Looking to Buy

Great site, lots of fantastic info. here from those in the know. Considering a move to UT or vicinity so I am coming to check it out in a few weeks. The FBI site is good, but no listing of condos etc., only houses. Since a condo is the only thing a farang can buy freehold and I have no intention of doing the "trusted thai"/lease deal, or make the mistake of putting it in some thai girls name, what are my options? I know, RENT!, but I really think the prices will not stay low for long. Coupled with the USD certainly under pressure for the forseeable future, buying for cash and locking in your housing costs in prep. for retirement seems prudent, but what do I know?. Thanks in advance for any feedback on this.

ericw10 wrote:Great site, lots of fantastic info. here from those in the know. Considering a move to UT or vicinity so I am coming to check it out in a few weeks. The FBI site is good, but no listing of condos etc., only houses. Since a condo is the only thing a farang can buy freehold and I have no intention of doing the "trusted thai"/lease deal, or make the mistake of putting it in some thai girls name, what are my options? I know, RENT!, but I really think the prices will not stay low for long. Coupled with the USD certainly under pressure for the forseeable future, buying for cash and locking in your housing costs in prep. for retirement seems prudent, but what do I know?. Thanks in advance for any feedback on this.

Unless you have lived here for long periods of time I would recommend renting first. The real estate market went really bad here in 97 from what I understand and you see a lot half finished building still vacant from that period. But I'm far from an expert.

[quote="ericw10"] The FBI site is good, but no listing of condos etc., only houses. Since a condo is the only thing a farang can buy freehold /quote]

There is no condo listing because there are no condo's !

Actually there are a couple here but they are 'thai style' and very small and certainly not what is available in the likes of Pattaya and Phuket.

Any rental property is very difficult to locate here - be it house, apartment or whatever.

You could always start a '2 million baht business' and purchase property as a 'company asset' (as good as belonging to you). Lots of people go down this route. FBI will give you the ins and outs of doing this.

Paul

It is also possible in Thailand to buy a property leasehold with a 30 year lease with a possible 30 year extension.60 years is more than enough for most. The same contract, registered at the Land Office (Department of Lands), can be renewed every 30 years for a maximum of 990 years. The lessor's heirs are bound by law to honour the agreement, and the lessee can bequeath the lease to his/her heirs in a Last Will and Testament. A potential weakness with this solution is, for example, that the lessor can conceivably claim that the lessee is mismanaging the land to the detriment of its value, and can sue to dissolve the agreement. Of course, this point must be proven in court, but could be a serious headache for the lessee. It's most common on Samui and in Phuket but can be done anywhere.It works well in Samui and Phuket because if you ever want to sell the lease there is a good population of farang who could buy it.In Isaan you may never find a buyer of a leasehold property.

rent for a long time before buying or building. i wish i would of rented when i got here, for all the imaginable reasons. mainly, ease to relocate, if wanting.

Thanks for the advice all. Looking forward to being there in a few weeks to explore the place. Any reliable car rental agencies to recommend?

Stevesudon provided me with a great service a few months back:

http://www.stevesudon.com/stevesudon/carhire.html

I second that for stevesudon. Gets me a rental, airport pickup and delivery to hotel, etc. Never a problem.