Thailand does not have a compulsory nationwide government licensing system for real-estate agents comparable with what you may find in some Western countries.
There are professional associations, training programmes and accreditations, but that is not quite the same thing as every estate agent carrying a government-issued licence.
So when somebody asks me, “KC, how do I know whether I can trust a property agent in Thailand?”, I would look considerably further than a certificate hanging on the wall.
Start with the track record
I compare it with buying from a property developer.
Before committing to a house or condominium project, most sensible buyers will investigate the developer. How long have they been around? What have they actually built? What did previous buyers experience?
Why should choosing a real-estate agency be any different?
Check how many years the agency has genuinely been in successful business. Look at its history. Check reviews. Look at its active social-media presence. Is there a real company and are there real people behind it?
A nice website can be built in a few weeks.
A 20-year track record cannot.
Referrals tell me a lot
One thing outsiders cannot easily see is how much of our business comes through referrals.
It doesn’t happen once in a while. It happens regularly.
Existing and former clients introduce friends, relatives and business contacts to us.
For me, that remains one of the nicest compliments we can receive.
Nobody is obliged to recommend their estate agent.
When somebody trusts us enough to put our name in front of a friend who is about to buy, sell or rent property, that tells me we must have done something right.
It certainly means more to me than another certificate on the office wall.
And yes, meet the agent
This may sound old-fashioned, but I still believe in it.
Talk face to face.
Ask questions. Listen to the answers.
Is the agent genuinely interested in what you need, or are they simply trying to sell whatever property pays the best commission?
That is where gut feeling steps in.
After nearly 30 years of living and doing business in Thailand, I still place considerable value on that.
What about accreditations?
Over the years we have experienced quite a few of them: RESAM, REBAES, RE/MAX, TREBA, NAR, the Thai Real Estate Business School and others.
Did we pay memberships, contributions and, in some cases, royalty fees?
For sure.
Did they teach us things that fundamentally changed the way we operated?
Not really.
Did they bring us business?
No.
That does not mean these organisations have no value. Training, networking and professional standards can certainly be useful.
But personally, I would never select an estate agent simply because of an accreditation logo.
Check the business behind the badge.
Sometimes the best advice is: don’t buy
Many years ago, when Town & Country still had its office on Pattaya Tai, a tall, youngish Swedish gentleman walked into my office.
He asked whether we had guesthouses and restaurants for sale.
Of course we did.
“What sort of budget?”
“About 30 million baht.”
That certainly got my attention.
Then I asked him which location he preferred.
He had no idea.
He had arrived in Thailand the day before.
It was his first-ever visit.
So I gave him my business card and suggested that he first experience Thailand. Come back after a few days, a few weeks or perhaps a few months if he was still seriously interested in investing THB 30 million into a commercial property here.
I never saw him again.
Could I have driven him around the following morning showing him guesthouses?
Absolutely.
Would that have been responsible?
In my opinion, no.
I even moved into one of our own developments
There is another little story that perhaps says something about how I look at property.
Town & Country developed The Meadows, a residential estate of 46 homes in East Pattaya.
Nearly 20 years ago, I decided to move into one of them myself.
Some friends thought I was mad.
“Are you sure you want to live in your own project?”
“What happens when somebody knocks on your door because their air-conditioning isn’t working?”
Fair questions.
But I moved in anyway.
And nearly 20 years later, I still live there.
More importantly, I still love living there.
For me, standing behind something you have sold is one thing.
Living in it yourself is perhaps another.
So how do you check a Pattaya property agent?
There is no magic certificate that answers the question.
Look at experience. Look at the company’s history. Read the reviews. Check whether the business is genuinely active. Ask around. See whether existing clients recommend them.
Then meet the people involved.
And finally ask yourself one very simple question:
Do I believe this person would still give me the same advice if there were no commission in it for them?
For me, that tells you considerably more than another logo at the bottom of a website.