newnative

In my experience agencies have worked together to get a property sold and they split the commission. That just happened with the last house we sold this past summer. This is the norm in the US--where you mostly have a listing agent who puts the property on the MLS and splits the commission with an agent who brings the buyer. Of course, if the listing agent finds a buyer himself, he gets the whole commission.

I think most of the large agencies all still have offices, and certainly websites. I would not rely only on FB to find a property to buy, or to sell. FB did not bring us any of the Chinese buyers we have had, and likely not any of the Russian buyers.

It's bad in Bangkok, too, and also nothing done about it.

Good question.

I've been doing it for years on-line but I go to Europe tonight so next one apparently will have to be done in-person at Jomtien.

Why not, indeed.

Nothing wrong with that. Many tourists only visit a city once because they have a long list of other cities they want to visit. I've been to Venice once and enjoyed the visit but have no plans to ever visit again. Ditto for Beijing, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Milan, Barcelona, Lisbon, Kyoto, Madrid, Hanoi, Rome, etc., etc., etc.

If I'm not mistaken, though, it's been years since you've been to Pattaya. Was Terminal 21 built the last time you were here? How about Centre Point Space? Universal Studios Aquaverse amusement park? Ramayana Water Park? Dolphinarium? The new Go-Kart amusement that recently opened? Ripley's new Horror Hospital? Frost Magical Ice of Siam? You are correct that family friendly attractions have been built in North Pattaya, starting with T21. Amari built a whole new family wing catering to families. T21, itself, has a family friendly Centre Point hotel on top of it. That was so successful the company built Centre Point Space, also geared to families, right across the street. CP Space has also been so successful that they are now building the massive Centre Point 3 family resort on a huge tract of land by Cape Dara, also family-oriented. You may not have seen many 'little busters' years ago but, obviously, they are here now. And, the numbers are growing; hence, the need for CP3. Centara Resort, the grandaddy of Pattaya's family resorts, is undergoing a massive renovation, perhaps with an eye to the new competition going up down the street. Another large tract of land across from T21 by Dolphin Circle has also been cleared for new development. From your perch in New Zealand it's likely hard to keep up with all the new development going on. Heck, I live in Pattaya and it's hard for me to keep up--even though I am out and about a lot. Not too long ago a couple of my Bangkok relatives clued me in to a huge new 2-story coffee and dessert emporium that had opened on Sukhumvit. I do know that yet another water-themed amusement park opened recently but the name escapes me. In any case, Pattaya now has a lot on offer, both for visitors and the growing numbers of full and part-time residents moving into all the new condo projects and housing estates being built.

Utter nonsense.

If only it had been a gold ring.

Perhaps because it's true.

I agree regarding Asians and I saw one example of it first-hand. After the Vietnam war some Vietnamese were brought to America and settled in different areas. One area was northern Virginia. I worked at a community college there and the campus I was at set up special classes to teach these Vietnamese English. There may have also been some acclimation sessions. Most of these Vietnamese worked very hard, often at two jobs or more. Many of the jobs were blue collar--gardeners, restaurant workers, office cleaners, etc. They did the long hours of hard work, saved their money, and in a few years they had started their own garden service, restaurant, office cleaning company, and so on. The goal was for the next generation, their children, to go to college and have a better life than they did--and many achieved it in one generation. Although life had dealt them a bad blow--their country had fallen and they had ended up in an alien country across the world--there wasn't a 'woe is me' attitude. Instead, it was, ok, this bad thing has happened, we've been given a new opportunity, let's get to work.

Reality, not myth.

Spouse and I were at the Bangkok Auto Show yesterday. Large crowds. The most popular booths seemed to be the Chinese ones, with a number of new models. Geely attracted a lot of interest, as did BYD. We had to wait in line to sit in one of the new Sealion 6 and 7's on display. Some really impressive new Chinese models with great styling, technology, features, and very reasonable prices. Meanwhile, nothing new of note from the Japanese makers--although I may have missed something as we were concentrating on the new Chinese makers and models. New color for the HR-V--I did note that. Don't think that's going to hack it these days.

The good agents I use do far more than that. And, they do it knowing it's likely another agent might sell the property before they do, with all their work for nothing. I'm happy to pay 5% to an agent that brings me a buyer that buys my property. My objective is always to get the property sold quickly at a price I am happy with. Spouse and I have sold some properties on our own but the majority were sold due to the hard work of agents.

Spouse and I renovated a 48 sqm shell studio at VT7 some years ago and lived in it for about a year. We partitioned the condo and had the private bedroom area by the balcony, with the more public living room/dining room/kitchen areas in the front of the condo by the entrance. Had 2 aircons rather than the usual just one. We did it on a budget but it turned out well and it was an easy sell as it looked different, functioned well, and was a bit more interesting than the usual open space studios with bed and sofa sitting side by side. I would not buy again at VT7 because I like to swim and I think the pool is too small for the number of units. Plus, no other amenities such as a gym, which I've come to expect in condo projects. And, covered parking with only some of the units. I have the same issues with VT3, and VT5C and 5D, which we also renovated units at, and lived at, for a time before they sold. I would probably have the same issue with the pool being too small at Jomtien Complex, as well--but it does have some other amenities. I thought the 9th floor 2-bedroom unit mentioned in the thread had some nice features. Liked the big balcony, the separation of the bedrooms, and the living room/dining room/kitchen areas in one big open space. I hesitate to recommend any project because they all have drawbacks and it depends on the buyer as to whether which drawbacks would be deal breakers. For me, it could be a too small pool, no gym, too small balcony, no covered parking. For others, it might be different things, such as not enough elevators, too many units in the project, units too small, too expensive, project in the wrong location, etc. We never buy to solely renovate and flip--we always buy to live in ourselves so we try to choose a condo or house that fits our needs--and budget--at the time. I would likely not buy to live year-round at any of the mega 1000+ unit projects unless there was a very strict and very effective system in place to prevent illegal daily rentals. Been there. We've moved on to houses on the Darkside in the last 4 years but if we went back to a condo it probably would not be in the Jomtien area--it's just gotten too congested and when we go into town we're usually on the north end--T21, Central Festival, Index, Home Pro, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, etc. We would more likely choose something like Northshore or one of the beachfront projects in Wong Amat. If we had to move to Jomtien we might choose something like Cetus, Aeras, or Reflection.

I doubt the townhouses in the picture will ever be torn down and a highrise constructed to block the view. I think there are too many different owners for that to happen. I believe some of the lowrise structures adjacent to View Talay 7 are still owned by the View Talay company and I doubt they would sell to anyone planning a highrise as it would impact their View Talay 7 project right next door, where they have unsold units still for sale.

Agree. This isn't brain surgery.

I see no reason why foreigners shouldn't be allowed to own land, as long as it is a limited amount suitable for a house and not large tracts.

Limiting foreign condo ownership to 49% does NOT automatically insure that Thai owners remain in control of condo projects. At the last condo project I owned at, the condo board was majority foreign owners. Since that can be the case, I see no harm in raising foreign quota to 60% or 75%, or eliminating it altogether.

Depends on what you want and your lifestyle. My spouse and I don't like to garden so we didn't want a big yard to take care of. We have a large single-floor 4 bedroom/5 bath house with 2-car garage and 3 meter by 9 meter pool on a land plot of about 120 square wah. That's plenty big enough for our needs and we still have some garden spaces by the pool and around the house, with the main focus the pool area and a large covered deck . All the homes in the project are single-story with solid perimeter walls so we have complete privacy.

I totally agree. There is definitely not a 'one size fits all' answer. It's all up to the individual or couple as to whether renting or buying is the best choice for them--but maybe not for me, or you, or that guy over there behind the tree. I will say that I've never lost money--here or in the US--on any condo I have owned. And, there have been about 30 of them. Re-selling them was not the struggle some make it out to be--but, again, just my experience. Whether I can sell at a profit or I sustain a loss doesn't enter into the buy/rent equation with me. I simply like to own the space I live in, whether I am somewhere short-term or long-term. For me, the joys of owning far outweigh profit or loss. You likely only go around once in life and that once is too important for me to live in someone else's space--and taste--on my one go-around. But, that's me--not you or that guy behind the tree. There can certainly be advantages to renting, especially here in Thailand. There can also be advantages to owning if you are here long-term. People can post their opinions but I don't think anyone can say what's the best choice for someone they know very little about--too many factors in play, or should be in play. For the OP, I would say follow your heart and good luck with whichever choice you make.

You are correct. A beneficiary can be anyone you choose--including the noodle lady.

Nailed it. Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. China's simply doing that--and US, Korea, Japan, and Europe car makers better get on the stick.

You can have beneficiaries in a Will whom are not relatives and you do not need to be legally married to have your partner be a beneficiary. I suggest you have a Will drawn up that states that it is a Will specifically for your property in Thailand, with copies both in English and Thai.