Selling Real Estate in Thailand & MLS

Selling Real Estate in Thailand  & MLS

Selling real estate in Thailand differs widely from for example the USA.

In both markets you have basically 2 setups: Selling direct by Owner or via Agent but the Agent part differs.

Agents in the US normally join an MLS feed, but in Thailand MLS in not yet invented, and probably never will, in the way it works in the US with 1 exclusive agent and co-agents. In Thailand it is quite common that more than 10 agents list the same property in the listing portals.

The term MLS or Multiple Listing Service is widely used in the USA, but as written above unfortunately non existent in Thailand as of Date.

MLS is where a you as a seller contact 1 single broker who will push this towards the MLS, then all other agents countrywide can use the data/photos/text to put on their websites. The agents will inbetween share comm. which is common set by the MLS provider. Exposure is huge and on average a property is easier to sell than in Thailand, in a short timeframe.

The only way to get as much exposure like MLS is to contact let say 20-30 agents in your neighborhood with a ready set of photos, descriptions, and sales price.

But here is a drawback as some agents want exclusivity, the same way you have the exclusivity in the US but without MLS. ! So before you start harvesting emails from those brokers check if they want to become exclusive agent or not.

Overall exclusive listings do not work, especially in Thailand, where there is also no MLS feed. More or less when you sign a deal with an exclusive agent you are stuck, and totally dependent on the moves and the promotions the agent makes.

Main reason to not give your property to an exclusive listing Agent, is that other agents can not contact you direct (even if they know you). They know that they have to share the comm. with this Exclusive Agent, and will just pass on your property. In short you limit your effectiveness towards selling your property.

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