Money and growing your career in Georgia

You have learned the rules, the market and the deal. This last lesson is about your own money: what a sale really pays, who pays it, what it costs you to work legally, how to choose an employer and how to grow.

What agencies charge

There is no legal rate in Georgia, and commission is not regulated (TbilisiExperts, July 2026). The published norms:

Deal	Usual commission	Who pays	Source
Resale	About 3%, negotiable	Usually the seller	ExpatHub (2025)
Resale	2% to 3%	The seller	GeorgiaExpats (2026)
Resale, wider range	2% to 5%, sometimes split between both sides	Varies	TbilisiExperts (July 2026)
New build	Usually 0% for the buyer	The developer pays the agency	TbilisiExperts; Real Estate Batumi
Rental	Usually 50% of one month’s rent (30% to 50% range)	The tenant	Madloba (October 2026)

Some agencies also charge buyers for search work. TbilisiExperts reports ExpatHub’s buyer-side fee at 2.5%, with a 7,500 GEL minimum, plus VAT. Real Estate Batumi advertises a 0% buyer fee, with the developer covering the agency’s fee.

Commission maths

The commission goes to the agency. We found no published data on agent splits or salaries in Georgia, so the 50% share in the examples below is an assumption to show the method. Replace it with the figure in your own contract.

Example 1: a resale in Saburtalo, 98,700 USD, 3% paid by the seller.

1. Agency commission: 98,700 x 3% = 2,961 USD
2. Your share at 50%: 2,961 x 50% = 1,480.50 USD, before tax

The price is a 75 m² flat at the December 2025 secondary new-project average of 1,316 USD per m² (Galt & Taggart).

Example 2: an off-plan flat in Batumi, 63,000 USD, paid by the developer.

The developer’s rate is set in its agreement with the agency and is not published. Assume 3%.

1. Agency commission: 63,000 x 3% = 1,890 USD, paid by the developer
2. Your share at 50%: 945 USD
3. The buyer pays no agent fee

The price is a 45 m² flat at 1,400 USD per m², close to the August 2026 new-build average (Business Media Georgia). Ask the developer when it pays the agency: at signing, or as the buyer pays instalments.

Example 3: a resale shared with another agency, 150,000 USD, 3%, split 50/50.

1. Total commission: 150,000 x 3% = 4,500 USD
2. Your agency’s half: 2,250 USD
3. Your share at 50%: 1,125 USD

Example 4: a long-term rental in Tbilisi, 60 m².

At the 2025 average of 9.8 USD per m² a month (Galt & Taggart), the rent is about 588 USD. At 50% of one month’s rent, paid by the tenant, the fee is 294 USD, and your 50% share is 147 USD. Rentals pay less, but they bring landlords who may sell later.

Run your own numbers with the commission calculator.

How pay is structured

No public source gave salary or split data for Georgian agents. From the commission models above, expect these set-ups, and ask every employer which one it uses:

Set-up	How it works	What to ask
Commission share on resales	You keep a share of the agency’s fee on deals you bring or close	What share on my listings, on agency leads and on shared deals?
Developer fees on off-plan	The agency earns from the developer, you earn a share	When does the developer pay, and what if the buyer stops paying?
Rental and management fees	Fees on lettings and, at some agencies, on managing flats. Tbilisi Property, for example, charges commission only on rental management	Is there a base salary, and who owns the landlord relationship?

What it costs you to work

• Work permit, if you are a foreigner: 200 GEL standard or 400 GEL expedited according to Legal.ge, with a law firm citing a 500 GEL cap (lesson 2).
• Your tax. If you work as an individual entrepreneur, two law firms report that real estate brokerage is excluded from the 1% Small Business Status (Legalese; Gegidze). Plan on the standard regime and get an accountant to confirm your rate before your first commission lands.
• GNARE certification, optional: 750 GEL for members, 900 GEL for others (GNARE).

How to choose an employer

1. Will you apply for my work permit, if I am foreign, and do I wait for it before I start?
2. Employee or freelancer? If freelancer, who handles my IE registration and tax?
3. What is my share on my own listings, on agency leads, on developer deals and on rentals?
4. When is my share paid? At registration, when the developer pays, or when the agency is paid?
5. What happens to my deals if I leave before they close?
6. Who pulls registry extracts and checks developers before we sell?
7. What leads, portals, training and office do you provide?

Get the answers in your contract. Compare employers on CloserPass agencies.

Growing your career

• Get certified. GNARE’s course is voluntary, but with no state licence it is one of the few credentials a client can check.
• Specialise. Prime Tbilisi districts such as Vake, Batumi sea-view flats for foreign buyers, developer launches, or rentals and management.
• Add languages. Russian and English cover most foreign enquiries in Batumi. Hebrew helps with Israeli buyers in both cities.
• Move into management. Team lead, sales director or developer partnerships.
• Build your own brand with sourced market updates and reviews from happy clients.

Opening your own agency

As a Georgian citizen or permanent resident:

1. Register an IE or an LLC at the House of Justice (lesson 3).
2. Ask an accountant which tax regime applies, given the reported brokerage exclusion from the 1% status.
3. Write your commission agreement and your client check routine.
4. List on the portals, advertise in GEL, and build relationships with developers.

As a foreigner:

1. Get your work permit as a self-employed person, with a business plan and the video interview (lesson 2).
2. Then follow the same steps. If you hire foreign staff, you apply for their permits and run the Worknet labour market test first.

Before you start: final checklist

• I know my status: Georgian or permanent resident, or a foreigner with a work permit.
• If I am foreign, my work permit was granted before my first viewing, and I applied for my work residence permit within 10 days.
• I know my business form: employee, IE or LLC, and I do not count on the 1% status until an accountant confirms it.
• I put every commission in writing, with the rate, the currency, who pays and when.
• I pull the registry extract before I advertise or take a deposit.
• I advertise prices in GEL.
• I never call an off-plan deposit safe unless the contract shows how, and I check the developer first.
• I can explain no transfer tax, the NAPR fee and the 5% tax on a resale within two years.
• I know residence by property needs 150,000 USD and does not give the right to work.
• I run client checks and take fees by bank transfer.
• I have a 90-day plan and a daily prospecting block.

Rates and rules change, so check the official source before you act.

Take the final quiz

You are ready. Test yourself with the final quiz for Georgia: questions from every theme, each corrected with its source. Then look at open roles and the Georgia market page.

This lesson is general information, not tax or legal advice. CloserPass is not affiliated with GNARE, NAPR or any government body in Georgia.