ERA Singapore has unveiled a series of financial initiatives to support its goal of increasing its local agent headcount by 40% over the next few years, from about 8,684 agents today to its target of more than 12,000 agents.
The new recruitment support package was unveiled by Marcus Chu, CEO of ERA Singapore, at the company’s Asia Pacific Business Conference 2025 on April 22. The initiatives comprise an enhanced Real Estate Salesperson joining package, dollar-matching its agents’ recruiter budget, and increasing its recruiter bonus.
The guest of honour at the conference was Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, and Executive Secretary of the Singapore Industrial Services and Employees’ Union (SISEU).
The real estate agency also launched a slew of technology initiatives that are aimed at reducing the overall business costs of its agents. This includes the relaunch of an ERA property listing portal, new marketing tools, data analytics and research tools within the ERA SALES+ mobile application, and an enhanced client relationship management tool called AgentX 2.0.
Vision 2030
The new initiatives line up with ERA’s overarching strategic plan called Vision 2030 unveiled by Chu in January at the company’s townhall.
This covers five key pillars of growth — raising ERA agents’ per capita income by 40%, lowering agents’ business costs by 40%, raising the individual net worth of ERA agents and clients by 40%, increasing the ERA agent headcount in Singapore by 40%, and growing the company’s market share to 40%.
According to ERA, the average per capita income for active ERA property agents was about $93,000 before expenses. “This year, our target is to raise that figure to $130,000,” says Chu. He adds that real estate agents are facing rising business costs along with increased cost of living, and the company will leverage technology initiatives, providing data analytics, and marketing support to help ERA agents remain competitive.
ERA Singapore CEO Marcus Chu shared the company’s new initiatives and programmes at the annual conference on April 22. (Picture: ERA)
ERA estimates that the minimum business costs for active agents are usually more than $6,000 per year. “Through our latest tech initiatives, ERA aims to meaningfully reduce this financial burden — not only to increase profitability for our agents, but to help them reinvest in their growth with greater confidence,” says Chu.
ERA says that it has spent close to $3 million investing in new technology tools, and it is projected to cost the company approximately $800,000 each year to upkeep the hardware and software.
“To maintain our competitive edge in an increasingly dynamic market, technology innovation remains a key strategic focus for ERA. We believe that empowering our agents with cutting-edge tools is essential to driving long-term success,” says Chu.
Reduce listing costs for ERA agents
The company believes that the revamp of its property listing portal, where ERA agents can post their listings for free, will help them avoid the high platform subscription fees on the market today, says Chu. “This alone can save thousands of dollars annually for agents with active property portfolios,” he adds.
He notes that these subscription fees are among the largest business expenses faced by agents in Singapore and can be an especially large financial outlay for new agents who are just starting out.
In addition, a free platform for ERA agents helps to level the playing field, especially for those who may not have high marketing budgets. Moreover, when listings become cost-free, agents are more likely to market a wider range of properties which can increase deal opportunities and overall transaction volumes.
The company estimates that ERA agents may save at least $4,000 each year in subscription and listing costs if they utilise the new ERA property listing portal. Chu says that as listing fees continue to increase in the market, developing an internal solution is a strategic move to manage costs at scale for its agents over time.
“With the ERA Property Portal, ERA’s property agents can significantly cut down their costs and post listings for free. ERA will also promote and market the website to attract more consumer and external co-broking traffic,” says Chu.
The EdgeProp Singapore team at the Asia Pacific Business Conference 2025. (Picture: ERA)
Growing agent recruitment and retention
Another key strategic thrust is ERA’s focus on growing its pool of property agents in Singapore by 40%. “By increasing agent headcount, ERA will strengthen its market presence and brand dominance, positioning itself as the go-to real estate agency across Singapore,” says Chu. He adds that a larger pool of active agents in the market naturally leads to higher transaction volume, which directly contributes to increased revenue and profitability.
At the conference, Chu unveiled that new real estate salespersons who join ERA will receive up to $1,200 in cash to help offset initial business and operating outlays, such as the Real Estate Salesperson course and marketing costs.
ERA also announced that it will dollar-match, to a maximum of $2,000, its agents’ recruitment campaign advertising budget to grow their team. This support package will be implemented from May 1.
Chu says that having agents being more involved in recruitment ensures that the agency attracts salespersons who are culturally aligned, motivated, and well-referred. This will help to reduce onboarding friction and increase agent retention.
In addition, ERA agents who have successfully built a team of five or 10 will enjoy a recruitment bonus of up to $7,500 and $15,000, respectively. “Agents who build and lead teams tend to stay longer, feel more invested, and cultivate stronger interpersonal bonds — all of which contribute to a more resilient and unified ERA family,” says Chu.
“ERA believes that every agent is a potential leader, and through this initiative, we’re providing the structure, incentive, and opportunity for them to step into that role and make a lasting impact — not just on their own careers, but on the future of the company.”
Union representation for ERA staff, agents
The Asia Pacific Business Conference also saw ERA become the first real estate agency in Singapore to open the door for union representation for all its corporate staff and real estate salespersons, in partnership with SISEU, an NTUC-affiliated union.
Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, was the guest of honour. (Picture: ERA Singapore)
The signing of the Collective Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ERA and SISEU marks a joint commitment to support workers.
“This strategic partnership aims to not only protect our real estate workforce but also supports ERA’s growth and development as a business,” says Senior Minister Tan. “Through NTUC’s Company Training Committee initiative, we are committed to driving business transformation and enhancing better wages, welfare and work prospects for workers.”
As part of the Collective Agreement, ERA will provide NTUC membership to its corporate services employees that will provide benefits such as access to NTUC’s range of workplace and welfare benefits, including workforce representation, protection and training grants including the Union Training Assistance Programme.
