WHEN a couple who had been renting a unit in Rio Vista condominium in Upper Serangoon learnt that a fourth-floor unit was being sold in 2007, they offered to pay $506,000 for it.

Mr Chiranjeev Singh and his wife then gave property agent Helene Ong a cheque for 1 per cent of the purchase price, which she banked into seller Joseph Mathew's bank account here, as instructed.

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Mr Mathew was then working in India.

Four key e-mail exchanges ensued - three from Ms Ong to Mr Mathew, and one from him indicating acceptance of the deal.

But about a week later, he e-mailed Ms Ong, rejecting the offer and declining to sign the option-to-purchase form she had sent him.

Mr Mathew returned here on May 26, 2007, and went into talks with Mr Singh about the deal.

The talks failed and lawyer Boo Moh Cheh took the case to court for Mr Singh.

High Court Judge Andrew Ang ordered Mr Mathew to sign the option-to-purchase form, failing which the Supreme Court Registrar would exercise its power to sign it on his behalf.

Mr Mathew appealed to the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his suit and ordered him to pay costs.

His unit, which eventually went at the $506,000 price first agreed upon, was understood to be worth $670,000 some 15 months later.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.