Types of Property: RES exam practice questions

In URA’s private residential statistics, the Core Central Region (CCR) is made up of __________.

1. Apostal districts 9, 10 and 11, the Downtown Core planning area and Sentosa
2. Bpostal districts 1 to 11, which together make up the whole of URA’s Central Area
3. Cthe Orchard, Downtown Core and Marina South planning areas only
4. Devery part of the Central Region, including the city fringe

URA’s data on the number of private homes launched, sold and unsold in each project by developers is updated __________.

1. Amonthly, on the 15th of the following month
2. Bquarterly, together with the flash estimate
3. Ctwice a week, on Tuesday and Friday
4. Dyearly, when the developer’s accounts are audited

URA’s vacancy rate for office space measures __________.

1. Athe proportion of the existing office stock that is unoccupied
2. Bthe proportion of office space under construction that has not been pre-leased
3. Cthe number of office leases that ended during the quarter
4. Dthe share of approved office projects that have not started construction

In marketing a condominium unit, a north–south facing is usually presented as an advantage because __________.

1. Athe unit avoids direct morning and afternoon sun, so it stays cooler
2. Bthe unit is protected from any future development blocking its view
3. Cthe unit is larger than east–west facing units of the same type
4. Dthe unit qualifies for lower maintenance fees

When a salesperson says an older condominium has ‘en bloc potential’, he means that __________.

1. Ait may be sold collectively to a developer, often at a premium
2. Bit may be upgraded under HDB’s estate renewal programmes at government cost
3. Ceach owner may subdivide his unit into two smaller units
4. Dit may be converted into a hotel without planning permission

The floor plate efficiency of an office floor refers to __________.

1. Athe proportion of the floor’s gross area that is net lettable, usable space
2. Bthe ratio of the floor-to-ceiling height to the floor area
3. Cthe energy efficiency rating of the floor’s air-conditioning
4. Dthe maximum load, in kN/m², that the floor slab can safely carry across the floor

Mr Lim Boon Keat, 58, a Singapore Citizen and retired banker, has sold his 5-room HDB flat in Bishan and wants to buy a condominium for himself and his wife, Mdm Tan Siew Ling, before their daughter returns from her studies in Melbourne next year. His bank has already given him an in-principle approval for a loan. He tells his salesperson, Nurul Aisyah, that he will consider only projects in URA’s Core Central Region (CCR), because a previous agent assured him that such homes hold their value best. As they go through her shortlist, he asks her to drop a Sentosa Cove condominium with a marina view, explaining that Sentosa is in postal district 4 and that, as his previous agent told him, the CCR consists of postal districts 9, 10 and 11 and nothing else.

What should Nurul advise Mr Lim about the Sentosa Cove condominium?

1. AKeep it on the shortlist, as URA’s Core Central Region is made up of postal districts 9, 10 and 11 together with the Downtown Core planning area and Sentosa
2. BDrop it from the shortlist, as URA’s Core Central Region is made up strictly of postal districts 9, 10 and 11, whichever planning area a project lies in
3. CDrop it from the shortlist, as URA reports homes on Sentosa as a separate segment of their own, outside the CCR, RCR and OCR classification
4. DKeep it on the shortlist, as URA places the homes on every offshore island around Singapore, and not only Sentosa, within the Core Central Region

Mdm Siti Rahmah binte Osman, 61, owns a unit in a 40-unit freehold boutique condominium off Holland Road that she bought in 2009 and has let out ever since. Her last tenant, a French expatriate, has just returned home, and her nephew, who works at a bank, says she should simply ask for the same rent as a neighbouring 600-unit condominium. Her salesperson, Kenneth Wong, prefers to support her asking rent with official data. When he opens URA’s quarterly table of median rentals of private non-landed homes by project, her development is not listed, although the large neighbouring project is. He then explains to Mdm Siti how URA’s rental data works and where else he can look.

Which of the following statements that Kenneth makes about URA’s rental data is NOT correct?

1. AThe rental contracts e-service is compiled from tenancy agreements submitted to IRAS for stamp duty, so it shows rents actually agreed rather than asking rents
2. BThe rental contracts e-service is updated on the 15th of every month, covers the last 60 months and is not limited to large developments
3. CMedian rentals by project are released quarterly on the 4th Friday, but only for projects of at least 100 units with at least 10 rental contracts
4. DMedian rentals by project are released for every non-landed project with at least 10 rental contracts, so her building must have had fewer this quarter

Mr Harpreet Singh, 55, is selling his 3-bedroom unit on the 25th floor of a condominium in Pasir Ris because he and his wife are moving to Perth to be near their son. The unit was fully renovated in 2023 and has an unblocked sea view, but it faces west. Two units in the same stack, on lower floors, are already on the market with another agency. Worried that the afternoon sun will put buyers off, he asks his salesperson, Tan Siew Mei, to describe the unit as ‘north–south facing’ in her listing, saying that most buyers never check and that he will take full responsibility if anyone complains.

How should Siew Mei market the unit?

1. AState the west facing accurately in the listing, and lead with the genuine strengths of the high floor and the unblocked sea view
2. BDescribe the unit as north–south facing, as the seller has instructed her to do so and he bears the responsibility for the description
3. CLeave the facing out of the listing altogether, and tell buyers that it is north–south facing only if they ask about it at a viewing
4. DState the west facing accurately in the listing, and add that west-facing units are unsuitable for families with young children

Mr Gabriel Goh, 39, and his wife, Mdm Wong Hui Min, 37, both Singapore Citizens, returned last year from a four-year posting in Hong Kong and are renting while they look for a home. Their son starts Primary 1 next year at a school near an executive condominium (EC) in Punggol that was completed 7 years ago, and Gabriel’s parents live in an HDB flat in the next block. Their household income is above the ceiling for buying a new EC unit. A colleague tells Gabriel that, with their income, they ‘can forget about ECs altogether’, and the couple ask their salesperson whether they can still buy a unit in that EC.

What should their salesperson advise about buying a unit in that EC?

1. AThey may buy a resale unit there, as the EC is past its 5-year minimum occupation period and resale EC buyers face no income ceiling
2. BThey cannot buy any unit in an EC, whether new or resale, until their household income falls below the ceiling for new EC units
3. CThey may buy there only once the EC turns 10 years old, when it becomes fully private and the income ceiling stops applying to buyers
4. DThey may instead buy a new EC unit from a developer, provided they pay a premium to HDB for exceeding the household income ceiling