NovThailand News
Foreign condo transfers in Thailand fell in Q1 before improving in Q2
Q1 transfers fell in both number and value
REIC released its first-quarter report on June 16, 2026. Across Thailand, 3,241 condominium units were transferred into foreign ownership during January through March, a 17.3% year-on-year decline. The combined transfer value was THB 13.464 billion, down 17.9%, while the transferred floor area fell 13.8% to 141,644 square metres. Chinese nationals remained the largest foreign buyer group by both unit count and total transfer value.
The dataset measures completed ownership transfers, not reservations or sales contracts signed during the same three months. In Thailand's condominium market, the two measures should be kept separate because a unit bought earlier, including during construction, may only appear in transfer statistics when ownership is formally registered.
For practical context, see How to buy property in Thailand. This development also connects with Thailand housing permits plunged in Q1 while transfers rose.
Q2 data changed the mid-year picture
REIC's next report, released on September 11, showed a different second quarter. Foreign buyers completed 3,292 condominium transfers in Q2, up 1.4% year on year, while their total value rose 20.2% to THB 14.803 billion.
For the first half of 2026, foreign transfers still remained below the previous year's level: 6,533 units, down 8.8%, with a combined value of THB 28.267 billion, down 1.5%. The much smaller decline in value than in unit count also shows why a simple headline about falling transactions misses part of the market mix.
The Q1 report therefore remains useful evidence of a weak start to the year, but it is no longer a complete description of foreign demand in 2026. The following quarter recovered enough to materially change the trend.
National transfer data is not a project-level price signal
For a buyer, the figures are most useful as market context rather than a direct pricing rule. A nationwide fall in foreign transfers does not establish that a particular condominium in Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya should be priced 17% lower.
REIC combines transactions across different cities, price bands, developments and completion stages. Negotiating power can improve in one part of the market while another remains competitive. A property decision still needs project-level evidence such as comparable asking prices, competing listings, time on market and the terms being offered by the seller or developer.
Owners considering a sale should also read the first-half data rather than relying on the weak Q1 snapshot alone. Foreign transfer volumes were still lower year on year through June, but the gap in total value had narrowed substantially.
Sources
- Real Estate Information Center (REIC) — Foreign Condominium Ownership Transfers, Q1 2026 report — June 16, 2026.
- Real Estate Information Center (REIC) — Foreign Condominium Ownership Transfers, Q2 and H1 2026 report — September 11, 2026.