SAEA was first launched as an accreditation scheme in Nov 2005 by the current Second Minister for Finance and Transport Mrs Lim Hwee Hua. Accreditation is a process established by a professional organisation or agency to enable a discipline to be recognised as having met certain prescribed standards. The process entails the following criteria: establishment of standards, development of evaluative criteria, training, monitoring of performance and enforcement of standards.In 2007, it became a public company limited by guarantee to play its role as accreditation body more effectively and in Apr of the following year, mooted the Common Examination for Salesperson (CES) as a objective assessment of basic real estate competency.

Today, SAEA has accredited more than 400 estate agencies and 9000 agents/salespersons, making it the largest real estate body in Singapore. Also, more than 22,000 have registered and/or taken CES to date. An Advisory Committee consisting of the head honchos of 9 leading accredited estate agencies, namely, (a) CB Richard Ellis (b) Dennis Wee Group (c) DTZ (d) ERA (e) HSR (f) Huttons Asia (g) Knigh Frank (h) Orange Tee (i) Propnex, and representatives from Singapore Institute of Surveyors & Valuers (SISV) and Association of Singapore Estate Agencies (ASEA), is the most representative and regular platform for industry engagement.

SAEA recently announced its Enhanced Accreditation Scheme in collaboration with SISV for the greater development of the estate agency profession. It is an affiliate member of SISV.