The Benefits of Native Language Speaking Agents

Talking to many of our expert property agents here in Pattaya it seems that International buyers are now happier to converse in English than they once were. This is certainly due to Globalization and the fact that English is the lingua franca of international business. So as a result, more and more people are learning English as a second language. Also with economic growth many developing countries have a growing middle class with disposable income. They are increasingly looking to purchase property abroad and English is the most common language of communication in the global real estate market. Pattaya is very much a melting pot of many different nationalities and cultures and as such has a wealth of property agents available to speak in the native language of their customers. Being able to communicate in a client’s native language can help to build trust and rapport. This is important in any business relationship but especially important in the real estate market where large sums of money are involved. So we thought we would ask some of the city’s best loved agencies their views on this topic..

PATRICK OF PATTAYA PRESTIGE PROPERTIES

It is now more than eight years that I have been in Pattaya, a long time after my first two years of working experience in Bangkok in the 90s. My team is proficient in French, English, Thai, and Polish, and we have associates who speak Russian or Chinese. International buyers are usually happy to speak in English, but besides the advantage of speaking their mother tongue, the clients will value that you know their culture and the financial and legal environment of their country of origin.

CEES (KC) OF TOWN COUNTRY PROPERTTY -PATTAYA REAL ESTATE

How long have you been in Pattaya Cees? -27 years What languages are your team proficient in? -Dutch, English, German and of course Thai. We have support staff for Chinese and Russian speakers. For those comfortable with the English language, talking in English is no issue. Most of our contracts are written in English. However, I find that most clients from The Netherlands are very appreciative if we communicate in Dutch. It feels like a comfort zone to them.

MATS AND NAREE OF GUSTAF REAL ESTATE

We moved to Pattaya in Oct 2018 and the languages we speak are English, Thai and Swedish. Over our time working from our two offices in Jomtien we have found that there are many Scandinavian expats and long term residents who enjoy meeting others from the same countries. They like the food and drink from their homeland and talking in their own language to relax and enjoy time with friends. So for us there is a social as well as business benefit to understanding and conversing in most of the Scandinavian languages.

EDWIN OF MY PATTAYA REAL ESTATE

I have been living and working here in real estate for over 13 years in Pattaya. My team can speak Lithuanian, Russian, English, Thai, German, and Polish which allows us to provide our clients with the highest level of service, regardless of their nationality or native language. As a real estate agent in Pattaya, I have noticed that international buyers are now happier to converse in English than they once were. However, we have found Russians are very keen on working with Russian speaking agents, not necessarily Russian nationals, as long as the language is clear to understand.

JO STETTEN OF EXCLUSIVE SERVICE PARTNERS

Been here in Pattaya since late 1999 – 23 years Formed our company in 2011 – 12 years ago Our team speaks German, English, French and Thai. In general the majority of our customers know how to communicate in English, besides their mother tongue. when it comes to finalization of the details of a contract. However, the accuracy of deals are in general discussed in the client’s mother tongue and we have found it has been helpful in most cases to be bi-lingual.

IN CONCLUSION

Property agents can help their clients understand the Thai real estate and rental markets. With their Thai national staff they can help negotiate with Thai sellers and navigate the Thai legal system. In addition native language speaking agents can provide clearer communication, cultural understanding, and trust. This is why many real estate companies here in Pattaya have a diverse workforce that can speak multiple languages.