A scene familiar to many Singaporeans: you have at least three browser tabs open on your computer. One is on the Housing & Development Board (HDB) website, another is on the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) website, and the third is on a property portal. You’re juggling data points, cross-referencing floor plans, and trying to make sense of conflicting information, all in an attempt to figure out what a home is really worth. In a country that prides itself on the Smart Nation initiative, which aims to leverage technology to improve the lives of its citizens, this manual, fragmented process for buying or renting a home, feels jarringly out of place. Why hasn’t real estate kept up?
The property portal problem: A decade behind
Singapore’s major property portals were built for a different time. A time when the internet was primarily a place for classified ads. Their design reflects this legacy, focusing on listing advertisements rather than empowering users to complete a transaction. The core assumption behind this model is that buyers are passive browsers and sellers require a paid listing to gain visibility. This “pay-to-play” model creates a system where visibility is tied to ad spend, not the quality or relevance of the listing. As a result, agents are often disempowered, forced to compete in a crowded, expensive digital space, while consumers struggle with information asymmetry and a lack of transparency.
This outdated approach leaves both buyers and renters in a state of confusion. They are forced to rely on agents for information that is often publicly available from sources like HDB or URA, but difficult to piece together. This reliance can lead to missed opportunities and unnecessary fees. Duplicate listings are common, and the process of booking viewings, making offers, or negotiating is often handled offline, creating a frustrating and opaque experience.
A smarter, simpler alternative
A growing wave of property technology (proptech) startups is now addressing these long-standing gaps. Their focus is no longer on building yet another portal, but on integrating fragmented processes, combining listings, transaction data, price analysis, communication, and scheduling into one cohesive experience.
Instead of treating users as passive browsers, these platforms are designed around action. Buyers and tenants can explore interactive price maps that show past transaction values by district, schedule viewings directly through the platform, and communicate securely with property owners or agents, all in one place.
Some platforms, like Kucing, are experimenting with a “real estate copilot” model. Rather than replacing agents, this approach uses technology to make the ecosystem more transparent for everyone, homeowners, home seekers, and agents alike. The goal isn’t disruption for its own sake, but simplification: making information accessible and helping people move from browsing to closing with confidence.
A step toward Smart Nation goals
What’s interesting about this new phase of proptech innovation is how closely it aligns with Singapore’s national digital priorities. The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG), along with initiatives like the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map 2025, has long emphasised user-centric, interoperable digital services.
Platforms that integrate with trusted systems, such as Singpass for identity verification or data sources like URA and HDB, reflect the same principles driving public-sector digitalisation. A verified login adds a layer of trust and safety to online transactions, while consolidated price data makes the market more transparent for consumers.
This public-private alignment suggests a broader shift: property technology is no longer just a business opportunity; it’s becoming an essential part of Singapore’s digital infrastructure.
The future of property tech: A call to action
Modernizing Singapore’s property market isn’t about radical disruption; it’s about reimagining the digital infrastructure. Proptechs and regulators have a unique opportunity to collaborate and treat property technology as essential digital infrastructure, not just a platform for classifieds. This means moving beyond a simple list of homes for sale and creating an ecosystem where all the necessary pieces are connected.
The pieces to solve the Property Portal Problem already exist. The data is available, the technology is mature, and the demand for a better experience is clear. It’s simply a matter of connecting them in a smarter, more cohesive way. The question is, are we ready to build that future?
The future: Collaboration over competition
The success of recent high-value peer-to-peer transactions, such as multimillion-dollar resales conducted entirely through integrated digital platforms, shows that these innovations work. But the path forward requires collaboration, not competition, between startups, regulators, and established players.
Singapore already has the ingredients to lead the next chapter of real estate innovation: high digital literacy, rich datasets, and a supportive regulatory environment. The next step is treating property technology not as another advertising space, but as digital infrastructure that connects government data, private platforms, and user experience.
The question isn’t whether Singapore’s property market will go digital; it’s how quickly we can bridge the gap between aspiration and reality.
If proptech firms, regulators, and agents continue to work together, the future of real estate could finally reflect the promise of the Smart Nation vision: simpler, smarter, and more transparent for everyone who calls Singapore home.
Guillaume Garagnon is Managing Partner at Human Inside Group.
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Featured image: Andy Wang on Unsplash
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