The job of a real estate agent in Thailand

Welcome to the course. Over eight short lessons you will learn how real estate work is done in Thailand, who may legally do it, and how to build a career in it. This first lesson is about the job itself: what an agent does, who pays, who hires and what the first year really looks like.

Who this course is for. Thailand is different from most countries in this series, so we say it plainly from the start. The course is written for two groups: Thai nationals who want to work as agents, and foreigners who want a legal role in a Thai property business. It never shows a foreigner how to work as an agent without the right to do so.

No licence, but a reserved job

Thailand has no state licence for real estate agents or brokers and no state exam (Themis Partner, updated September 2026; Thaiger, May 2026). Anyone may call a Thai agency and start learning the trade. Voluntary associations offer training and credibility, and we cover them in lesson 3.

The catch is in labour law. A Ministry of Labour Notification dated 1 April 2020 lists the work foreigners may not do. Its first list, the jobs that are closed to foreigners outright, includes at item 19 brokerage or agency work, with an exception for brokerage in international trade or investment (Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, May 2020; Acclime, 2024). Thaiger’s practical reading in May 2026: listing a property, showing units, negotiating and earning a commission on the transaction are reserved for Thai nationals, and enforcement has tightened since 2024.

So in Thailand:

• Thai nationals can work as agents without a licence.
• Foreigners cannot do the agent’s field work, but can hold real jobs around it, with a work permit (lesson 2).

What an agent actually does

On a resale, the agent usually works for the seller and:

1. Wins the listing and agrees the commission in writing (lesson 4).
2. Prices the property, takes photos and publishes it on the portals.
3. Qualifies buyers and runs the viewings.
4. Negotiates the price and the terms, and helps both sides reach a sale agreement.
5. Follows the file to the transfer at the Department of Lands, including the bank paperwork a foreign buyer needs (lesson 6).

On a new launch, the agent sells a developer’s units. Leto, an agency, wrote in May 2026 that developers pay agents commission directly on new launches. On a rental, the agent finds and checks tenants for a landlord.

What foreigners do instead

Thaiger and Themis Partner list the roles foreigners realistically hold, with a work permit:

• International sales consultant or director, working with overseas buyers while Thai colleagues handle viewings, negotiation and contracts.
• Overseas marketing and business development.
• Investor relations and consulting.
• Company director or shareholder, within the 49% foreign limit (lesson 3).
• Marketing and administration.

The job title on the permit must match what you really do every day (Thaiger). We go through it in detail in lesson 2.

Who hires

You will meet four main types of employer:

• International consultancies with Bangkok offices, such as CBRE, Knight Frank, Colliers, Savills, JLL and Cushman & Wakefield. Knight Frank also has a Phuket office (Estate Agent Today, June 2026).
• Bangkok agencies, such as Plus Property, Bangkok CitiSmart (part of the developer AP), Prima Realty or Angel Real Estate (Nestopa, October 2026).
• Portals that also act as agencies, such as FazWaz and Lazudi.
• Resort agencies in Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui. In Pattaya, Alan Bolton Property Consultants dates from 1978 and Town & Country Property from 2003 (Alan Bolton, December 2025).

Developers also hire their own sales teams and pay outside agents on new projects.

The foreign market alone is large. The Real Estate Information Center (REIC) counted 14,899 condo units transferred to foreigners in 2025, worth 60.92 billion baht: about 14.7% of all condo units and 25% of their value (Khaosod English, March 2026).

How you get paid

FazWaz, a portal and agency, puts the usual sales commission at 3% to 5% of the price, paid by the seller and built into the asking price, so buyers usually pay no agent fee. Leto (May 2026) gives 3% to 5% on developer sales and 2% to 3% on resales. There is no legal rate.

The commission goes to the agency. Your share depends on your contract. Leto, writing as one agency and so to be read as indicative, describes the common models:

Model	How it works	Main risk
Commission only	Most agencies. Newcomers keep about 30% to 40% of the agency’s fee	No deal, no income
Base plus commission	Some large Bangkok chains pay 15,000 to 25,000 baht a month, plus commission	Smaller share per deal
Salary plus bonus	The usual model for foreigners, who must be paid at least the work permit salary floor	Depends on the employer’s sponsorship

For foreigners, Thaiger gives a minimum salary of 50,000 baht a month for Western nationals on a work permit, so a pure commission deal does not fit (lesson 8). Test your own numbers in the commission calculator.

A realistic first year

Be honest with yourself before you start:

• The start is slow. Leto says only about 30% of new agents reach two or more deals a month. Plan your money for a slow first season.
• Languages pay. In 2025 the top foreign buyers by units were from China, Myanmar and Russia (REIC). Chinese, Burmese and Russian open doors next to Thai and English.
• Paperwork is the job. The 49% foreign condo quota, the bank form a foreign buyer needs, transfer taxes and lease terms. Agents who master them win trust.
• The rules on foreigners are enforced. Do everything by the book from day one, whatever colleagues tell you is “normal”.

What comes next

In lesson 2 we look at who is allowed to do what, and how a foreigner works legally. To see open roles now, browse jobs and compare employers on agencies.

This lesson is general information, not legal or immigration advice. CloserPass is not affiliated with any Thai government body. Rules and figures change, so check the official source before you act.