Housing Projects

[Aardvark]

As long as they include a local Deli, sounds fine

[Marmite The Dog]

And I am assured by Le Cellini the electricity is grounded, which was a concern by writers on this form.

Putting the famous Thai honesty aside, have you checked that everything is grounded properly?

[aznyron]

As long as they include a local Deli, sounds fine

it better be a kosher deli. since I love pastrami Corn beef and Hot dogs all with mustard

[rct]

Am pleased this Housing Projects subject is getting some input, though would like to see more specific information about actual housing estates, if there is any. When I first starting scouting property in Udon ten years ago, a local farang friend took me to see some estates, and once I went with FBI to a rather dumpy estate, and that is all I ever knew except for driving around on my own and found very little additional, except for Chonrada and Le Cellini in more recent years.

To Marmite, no I am not entirely convinced of full grounding since my computer is giving some buzz as I type this reply.

Regarding "Pools , rec centers,street lighting and paved roads" deteriorating after a while, so true as I have seen all over Thailand - except where owners pay the premium to keep it nice.

Please come to visit Le Cellini and see the completed estate and give your honest comments, how does it compare to the others in Udon? We just prepaid one year maintenance fee of 36,000 baht for security, street lights, gardener of common area, clubhouse and pool maintanence. Le Cellini has tight security and visitors can NOT simply smile and drive past the guard (so far...), the street is brightly lit all night until after 6 a.m.. While it is too soon to say how things will look in a few years, like anywhere, if each owner is willing to pay the agreed annual maintenance, this should help keep a nice upscale environment. Since we have a couple meters of green landscaped common area between the pavement and each house's fence, this makes for a nice ambience I have not seen in any other Udon housing project.

Le Cellini indeed is now building six shophouse units at the front for 6 MB each, though with a very premium design, and I do hope a deli opens up along with other nice businesses. The shophouse owners will have clubhouse privileges and will pay their share. The shophouses will add privacy since we are on a busy inner city road.

I visit Chonrada and Tanadorn from time to time and must say the Tanadorn new pool and clubhouse looks nice from the street, they built this probably more than 10 years after first launching their estate. Chonrada facilities look simple but nice enough for the value price of the houses.

What other nice estates are there, what prices, etc?

[BKKSTAN]

.'' Le Cellini has tight security and visitors can NOT simply smile and drive past the guard (so far...),''



rct,how are we to get in?Tell you sent us?

[NOLA]

rct. i wish you the best of luck. i'm also hoping that all of you who put up 36K for your outside amenities still have them when the porject is finished and the project developers have moved on. these same developers have abandoned their responsibilities to first home village. all i can say is buyer beware.

[rct]

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE OF HOUSING ESTATES

Owners must pay common area fees to maintain the estate. The developer sells houses and they do not include in the price "perpetual maintenance." If owners pay annually and actively manage the state with a committee, the assets are protected and will go up in value. At Le Cellini, at least the beginnings seem worth it to me, eg landscaped greenery along all roads, underground electric, tighter than normal security for Udon, etc.

At First Home, how many homes are there, and how much does each home pay per year for common areas? What percent of owners do NOT pay? What is the annual operating budget and is it enough?

Please visit Le Cellini and the guard will show you the sale office in the clubhouse for a tour. Then discuss more specifics on what you see and learn and compared to other Udon estates. I appreciate reading pros and cons, good and bad, the forum is meant to share correct information to help others and of course I may have a bias on this subject, though am also curious for future investments and to help friends who may not want to spend so much as here.

[old-timer]

le cellini is quite probably the best housing estate in udon with regard to the overall
infrastructure of the project and the quality of the dwellings - and quite rightly so as
they have a very hefty price tag compared to anything else in udon, the location is also
a big plus for anyone wanting to live in the center of town. Providing that the houses and
shop houses are occupied by the owners then the estate should remain in pretty good shape,
- if the owners start letting out the properties to thai families then there's a good chance
the place won't remain in tip top condition for long. The tenants will not spend a single
baht on the upkeep of the estate unless they have to. It's a bit different with falang tenants
as they tend to treat rented places as their own.

[rct]

Update on various housing projects? Are there any new developments?

For those with a budget say up to 4 million, look at Sittarom on the ring road near Big C.

Le Cellini has a new model house with interior and garden in a very different style than the first, curiousity seekers should have a look. The landscaped street and clubhouse are a relaxing oasis in town.

[rct]

LE CELLINI PHASE TWO START FROM 7.9 MB
Just saw advertisment, 15 houses in phase two starting from 7.9 million baht. Same common amenities as the homes costing 12-14 million baht in phase one, just scaled down a bit in size and interior materials used. I seldom see farangs looking at Le Cellini, though to date 3 of the 7 homes sold are occupied by westerners, of the original 11 already built. The total project will have only 26 units once completed.

There are six luxury shophouses at the front, almost complete, one unit still for sale. Hope a nice restaurant decides to open there.

[mortiboy]

For those that want a small budget bungalow,on my small estate.Made to your own design,two bedroom and three bedroom bungalows, 650,000 baht and 950,000 baht. really nice properties.
Nice quiet area just off Sakon Nakon road 5 min from Big C.
(PM if want directions.)

[rct]

Wow Mortiboy, in business I am used to being undercut by a few percent and losing the customer, but 90%! Just kidding, and nice to see some discussion. FYI I am in no way in the property business, not yet anyway, sounds like a difficult way to earn a return on investment in Udon. I have trouble understanding how Sittarom can sell their nice houses for so low price.

To be sure, it is possible to lead a pleasant life here without costing too much, keeping things simple makes sense, and I may bring folks by to see what under one million baht can buy, when it is within their target budget.

Meanwhile I just reviewed the new Cellini house plan for phase two, about 250 square meters of luxury interior plus another 100 m2 useable area outside, on about 110 square wah, for 7.9 to 8.4 MB, with extra landscaped common area around two sides of each property (this adds about 15 wah to each house), plus a luxurious clubhouse and pool, near the city center, 6 minutes to Robinson when no traffic, and only two minutes to the prison!

Anyone looking to invest in this price range and thinking of building out in the boonies, should at least have a look to compare value and what you get, then comment here on the forum. Each house includes about 1 million baht in the price to pay for the clubhouse and fitness equipment and pool. For us, we suffered while building twice in Phuket, first time by the beach 25 minutes drive from town, then found we spent all our time driving to and from town, and so second time we built in the city center. For conveience of city life and no hassles in construction, buying off plan at Le Cellini was a no-brainer in our case.

[parrot]

My understanding is that residents of Celini pay 3500 baht per month for general maintenance/upkeep of common areas (pool, exercise room, etc)

[rct]

Parrot, just curious, would 3500 baht per month be deemed a little or a lot? What do residents of other housing estates pay? And are they maintained and how do they look? Chonranda has a nice clubhouse, no idea of the fees. Tanadorn, where we almost bought before Cellini launched, looks a bit scary driving in and driving around, though they have a great new clubhouse and park, and a few renovated homes that look stylish.

2009 maintenance fee at Le Cellini was 3000 baht per month paid 12 months in advance. The future fee depends on the home owners and actual costs, though if enough homes are sold, this rate should be enough. If not enough houses sell, the developers will need to keep kicking in for longer and they seem willing to.

Some may perceive this fee to be expensive when one can rent a room for 3500 baht per month. If that is one's budget, or one wants to buy house for less than 8 million baht complete, this is definately not the place. Like others, I mined the forum for useful information on housing before buying, which is why I try to stimulate this conversation.

Seeing is believing, to understand the value of this fee, to live in a safe secure environment that feels as luxurious as fine estates in the center of Bangkok where a house costs upwards of 35 MB. Compare the atmosphere and convenience here to anywhere else in Udon Thani, and comment on the forum. At Le Cellini it is a pleasure to sit on one of the many park benches along the landscaped street, chat with the neighbors, etc.

[laphanphon]

if i had 10 million baht to spend on a house i couldn't own, i sure wouldn't be in thailand. 3500 a month for home owner's fee, my landlord just offered me that if i renew for 3 years, now 4000 a month, ok, obviously nothing close to cellini, more like a garage apartment, lol, or as bud says 'loft' apartment, sounds much nicer. but the fact is.........udon is not worth 10 million for anything. most of it looks like a slum and there is nothing here. sadly,this is one of the better cities of thailand. IMHO

[jackspratt]

What do the estate agents advise when looking to buy a house - "always buy the worst house on the best street, in preference to the best house in the worst street".

Based on LA's observation above, is there a "best street" in Udon?

[parrot]

"just curious, would 3500 baht per month be deemed a little or a lot? "

It probably has something to do with whether one considers 10 million a lot or a little. My intent was simply to state a fact.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Isn't it possible to get foreclosed houses, in nice condition, for very cheap prices from banks like Siam Commercial?

[rct]

I had to chuckle in agreement with Laphanphon's comments, as I usually do with his posts.

Though for family reasons we made a decision to move to the Udon Thani he accurately describes. The only way I would move to Udon, after 16 years iliving quite well in Bangkok and Phuket, is if I could have a comfortable home like I was used to elsewhere. And I am very happy to give a nice house to my wife the mother of my children, for them to grow up in, since we can afford it. What's more, it will be an asset giving my wife the security she deserves, if heaven forbid she ever needed to sell it (even at a loss, resale houses are not exactly liquid in Udon). Ironically we eat out almost every breakfast, lunch and dinner by driving through the streets Laphanphon refers to. The people and culture in Udon are mostly lovely, this is the attraction. Longer term, education of my children will be our reason to consider leaving down the road.

Maybe the number of farang who can afford Le Cellini and don't mind paying it (meaning who perceive the value), are only 1% or 5% or 25% of farangs in Udon, I have no idea, though there are 3 farang home owners here and I bet more will come with phase two lower prices.

[parrot]

rct
Upon further review of your post about 'stimulating the conversation':
Given that the small expat population here crosses the whole spectrum of income levels, you'll likely hear a wide variety of comments about the cost of Cellini. Just like some folks are comfy paying the family of their new Thai bride a lavish dowery, some will feel that Cellini provides good value for the money.
Likewise, there will be those who wouldn't think of paying 60 baht for a small bottle of Leo in a bar because they can buy the same bottle for 30 elsewhere.
I just took a visiting friend of ours for a full tour of Cellini from the executive sales rep. He was duly impressed. I was impressed. Lots of nice features, ambience, etc. Walk into the model home and you'd have a had time thinking you were in Thailand. That's sure to suit some people just fine. I could easily visualize my friend buying one of those homes. Me? I'm happy in the jungle away from the city and the extravagances of life.
As one poster recently said in response to McDonald's coming to Udon: "I left the USA to get away from that".
I'd say: if you can afford Cellini and it makes you happy, have a good time. If you're happy with a 4000 rental and mini-bus transportation, have a good time.