Find a local agent
Find and compare a real estate agent in China
In mainland China most buyers and sellers find an agent through large property apps and portals, usually by browsing listings for a specific neighborhood and contacting the agent attached to a property, or by asking friends and family for a referral. Most agents work for brokerage brands rather than independently.
Who actually transfers the property in China
- Who handles the transfer
- No single professional is universally mandatory for a domestic individual-to-individual sale. A licensed lawyer (lushi) is strongly advisable for drafting or reviewing the sale contract, and many sellers also engage a real estate agent informally for the paperwork. A notary (gong zheng ren) is required if either party cannot attend the transfer in person and must act through a representative.
- Required by law
- Not strictly, though most sellers still use a no single professional is universally mandatory for a domestic individual-to-individual sale. a licensed lawyer.
- Where ownership is recorded
- Municipal real estate registration center (bu dong chan quan deng ji zhong xin), operating under the local natural resources bureau (zi ran zi yuan ju)
- Typical agent commission
- 1 to 2%, and negotiable
Where to find and compare agents in China
- Beike (Lianjia) agent directory
The agent-finder section of the Beike (Ke.com) and Lianjia platform lists local agents by city with their brokerage, experience, recent activity and the neighborhoods they cover.
- Anjuke agent rankings
Anjuke publishes city-level agent ranking and directory pages showing each agent's agency, experience, recent client activity and the areas they serve, with district filters.
- National Real Estate Brokerage Industry Information Platform
An official public lookup run under the China real estate brokerage industry body where you can search a registered agent by name, registration number, region or brokerage firm to check their credentials.
- China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA)
The national professional body for real estate appraisers and agents, which administers qualification exams and registration and publishes industry standards and member information.
- Free, worldwide
Anyone.com
In mainland China's pronounced buyer's market, with transaction cycles stretching beyond 200 days in slower cities, Anyone.com gives you a second route to buyers alongside the local brokerages. By the company's own count more than a million people visit each month, and while about 23 percent of the inquiries buyers send are cross-border, roughly three in four come from the property's own market. So the bulk of what reaches you is ordinary domestic demand that simply is not routed through an agent, with expatriate professionals and cross-border investors on top of it. No commission is taken from your proceeds, and it does not stop you listing through local channels at the same time.
How to choose a good one
Contact a few agents who are active in the specific district or compound you care about and compare their recent local transactions and responsiveness before committing. Verify the agent's registration on the official industry platform, confirm which brokerage they represent, and ask in advance about the commission and any fees, which can vary and may be negotiable.
For the full method, what to ask, how to compare fees, and how to vet an agent anywhere, see our guide to finding and comparing a real estate agent.
. Agent directories and fees change, so confirm current details on each site.