Thailand’s housing market transferred more titles in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier, and the Real Estate Information Center (REIC) of the Government Housing Bank puts the rise on state transfer-fee cuts and looser loan-to-value (LTV) rules. The agency published the half-year reading and its 2026–2027 outlook on 27 August 2026.
National transfers are not Phuket sales. They are still the cleanest official measure of how many housing units actually changed hands while the fee relief remains in force through mid-2027 — and REIC’s foreign-buyer split is the line that names Phuket.
What REIC reported
For January–June 2026, against the same half of 2025:
- Nationwide housing title transfers: 167,665 units, +17.6% (from 142,619)
- Transfer value: ฿429,839 million, +9.8% (from ฿391,601 million)
- Horizontal housing (houses/estates): 111,624 units (+14.6%), value ฿299,432 million (+6.1%) — about 70% of transfer value
- Condominiums: 56,041 units (+24.1%), value ฿130,407 million (+19.3%) — about 30% of transfer value
- New housing loans to individuals: ฿289,315 million, +12.2%; Q2 alone +18.4%
REIC attributes the half-year lift to the existing cut in transfer and mortgage-registration fees and to LTV relaxation. Both supports had started in the second quarter of 2025, so the year-on-year comparison still carries a policy boost. The Cabinet has extended the fee cut for another year, from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
REIC also splits the stock by age and price band. Second-hand homes were 63% of transfers; new homes 37%. The ฿2.01–3.00m band rose to 24% of the mix; homes at or under ฿1.00m fell to 27%.
Foreign condo buyers, and where Phuket appears
Foreigners transferred fewer condominium units in the half. REIC reports 6,533 foreign condo transfers (−8.8%) and value of ฿28,267 million (−1.5%).
By nationality on transfer value:
- China: ฿6,874 million (−27.7%) — still the largest pool, concentrated in Bangkok and Chonburi
- Russia: ฿3,603 million (+75.9%) — REIC says growth was notable in Phuket and Chonburi
- Myanmar: ฿2,457 million (−16.2%) — mainly Bangkok
Thai PBS and Manager Online, reporting the same REIC briefing on 27 August, carry the same national and foreign-buyer figures. Neither source publishes a Phuket-only transfer table for the half; the island appears in REIC’s foreign-buyer commentary, not as a provincial total.
Full-year outlook REIC published with the half
Under assumptions of GDP growth 2.25%, MRR 6.55% and inflation 1.75%, REIC’s 27 August release forecasts:
| Period | Units | YoY | Value (฿ million) | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full year 2026 | 323,479 | +2.3% | 880,760 | +1.8% |
| Full year 2027 | 320,617 | −0.9% | 908,358 | +3.1% |
New individual housing loans are forecast at ฿571,066 million in 2026 (+1.4%) and ฿582,688 million in 2027 (+2.0%). REIC says the 2027 rise in value against a slight fall in units reflects higher construction costs and the new land-appraisal cycle for 2027–2030 that takes effect on 1 January 2027.
Outstanding individual housing loans stood at ฿5,174,141 million at mid-2026 (+2.6% year on year).
Who is affected
Domestic buyers in the mid-price bands meet the fee cut until mid-2027 and the LTV rules that REIC links to the half-year jump. Second-hand stock is where REIC sees most of the volume.
Foreign condo transfers as a group fell year on year. Russian transfer value is the clear exception in the published nationality table, and REIC places that growth in Phuket and Chonburi. Chinese value fell even while China remained the largest foreign nationality by transfer value.
Developers and lenders see the same half through completion pipelines and new loan books: condo units grew faster than houses on a unit basis, while houses still dominate transfer value.
What it may mean for Phuket property
The national +17.6% is a Thailand-wide title-transfer count. It is not a Phuket absorption rate, not asking-price movement, and not proof that any island project sold out. What REIC does publish about the mix is structural, not provincial: houses still about 70% of transfer value, second-hand homes 63% of transfers, and Phuket named only in the foreign-condo nationality note.
The Phuket-specific claim REIC does make is about foreign condominium demand by nationality: Russian transfer value rose while the foreign condo total fell. That matches a buyer mix the island has already been living with — it does not, by itself, say how villa or leasehold deals moved, and REIC does not publish those here.
Practical reading for a Phuket buyer: the fee-cut window to 30 June 2027 is a dated national policy fact; lender LTV terms remain bank-specific. For foreign freehold condo purchases, the 49% foreign quota and the buying guide still set the legal path. Listing-side prices on the island are a different series — see our Phuket price data and market report.
What remains unknown
REIC’s published half-year package does not include a provincial transfer table for Phuket, so the island’s share of the 167,665 units is not in this release.
The foreign-buyer section covers condominium transfers only. It does not measure foreign villa, land-company, or leasehold activity.
REIC flags household debt, tighter credit, construction and logistics costs, and global trade and geopolitics as risks to watch. Those are stated as risks, not as measured half-year outcomes for Phuket.
