Choosing an Agent

Thai real estate agency is lightly regulated, which means the standard between firms varies enormously. The choice matters more here than in markets with mandatory licensing.

Sole agency or open listing

An open listing places your property with many agents at once. It feels like wider exposure and often produces the opposite: no one invests in marketing a property they may not be paid for, the same listing appears at inconsistent prices across portals, and buyers conclude the seller is desperate. A sole agency for a defined period concentrates responsibility and usually produces better presentation.

Questions worth asking

Where will the listing actually appear, and on which international portals? Who takes the photographs? Is there a written marketing plan? How are enquiries qualified before a viewing? How often will you be updated, and by whom?

Commission

Agency commission in Thailand is customarily paid by the seller and is typically expressed as a percentage of the sale price. Establish the figure, what it includes, when it becomes payable and how it is split if another agent introduces the buyer.

Check the follow-through

Ask to see how a comparable property was marketed. The gap between a firm that photographs well and lists everywhere and one that puts a phone snapshot on a single website is the gap in your eventual sale price.