Buy a home or have one built?

I'm ready to make an investment, but this is the first time I've ever done it in Thailand.

I'd appreciate some input...

...buy a home or have one built?

That's a good question that I have thought about for awhile. My first reaction was to rent when I decide to move permanently to Thailand. However, I just spent 5 weeks living in a home in Khorat, which has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a large living room and kitchen. The cost of the house was 600,000 baht. I am sure there must be similar ones to that in Udonthani.

It suits my needs, and is in a quiet neighbourhood not too far from the centre of the city (10 minutes), and close to the Mall and so on. It is also minutes from the expressway, which leads north to Khon Kaen, south to Bangkok, east to Buriram and west to somewhere.

There are some real bargains up in Ponpisai.

But my hearts kind of set on Udon.

Check out as few real estate agents FBI and the like, give you some idea about prices of second hand and new.
Im in the process of buying (new.. being built) on a small estate, but I rented for almost 2yrs first, which in my opinion is sound advice, gives you time to explore the area and see what's around and where you want to buy or build.

I will be going down the "have one built" route. IMO you get better value for money and the advantage of designing your own home..
Of the pre-built houses I have seen, most have little or no space around them, giving no privacy and being prone to noise from nearby neighbours.

Build your own. Do your homework on finding a good location (neighbors, infrastructure - power, water, phone, market, etc, distance from town, schools if needed, flooding potential, preferably a few (or a few hundred) km from the family. I've known of a few who have built their own home only to find out they have no reliable source of quality water....but then, there are some horror stories of people in town who to this day don't have reliable water from the city.
If rice fields aren't your thing, there are nice views of hills as you venture out to Nongwahsaw and beyond. 4 lane highway into the city means you're not far away. Mekong river in/around Nongkai is idyllic....if that's your cup of tea.
I'm not knocking subdivisions, but having lived in the countryside the past 12 years, I'd find it very difficult to go back to city-style living, close neighbors, noise.

Try not to have one built honestly.

Sorry no i mean if you DONT speak thai dont have one built.

Thai builders are known to be unreliable and alot gets lost in translation, and when it does get lost in translation, your the one whos going to pay for it.

Also, alot of houses custom made are hard to resale unless done really well.

AND on top of that usually if u want a house built from scratch its probably going to be on a piece of land in the middle of nowhere, which youll regret after about a year.

dont get me wrong im only picking out the negatives if you doit well it will be amazing...a house in your image

but as i said if you dont speak thai, for heaven sake dont use your wife as a translator it will cause alot of grief if things go wrong.

and while im here dont use members of the wifes family to help build, again it will cause alot of awkwardness and gried if things go wrong

After renting 2 stand-alone single family homes and 2 townhomes I decided to build. I wasn't happy in any of the 4 rentals. I like my peace and quiet but I also like the convenience of living close to town center. The solution for me was to find a larger piece of property and have a home built.

My new home has more than met my expectations. Grounded electric, proper kitchen, A/C throughout, no close neighbors etc. etc. etc. I still own a home in the states but my Thai home is far better IMO.

I don't know if I could sell my home and take a profit/loss......it's a moot point for me as I built the house for my comfort and it's not for sale. I do know that I wouldn't live in a house I didn't like just to save money; life's too short for that.

Well, enough posting for now and back to watching the 55" TV in the Home Theater room with my little girl.


Some folks know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

"Some folks know the cost of everything and the value of nothing"

words of wisdom...especially worth remembering as we get older.

DesertStorm wrote:...buy a home or have one built?

SB -

...buy a home or have one built, or Rent?

Rent.

If I had it to do over again, I would Rent.

Build your own house? Buy a house ? or rent a house ?
Trickey questions arn't they ?
The answer is easy enough. Do what suits you.
Building a house can be a bit of a pain at times but if youv'e got the time to be there throughout the construction you will have a property built how you want it. It's no good to just send money over and hope for the best.
Buying a house from a developer is an option some people like because it's so easy, no hassle, pay your money and move in. These houses are expensive and most housing estates look run down after a few years. IMO.
Or you can rent, this being the cheapest option. Don't expect the landlord to pay for a new kitchen or bathroom when the wife wants one.

OT...........

I like chocolate ice cream.
Anyone who prefers strawberry is wrong.
Chocolate is best.

Chacun ses goûts.

old-timer wrote:Build your own house? Buy a house ? or rent a house ?
Trickey questions arn't they ?
The answer is easy enough. Do what suits you.

correct

old-timer wrote: you will have a property built how you want it.

You will never get a "built how you want it", well unless you do it yourself.

old-timer wrote: can be a bit of a pain at times

a understatement

Why would anyone buy or build a house you cannot own and which can be taken from you at any time ?

Long term rental the safe way to go.