Disclaimer (Block 1): This article is for educational purposes only and is intended to assist CEA-registered property agents in understanding regulatory frameworks. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. LEVR's calculations are indicative only. Always verify rates and eligibility with your bank, HDB, CPF Board, or a licensed financial advisor before advising clients.
What Is URA REALIS?
REALIS (Real Estate Information System) is a subscription-based property information service operated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It is Singapore's most comprehensive database of private residential, commercial, and industrial property transactions — drawn primarily from caveats lodged at the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by buyers following the exercise of an Option to Purchase.
REALIS is the primary tool used by property agents, valuers, analysts, developers, and researchers to access granular transaction data on private property in Singapore. The data is authoritative — sourced from official government records — and is the same underlying dataset used by URA to compile the Private Property Price Index (PPI) and other market statistics.
What Data Does REALIS Contain?
REALIS covers private residential and non-residential property transactions. For private residential property, the key data fields include:
- Project name and address: The development name and street address of the transacted unit.
- Unit details: Unit number, floor level, and unit type (apartment, condominium, executive condominium, detached house, semi-detached, terrace).
- Transacted price: The price as reflected in the lodged caveat, expressed in absolute dollars and per square foot (PSF) on strata area.
- Floor area: Strata area of the unit in square feet and square metres.
- Sale date: The date the caveat was lodged, approximately reflecting the date the Option to Purchase was exercised.
- Tenure: Freehold, 999-year leasehold, or 99-year leasehold.
- Postal district: The postal district of the property.
- Market segment: Core Central Region (CCR), Rest of Central Region (RCR), or Outside Central Region (OCR).
- New sale / sub-sale / resale: Whether the transaction was a new launch sale from developer, a sub-sale (resale before TOP), or a standard resale.
REALIS also includes floor plans for many private residential developments, which agents can access to view the unit layout and dimensions — useful when preparing comparative market analysis.
What REALIS Does Not Cover
There are important limitations to REALIS data that agents must understand:
- HDB resale transactions are not in REALIS: HDB resale flat prices are published separately by HDB on the HDB Resale Flat Prices portal, not through REALIS. REALIS covers private property only.
- Caveat-based, not all transactions: REALIS is sourced from caveats lodged at SLA. Not all property transactions result in a lodged caveat — some transactions (particularly among cash buyers who do not require a bank loan) may not be captured in REALIS if no caveat was lodged.
- Rental transactions: REALIS covers sale transactions. Rental transaction data is separately available through URA rental statistics, not REALIS.
- EC post-privatisation secondary market: Executive Condominiums that have been privatised and traded on the open market appear in REALIS as private property transactions. Pre-privatisation EC resales (between 5 and 10 years) are regulated by HDB and data may differ.
- Seller and buyer identity: REALIS does not identify the buyer or seller in individual transactions for privacy reasons.
How to Access REALIS
REALIS requires a paid subscription. Access is available to individuals and corporate subscribers via the URA website:
- Subscription plans: URA offers multiple subscription tiers (e.g., daily, monthly, annual) with varying levels of access and download allowances. Agents should assess their usage requirements before selecting a plan.
- Login via SingPass: Individual access is authenticated through SingPass. Corporate accounts have separate login credentials.
- Agency access: Some estate agencies provide REALIS access to their salespersons as part of the agency subscription. Agents should check with their agency whether a shared subscription is available before purchasing an individual plan.
- Public data: URA publishes a subset of recent transaction data publicly on the URA website (not requiring a REALIS subscription). The public data has a time lag and fewer filtering options than the full REALIS subscription. Agents who need granular unit-level searches and historical depth require a full REALIS subscription.
How Agents Use REALIS
REALIS is a core market research tool for professional property agents. Key applications include:
- Comparative market analysis (CMA) for listings: When preparing a listing appraisal, agents search REALIS for recent transactions in the same development or nearby comparable projects. Filtering by unit type, floor level, and strata area allows agents to identify the most relevant comparables and support their asking price recommendation.
- Buyer research: Buyers comparing multiple projects can use REALIS to view transaction history — tracking price trajectories over time, identifying price trends within a development (e.g., whether high-floor units command a premium), and evaluating how a project has performed relative to the broader market.
- Floor-level and unit-type analysis: REALIS allows agents to filter by floor level and unit size, enabling analysis of the floor premium and stack performance within a development — useful for advising clients on specific unit selection.
- Sub-sale analysis: REALIS classifies transactions as new sale, sub-sale, or resale. Tracking sub-sale activity can indicate speculative pressure in a particular development and is relevant for agents advising clients on development-level market dynamics.
- Market segment analysis: Agents can use REALIS to compare PSF trends across CCR, RCR, and OCR segments — supporting client conversations on market positioning and relative value.
- Tenure premium research: Filtering by freehold vs leasehold within the same project or area allows agents to quantify the tenure premium in specific locations.
Professional Standards When Using REALIS Data
Property agents who present REALIS data to clients should observe the following professional standards:
- Caveat on data completeness: Explain to clients that REALIS captures transactions where a caveat was lodged, and that some transactions may not appear. This matters particularly in niche markets or for properties transacted by cash buyers without a bank loan.
- Date of sale vs settlement: The REALIS sale date reflects the caveat lodgment date (approximately the Option exercise date), not the legal completion date. Agents should be accurate when describing what the date represents.
- Do not guarantee future price performance: Past transaction data from REALIS reflects historical prices. Agents must not use REALIS data to represent or imply that future prices will follow historical trends. This would constitute a misleading statement under CEA professional conduct rules.
- Cite the source: When sharing REALIS-derived data with clients (in reports, presentations, or WhatsApp summaries), cite URA REALIS as the source so clients understand the data provenance.
- Cross-check with bank valuations: REALIS transaction prices reflect what buyers paid. They may differ from current bank valuations (which are forward-looking assessments of market value). Agents should not conflate past REALIS transaction prices with a current property valuation.
Summary
URA REALIS is Singapore's authoritative private property transaction database, sourced from caveats lodged at SLA. It contains unit-level transaction data — prices, PSF, floor area, floor level, tenure, and market segment — for private residential, commercial, and industrial property. REALIS does not cover HDB resale transactions, uncaveated deals, or rental data. Access requires a URA subscription. Agents use REALIS for listing appraisals, buyer research, floor-level analysis, sub-sale tracking, and market segment comparison. When presenting REALIS data to clients, agents should acknowledge data limitations, cite the source, and avoid implying that historical price trends predict future performance.
Disclaimer (Block 3): LEVR's calculator outputs are estimates based on inputs provided and current regulatory parameters as known at time of publication. They are not a guarantee of borrowing capacity, stamp duty liability, or CPF eligibility. Regulatory thresholds and rates may change. Always verify with IRAS, your bank, or a licensed financial advisor before making financial decisions.