How to Find a Real Estate Agent in Bangkok: An Expert Guide

Whether you are interested in condos for sale in Bangkok (such as The River Condominium development) or you want to rent a large, detached house in the suburbs, the first thing you need to learn when looking for a home in Bangkok is how to find a real estate agent that’s reliable, efficient and trustworthy. Finding such an agent could be a little trickier than if you were attempting the same exercise in your hometown. For a start, the laws governing property transactions in Thailand are likely to be somewhat different to those you are used to dealing with at home. Secondly, the real estate market in Bangkok bears little resemblance to what many are used to in the West.

For all these reasons, the first task you need to tackle when shopping for properties in Thailand’s capital city is to locate an honest, efficient real estate agent. How to do this is the subject of today’s blog post, which includes plenty of tips and helpful advice.

What Makes a Good Real Estate Agent

You won’t be able to find a Bangkok real estate agent that fits the bill if you don’t know what makes a good real estate agent, so let’s run through a few of the most important points of which you need to be aware when performing your evaluations:

• The Best Agencies Answer All Correspondence Promptly – One of the things that makes choosing a real estate agent in Bangkok a difficult proposition is the number of agents who seem uninterested in answering communications from prospective clients. Fortunately, there is a simple way to exclude such agents from your shortlist: send each one an introductory email and delete the contact details of agents who fail to respond promptly.
• Good Agencies Don’t Show Unsuitable Properties – A reputable agent will not show unsuitable properties. With this in mind, we suggest waiting until you have been shown 2 or 3 properties by each agency you contact before deciding whether to continue using their services. If you are shown an unsuitable property, you can ask the agent to explain their motivations for selling or renting you an unsuitable home, but this is a matter for you to decide. If you’re at all uncomfortable with the idea, simply cross the agent off your shortlist and move on to the next one. Determining what makes a good real estate agent in Bangkok should be a fun exercise, not an ordeal.
• Personal Service Is of Paramount Importance – The real estate market in Bangkok is rather unregulated when compared to real estate markets in the West. It is also unusual for owners here to list properties with just a single agent. Because local landlords prefer to list with multiple agents, real estate agents in Bangkok can be tempted to push clients to make quick decisions, even when they know the properties under consideration are unsuitable. Those offering a high standard of personal service are therefore quite rare and when found should be entered on your shortlist.
• Reviews Offer Crucial Clues to Agency Performance – Bangkok has a lively property market that attracts interest from citizens from across the globe. This means that spending a few hours doing online research could pay dividends: there are an abundance of reviews that will come in very handy when choosing a real estate agent.

If you find a real estate agent in Bangkok that ticks all the above boxes, there is a very good chance they will be able to provide the standard of service you require.

Questions to Ask a Potential Real Estate Agent

If you want to know how to find a real estate agent in Bangkok faster, try asking each one the following questions:

How Much Experience Do You Have in This Area?

Because Bangkok is so large, agents tend to specialise in certain areas of the city. You should therefore try to identify agents that have extensive knowledge of the areas in which you are interested.

What Laws Do I Need to Be Aware Of?

A good real estate agent will not hide any potential legal complications from you. Ask several agents this question, and you will quickly be able to tell which ones are likely to be more economical with the truth in any future dealings. 

Can You Provide References from Satisfied Clients?

Real estate agents who can provide verifiable references should go to the top of your shortlist.
For help and advice from a Bangkok real estate specialist, contact us by phone or email to discuss your requirements.