Most people think a property agent’s job is simple.
Meet the owner.
Market the house.
Find a buyer.
Complete the sale.
But sometimes, the best advice is to tell a homeowner not to sell.
Recently, one of my long-time clients referred a family to me. They own an HDB flat in Punggol and wanted to understand whether it was the right time to sell.
When I met them, I realised something important.
They had already planned to sell their HDB, but they had not secured their next home.
Their plan was to ballot for a new BTO project because they preferred a better location. However, they would be applying as second-timers, where the allocation of flats is significantly lower than for first-time applicants.
That immediately raised a concern.
Looking Beyond Today’s Sale
I started working through the numbers with them.
Their cash proceeds after selling would be healthy, so financing wasn’t the biggest issue.
The bigger question was:
What happens if they don’t get the BTO?
Even if they were successful, they would still need to wait around three to four years before collecting their keys.
During that waiting period, they would need to rent another home.
When we estimated the rental cost over several years, the total came up to well over $100,000.
And that’s assuming they receive a BTO on their first attempt.
If they were unsuccessful and needed to ballot again, the rental period could become even longer, eating further into the cash proceeds from selling their HDB.
Sometimes Waiting Is the Better Decision
At that point, I shared my honest thoughts.
I told them that if they already had another property secured, selling their HDB would be much easier to plan.
However, selling first and hoping to secure a BTO later carried a level of uncertainty that I personally felt wasn’t worth the risk.
Of course, the final decision was entirely theirs.
If they had still wanted to proceed with the sale, I would have respected their choice and helped them through the process.
My role isn’t to make decisions for my clients.
My role is to help them understand the risks before making one.
The Outcome
After discussing the different scenarios, they decided that waiting made more sense.
Instead of rushing into the sale, they chose to review their housing plans first.
Did I lose a potential transaction?
Perhaps.
But I also believe I gained something much more valuable.
Their trust.
A Property Agent Shouldn’t Only Focus on Closing Deals
Real estate isn’t just about buying and selling.
It’s about understanding timelines, government policies, finances, future housing plans and, most importantly, whether a decision actually benefits the homeowner.
Sometimes the right advice leads to a sale.
Sometimes the right advice delays a sale.
Either way, my responsibility remains the same.
If I believe a client may regret a decision later, I would rather have an honest conversation today than help them make a costly mistake tomorrow.
My Thoughts
One thing I’ve learnt after many years in real estate is that not every meeting has to end with a transaction.
Some meetings end with better clarity.
Some end with a better plan.
And sometimes, the best outcome is helping someone realise that now is simply not the right time.
For me, that’s what being a trusted property advisor is really about.