Korat real Estate

[stiggy23]

Dear all,

I am wondering if any of my ferang bretherin is living in Korat or used to and how his/hers experience has been. What kind of city are we talking about to compared to say Pattaya/Phuket? I am just concerned that the English proficiency in the city might not v good + the city might not have the same buzz as the more touristic cities. Thank you

[happylarry]

Although Korat is the third largest city in Thailand it is not a tourist location in any way, although there are quite a large number of expats living here. As far as English proficiency goes, few and far between. Go into a supermarket or department store or petrol station and you would be lucky to find anyone speaking English. There is no comparison in any way to Pattaya or Phuket, and why would there be after all theres no beach...lol

HL

[baansgr]

As you have posted in real estate would assume you are concerned  about property values.  Korat  is a large province with outlying farming away from the main city. I've met many people from Korat whose English  is reasonable due to working  in more tourist areas.  I don't think Korat has any condos so property of any kind would never be yours. Of course lots of foreigners in Korat that have bought their wives houses in the villages worth millions basically with no resale value as only the family  would live there. The city has all the usual shopping malls with a few expats bars but why would you want to live there unless for work or it's your partners home. 

[lanng khao]

As been said, light years away from Pattaya and Phuket, I live just outside Korat and I does have some very good shopping malls but it's as Thai as Thai can be.you would need some command of the Thai language to get by, there's plenty of massage places if your into that but nothing on the scale of the bars where you have mentioned.

Sent from my ARE-AL00 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[freebyrd]

I had a home there for 17 years. It was the sort of Thailand I always wanted to live in, far removed from Pattaya and Phuket in every way, which suited me perfectly. Personally I didn't move to Thailand to rub shoulders with expats every day. Had life not thrown me a curve ball I'd still be there today.

 

You do need to learn to speak Thai but having done so interacting with friendly locals is part of the charm of the city.

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

You do need to learn to speak Thai

I was under the impression Korat people spoke their own unique (Laos variation) language.

[1FinickyOne]

One is a living workung thai city. The other 2 are for tourists...

[freebyrd]

On 11/10/2018 at 9:28 AM, baansgr said:

As you have posted in real estate would assume you are concerned  about property values.  Korat  is a large province with outlying farming away from the main city. I've met many people from Korat whose English  is reasonable due to working  in more tourist areas.  I don't think Korat has any condos so property of any kind would never be yours. Of course lots of foreigners in Korat that have bought their wives houses in the villages worth millions basically with no resale value as only the family  would live there. The city has all the usual shopping malls with a few expats bars but why would you want to live there unless for work or it's your partners home. 

why would you want to live there

 

Because not everyone wants to be a sheep and some of us look for something different in our lives.

[freebyrd]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I was under the impression Korat people spoke their own unique (Laos variation) language.

Yes they do but they also understand Thai.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

Yes they do but they also understand Thai.

Which is not much use if you want to listen in on them.

[watcharacters]

35 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

Had life not thrown me a curve ball I'd still be there today.

 

 

Wife picked up and left you behind?

 

Sorry but you did open this can of worms.

 

[freebyrd]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Which is not much use if you want to listen in on them.

So learn to speak Lao, many expats residents have done so.

 

Why are you so negative in this thread when you were positive in the foreign child attending a Thai school thread?

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

So learn to speak Lao, many expats residents have done so.

Why are you so negative in this thread when you were positive in the foreign child attending a Thai school thread?

 

Because you should learn the first language of the people living around you, so you can integrate with your neighbours. Not some half-assed middle ground.

[freebyrd]

1 minute ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Wife picked up and left you behind?

 

Sorry but you did open this can of worms.

 

Actually it was the other way round, after 22 years of marriage life took a turn. And I didn't open any cans, you are showing the usual schadenfreude this site engenders

[henry15]

On 11/9/2018 at 7:38 PM, happylarry said:

Although Korat is the third largest city in Thailand it is not a tourist location in any way, although there are quite a large number of expats living here. As far as English proficiency goes, few and far between. Go into a supermarket or department store or petrol station and you would be lucky to find anyone speaking English. There is no comparison in any way to Pattaya or Phuket, and why would there be after all theres no beach...lol

HL

Khorat is by population not the third biggest city in Thailand. That  is Pak Kret  in Nonthaburi province

[freebyrd]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Because you should learn the first language of the people living around you, so you can integrate with your neighbours. Not some half-assed middle ground.

As we're both Brits, as a kid I had to learn the regional tones of Scouses, Cockneys, Welsh, Cornish, Geordies and others, so what's the difference?

[Mansell]

I moved to Korat from a beach house in Phuket with a lovely beach for swimming and kayaking. Regrets....not really, I have a wonderful family here and I am never bored. I like Korat, not to big and not to small. English is here and more each day, but not that common. Though I am surprised when riding bicycle through the rice fields when farmers talk to me in English, and also Thai bike riders talking to me and often giving me a beer. It does get cold here in Dec at night and in the morning, sometimes down to 10-11 degrees C. But I didn't find it very hot in March April May either. You probably should come for a month and see if it is for you. Good to have a car here. Good luck.

 

 

 

[Billthekiwi]

1 hour ago, freebyrd said:

I had a home there for 17 years. It was the sort of Thailand I always wanted to live in, far removed from Pattaya and Phuket in every way, which suited me perfectly. Personally I didn't move to Thailand to rub shoulders with expats every day. Had life not thrown me a curve ball I'd still be there today.

 

You do need to learn to speak Thai but having done so interacting with friendly locals is part of the charm of the city.

Yes I had those thoughts too. I live in Khon Kaen to avoid ex-pats. Still too many here though and some aren't nice.

 

People ask me why here? I didn't want or need to sleep with a 500 women. I just wanted a nice place to live. Although 500 would have been achievable here as well I think.

 

I just wanted the one. Found her too, but not in Thailand. Amazing that.

 

Speaking the language is over rated. If you have a phone that translates, a ready smile and sometimes a little patience all things are possible.

 

When I see the horror in the eyes of a Thai faced with dealing with me then I smile at them. I make it into a fun experience for them.

 

It is amazing what can be achieved with a smile and you can have fun. Many Thais now recognise me and life is very good.

 

I love Thailand. It is home and I am very comfortable here. However there are genetics at work for me I think.

 

One of of my more famous ancestors was known to be a citizen of the world. He lived all over the world. Was happy anywhere. Me as well.

[Stevemercer]

I agree with BilltheKiwi. I live in a town about 30 km out of Khon Kaen. Everyone is friendly and helpful. You feel like a rock star sometimes everyone pays you so much attention. It can get overwhelming.

 

I don't have much Thai, and you can certainly get by on the basics. A smile and friendly manner is the key language skill you need.

[freebyrd]

1 hour ago, Billthekiwi said:

Yes I had those thoughts too. I live in Khon Kaen to avoid ex-pats. Still too many here though and some aren't nice.

 

People ask me why here? I didn't want or need to sleep with a 500 women. I just wanted a nice place to live. Although 500 would have been achievable here as well I think.

 

I just wanted the one. Found her too, but not in Thailand. Amazing that.

 

Speaking the language is over rated. If you have a phone that translates, a ready smile and sometimes a little patience all things are possible.

 

When I see the horror in the eyes of a Thai faced with dealing with me then I smile at them. I make it into a fun experience for them.

 

It is amazing what can be achieved with a smile and you can have fun. Many Thais now recognise me and life is very good.

 

I love Thailand. It is home and I am very comfortable here. However there are genetics at work for me I think.

 

One of of my more famous ancestors was known to be a citizen of the world. He lived all over the world. Was happy anywhere. Me as well.

Aside from Thailand, I've lived in Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Philippines and finally washed up here in Cambodia, 12 years and counting. I also spent 5 years with the Gurkhas when I was in the army, so adapting to Asian languages has been part of my life since I was 23.

[ArickChaiyaphum]

4 hours ago, freebyrd said:

I had a home there for 17 years. It was the sort of Thailand I always wanted to live in, far removed from Pattaya and Phuket in every way, which suited me perfectly. Personally I didn't move to Thailand to rub shoulders with expats every day. Had life not thrown me a curve ball I'd still be there today.

 

You do need to learn to speak Thai but having done so interacting with friendly locals is part of the charm of the city.

 

Finally sombody speaking since. 

I would question the sense of people living in Sin City 

[NoshowJones]

On 11/9/2018 at 7:38 PM, happylarry said:

Although Korat is the third largest city in Thailand it is not a tourist location in any way, although there are quite a large number of expats living here. As far as English proficiency goes, few and far between. Go into a supermarket or department store or petrol station and you would be lucky to find anyone speaking English. There is no comparison in any way to Pattaya or Phuket, and why would there be after all theres no beach...lol

HL

and nothing compared to Soi 6 ????

[connda]

I lived there 3 years and enjoyed it.  The expat community is a bit tighter knit.  You don't need to speak fluent Thai to get by there but a working vocabulary will make your stay more pleasant.  The city is easy enough to get around in.  They have a huge park which is a great place to walk/run/bike and exercise.  And the nightlife is pretty good.  They just don't have farang tourists and it's not a tourist destination.   I'd live there again, but prefer it in the mountains of Northern Thailand so no plans to return.  Korat is rather flat although the Kaow Yai mountains and National Park are about an hour and change away. 

[pacovl46]

I used to live there for a year after having lived in Bangkok for 6. Korat is nowhere near Bangkok in terms of everything. They have some nice shopping malls, though, which have cinemas, but the movies are only shown in Thai. It’s a fairly large city, but the traffic is way less than in Bangkok. Getting around therefore is much easier and takes up less time. They have some nice restaurants that offer western food along the road where the train station is. As others have pointed out, with only English you’re not gonna get far.

 

Initially I didn’t  fancy Korat, but after a while it grew on me and in the end I quite liked it.

 

What you also have to keep in mind is the heat in summer and the annual floods. If you’re thinking of buying a house or a condo, make sure beforehand that it’s located outside the flood plain or in the case of a condo, if there are any for sale, in a high rise building.

 

I was living quite close to the Mall and in 2010 I had 60 centimeters of water outside my building for a few days. 

 

There’s another thread here from the 26th of August, 2015. It‘s called Considering Korat. It was posted by sbaker8686. I’ve replied with a lengthy post of all the things you can do in and around Korat including GPS coordinates. I‘ve tried to copy and paste it here, but my iPad won’t let me do it. 

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pacovl46]

Finally got it copied and pasted, so here it is:

 

1. The zoo is quite nice. Google maps coordinates (simply copy and past them into google maps): 14.850268,102.074833

2. They also have a petrified wood museum, quite close to the zoo, but just like the zoo it's not in town. Coordinates: 14.85801,102.027012

3. Phimai historical part is definitely worth seeing. You can take a bus to Phimai from the main bus station in Korat which isn't that far from the mall. It's about 30 clicks from Korat to Phimai. Coordinates: Phimai 15.221086,102.493835

Bus station in Korat: 14.98911,102.094687

4. There's a place called Sai Ngam that features a mangrove cove that's a thousand years old, if I remember correctly. You can walk underneeath the trees and check out the awesome aerial roots which have turned into additional trunks. The entire cove is one organism. It's on the way to Khon Khaen. Coordinates: 15.226376,102.504189

5. About 50 clicks in direction of Bangkok is an ancient (1000+ year old) reclining Buddha statue in a temple called Wat Dhammmarachraksemaram. The village it's in is called Sung Noen. Coordinates: 14.917013,101.79423

6. In Korat you will find a tiny temple called Wat Phayap a.k.a. cave temple which's walls and ceilings are decorated with crystals and stalagmites/stalactites. Coordinates: 14.978534,102.099315

7. In regards to national parks there's Khao Yai national park (you can take a bus to Pak Chong and then rent a scooter in Pak Chong and drive to the park yourself. If you really want to explore this park you will need a vehicle. The fee for the scooters is 300/day. You can rent them in the park as well, but they're more expensive). Coordinates of the scooter rental place: 14.70289,101.412392

Then there's Wang Nam Khiao. I've been there only once during an English camp and have no idea what's there that's worth seeing. Wikipedia might be able to tell you. Coordinates: 14.70289,101.412392

Then there's a park that's adjacent of Khao Yai called Thaplan. You can book trekking tours there. They have a 4 day-tour. You will hike 2 days into the jungle to a place where there's 3 over 100 meter long fossilized dinosaur footsteps in the rock next to a creek. I'm not sure if you can book the tour in the park. The best way would probably to google it. Coordinates: 

14.252404,102.086134

8. Also on the way to Khon Khaen is a 900+ year old temple ruin called Prasat Phanom Wan. You can search for that on google maps. It's about 20 clicks from Korat. You could do that together with Sai Ngam. Coordinates: 15.025095,102.193653

9. 134 clicks east of Korat are two ancient temple ruins worth seeing. They're a few clicks apart from each other. The first one (closer to Korat and up on a hill with a great view on clear days) is called Phanom Rung Historical Park. Coordinates: 14.531703,102.940412

The second one is called Mueang Tam. It's 141 clicks from Korat. Coordinates: 14.496119,102.98245

10. Korat has a park that's open until 8 pm or so. If jogging or inline skating is your thing then that's the place to do it. There's a lake in the middle and the track around it is just over 3 km long. Coordinates of the park entrance: 14.963438,102.090103

11. On the way from Korat to Bangkok is a cave called Khao Chan-Ngam which features prehistoric cave paintings. It's more an overhang than a cave, though, but the place is really nice!! It's about 60 clicks from Korat. Coordinates: 14.814705,101.595318 There's a temple there, too, called Wat Khao Chan Ngam.

12. Also in direction of Bangkok from the Khao Chan-Ngam cave is a gigantic white marble buddha statue located on a mountainside. It's clearly visible from the main road. The temple it belongs to is called Wat Thep Phitak Punnaram. Coordinates: 14.616278,101.26545

[Chongalulu]

6 hours ago, freebyrd said:

why would you want to live there

 

Because not everyone wants to be a sheep and some of us look for something different in our lives.

You could live on a sewage farm- that would be different. Korat is horrible.

[freebyrd]

2 hours ago, nchuckle said:

You could live on a sewage farm- that would be different. Korat is horrible.

One man's meat..... Korat is charming.

[Mai Mee Tang]

I used to live there for a year after having lived in Bangkok for 6. Korat is nowhere near Bangkok in terms of everything. They have some nice shopping malls, though, which have cinemas, but the movies are only shown in Thai. It’s a fairly large city, but the traffic is way less than in Bangkok. Getting around therefore is much easier and takes up less time. They have some nice restaurants that offer western food along the road where the train station is. As others have pointed out, with only English you’re not gonna get far.
 
Initially I didn’t  fancy Korat, but after a while it grew on me and in the end I quite liked it.
 
What you also have to keep in mind is the heat in summer and the annual floods. If you’re thinking of buying a house or a condo, make sure beforehand that it’s located outside the flood plain or in the case of a condo, if there are any for sale, in a high rise building.
 
I was living quite close to the Mall and in 2010 I had 60 centimeters of water outside my building for a few days. 
 
There’s another thread here from the 26th of August, 2015. It‘s called Considering Korat. It was posted by sbaker8686. I’ve replied with a lengthy post of all the things you can do in and around Korat including GPS coordinates. I‘ve tried to copy and paste it here, but my iPad won’t let me do it. 
 
Cheers.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just a small correction, nowadays you can find movies in the 3 main shopping malls in English, with Thai subtitles.

[pacovl46]

10 hours ago, Mai Mee Tang said:

13 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

I used to live there for a year after having lived in Bangkok for 6. Korat is nowhere near Bangkok in terms of everything. They have some nice shopping malls, though, which have cinemas, but the movies are only shown in Thai. It’s a fairly large city, but the traffic is way less than in Bangkok. Getting around therefore is much easier and takes up less time. They have some nice restaurants that offer western food along the road where the train station is. As others have pointed out, with only English you’re not gonna get far.
 
Initially I didn’t  fancy Korat, but after a while it grew on me and in the end I quite liked it.
 
What you also have to keep in mind is the heat in summer and the annual floods. If you’re thinking of buying a house or a condo, make sure beforehand that it’s located outside the flood plain or in the case of a condo, if there are any for sale, in a high rise building.
 
I was living quite close to the Mall and in 2010 I had 60 centimeters of water outside my building for a few days. 
 
There’s another thread here from the 26th of August, 2015. It‘s called Considering Korat. It was posted by sbaker8686. I’ve replied with a lengthy post of all the things you can do in and around Korat including GPS coordinates. I‘ve tried to copy and paste it here, but my iPad won’t let me do it. 
 
Cheers.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just a small correction, nowadays you can find movies in the 3 main shopping malls in English, with Thai subtitles.

Really? Thanks for telling me! I was there from 2010 until 2011 and back then it was Thai soundtrack only. ????

[watcharacters]

19 hours ago, freebyrd said:

Actually it was the other way round, after 22 years of marriage life took a turn. And I didn't open any cans, you are showing the usual schadenfreude this site engenders

 

I wasn't the one to broach the subject. You could have left it out.  No need for shame or embarrassment.

 

"Had life not thrown me a curve ball I'd still be there today."