Questions Worth Asking About Working With a Licensed Agent in Makati

Say you got a message on Facebook from someone who saw you commenting on a condo listing in Salcedo Village. They say they have a unit that just came up, it's below market, and the owner wants to move fast. They're friendly, responsive, and clearly know the building. Should you work with them?

That scenario plays out constantly in Makati's fast-moving rental and resale market, and it's exactly the moment to slow down and ask a few questions before any money or personal information changes hands.

Why Licensing Is the First Thing to Check

In the Philippines, real estate brokers and salespersons are supposed to be licensed through the Professional Regulatory Commission under the Real Estate Service Act. A broker has passed a licensure exam and can transact independently; a salesperson works under the supervision of a licensed broker and cannot legally operate alone. Plenty of capable, honest people in this industry work without proper accreditation, but licensing gives you a paper trail, a professional body they're accountable to, and some assurance they've been tested on the basics of property law, valuation, and ethics.

In a market like Makati, where units change hands quickly and buyers often come from out of town or overseas, that accountability matters more, not less.

Questions to Ask About Their Credentials

Ask directly for their PRC license number and the name of the broker they're affiliated with if they identify as a salesperson. A legitimate professional will give you this without hesitation, often printing it on their business card or including it in their email signature. You can verify license status and standing directly with the PRC rather than taking someone's word for it.

It's also worth asking how long they've held the license and whether real estate is their primary work. Part-timers and newly licensed agents aren't automatically untrustworthy, but the answer helps you calibrate how much hand-holding you might need to do yourself.

Questions About Their Track Record in the Area

Makati is not one market — Salcedo, Legazpi, Poblacion, Bel-Air, and the areas near the Makati Central Business District all move differently in terms of pricing, tenant demand, and building management quirks. Ask how many transactions they've closed in the specific area you're looking at, not just in Makati broadly.

A good follow-up is asking what they'd flag as a concern about a particular building or street if you weren't in the room — associations fees trending up, slow management response, a glut of units for lease. An agent who only talks up the positives isn't necessarily dishonest, but one who can speak candidly about trade-offs usually knows the area better.

Questions About How They Get Paid

Commission structures in Philippine real estate are generally paid by the seller or landlord, not the buyer or tenant, though this isn't universal and arrangements can vary by transaction and by agency. Ask plainly who pays them and how much, and get it in writing if you're asked to sign any kind of authority to purchase or reservation agreement. If an agent asks you, the buyer, for an upfront fee just to view units or receive listings, treat that as unusual and ask them to explain exactly what it covers.

Also ask whether they represent you exclusively or whether they're also representing the seller in the same deal. Dual representation happens and isn't automatically a problem, but you deserve to know where their loyalties sit before you start negotiating price.

Red Flags Worth Noticing

Pressure to decide within hours, reluctance to share a license number, insistence on cash deposits before any paperwork, and an unwillingness to let you deal directly with the developer or the registered owner are all worth pausing over. So is an agent who discourages you from having your own lawyer review documents, or who tells you a notarized contract to sell isn't necessary yet.

None of these alone proves bad intent, but taken together they're the pattern that shows up in most stories about buyers who got burned on a Makati deal that seemed too good to pass up.

What a Good Working Relationship Looks Like

A licensed, experienced agent working in Makati's condo and rental market should be comfortable walking you through comparable listings, explaining association dues and how they're set, and connecting you with a lawyer or notary if you don't already have one. They should be upfront about timelines for title transfer or lease registration and not vague about who holds funds in the meantime.

They should also be fine with you taking a day or two to think things over, verifying their license independently, or asking a second agent for a comparative opinion. Confidence in their own track record usually looks like patience, not urgency.

Bringing It Back to the Scenario

Going back to that Facebook message about the Salcedo Village unit: none of this means you should assume the worst. It means you ask for the license number, check who's actually paying the commission, ask about two or three other transactions they've closed nearby, and get anything verbal put in writing before you commit to a viewing fee, a reservation, or a deposit.

Makati's property market rewards people who move quickly on good opportunities, but the agents worth working with are the ones who don't need you to skip the questions to get there.