few instruments decently without upsetting his neighbours. When not doing so, he enjoys pillow fighting with his son and coming up with silly puns which barely amuses his wife.
Professionally, he is a licensed real estate agent, an avid stocks, options and real estate investor, business owner, team leader, speaker and columnist for several property newsletters and blogs and is often quoted in media interviews on 938FM, Channel 8, PropertyReport, PropertyGuru and other publications.
Throughout his career, he has helped many clients grow their wealth through selecting great property investments and managing their portfolios actively. Read his clients' reviews here.
Stuart has also coached many top million dollar producing agents from different real estate agencies in Singapore. Read his agents' reviews here.
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P.S. Interested to take up the property agent course? Find out how to get your property licence and be a real estate agent in Singapore!
Passed your RES Exams? Find out what steps to take next to quickly reach your goals!
Find out which real estate agency to join after passing your exams!
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