I want to buy land in koh Tao

[Fairynuff]

19 hours ago, Old Fool said:

trying to take advantage before it's Disneyland..

I won’t even look at the place on a map let alone visit or buy land there. Your avatar is “old fool “. Very appropriate I’d say! But seriously think long and hard....there are so many beautiful (and safer) places.

[manchega]

Avoid transactions with old people. Culture is different here as to what is the norm. We had one these two oldies were saying they would throw in this and that, obviously we did not want to rush into it, when we decided we would buy a property/land suddenly the price increased by 1/3rd, 

during the insult the oldies had the cheek to walk to our place of work and deliver gifts for children, 

we put a stop to this by getting security to refuse to let them in, we also purchased a corner plot from an individual who maintained their price.

 

don't trust the oldies, they try to mess with you, now the oldies sold their land, we had private security to prevent them getting in to new property which does not belong to them, they think its all mai ben drai and try to visit children who are no relation

[Fairynuff]

3 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

anything Koh Tao related on a forum brings out negativity,

For good reason 

[SunsetT]

18 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

yeah and i am not sure any land on koh tao is chanote land

 

might want to check that - just go to local land office with the land paper of the land you are proposing to buy and they will tell you the current status of the plot

 

Koh Tao chanotes are printed in Sicily      ????

[SunsetT]

Buy land on Koh Tao? .......See a psychiatrist!

Edited February 24, 2020 by SunsetT

[Tidybeard]

Old fool .... do you really want to do this ??? ... Buying land in Thailand has so many risks attached to it, why not just rent somewhere or get a 30 year lease for a house you buy ?

1) Social risks - I feel that Thai society is going down in standards and morals everyday. Rubbish by the side of the road and nobody cares, noisy motorbikes that nobody controls, a totally useless police force that cannot protect you in times of troubles... the list is endless. That is without mentioning our fully functioning Government.

2) Government legislation risks - For now the health insurance is not compulsory for most, but it looks like it is heading that way. If you are approaching older age, this is going to get more expensive or maybe impossible. What will you do then ? The paperwork to get a VISA becomes more onerous year by year, you may end up buying somewhere you cannot live in 3 years time !

3) Legal risks - as others have posted. Land ownership by some of the older families is fraught with complications and history. Even a reputable lawyer will have connections and loyalties that he has to adhere to. 

 

Live on Koh Tao by all means, but why expose yourself to the risks of trying to buy land ?

[Fairynuff]

I may well be in a minority here, because my spouse isn’t Thai and I have strong feelings about ownership. I accept that I can’t own land or house here much as I’d love to. My personal rule is that I’ll never “own” a property that doesn’t have MY name on the title deeds. I want to own it outright. That means my only option is a condo. I’m happy with that and so during my time I’ve bought and sold numerous properties.

If you want land and or a house then consider it a gift to your wife and accept that you can live there as long as your wife allows you to. But never think of it as yours.

[harriott456]

20 hours ago, steven100 said:

Koh Tao also known as death island .... be careful

Only if you know zero about the place other than what you read by members here or the now closed down samui times.

 

[harriott456]

On 2/23/2020 at 9:41 AM, UbonThani said:

A lot of farangs get fleeced like this. Tao is run by 5 or 6 families. Don't do it.

You have absolutely no idea what youre talking about

[robertson468]

On 2/23/2020 at 9:41 AM, UbonThani said:

A lot of farangs get fleeced like this. Tao is run by 5 or 6 families. Don't do it.

Yet  another keyboard warrior who thinks he knows it all.  I also bought land and built 7 Villas that are in my Wife's name and have been so for 15 years.  The key to it is do you know your Wife and trust her implicitly?  If as the previous OP said, he would trust her with his life, as I would, go for it, but only you can know the individual.

Edited February 24, 2020 by robertson468

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

Yet  another keyboard warrior who thinks he knows it all.  I also bought land and built 7 Villas that are in my Wife's name and have been so for 15 years.  The key to it is do you know your Wife and trust her implicitly?  If as the previous OP said, he would trust her with his life, as I would, go for it, but only you can know the individual.

There are plenty of guys that would agree with you, including me.

I trusted my Brit schoolteacher wife with my life for 30 years, sadly in the end my trust was proven misplaced.

Now I've concluded you can't trust anyone that shares your bed.

 

Back on topic,

I don't feel Thai women are more untrustworthy than any other nations women.

Buying land on the 'island of death' ................ good luck.

Get a home loan from a bank, banks don't take as many risks as we ordinary folk.

Edited February 24, 2020 by BritManToo

[saengd]

49 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

I may well be in a minority here, because my spouse isn’t Thai and I have strong feelings about ownership. I accept that I can’t own land or house here much as I’d love to. My personal rule is that I’ll never “own” a property that doesn’t have MY name on the title deeds. I want to own it outright. That means my only option is a condo. I’m happy with that and so during my time I’ve bought and sold numerous properties.

If you want land and or a house then consider it a gift to your wife and accept that you can live there as long as your wife allows you to. But never think of it as yours.

You never really own anything in life, everything is borrowed for a period of time before that temporary ownership gets passed along, so why so precious about owning a property. I also am married to a Thai whom I trust implicitly and who is the sole beneficiary of my UK and Thai estates. My game plan is to leave her everything anyway so it would be illogical for me to insist on owning the house we live in. But of course we all need insurance whilst we are still alive and for me that works perfectly in the form of an usufruct which means only I can determine who lives in the house, when it is sold and for how much etc. Meanwhile of course I don't have to pay rent which over a few years can easily add up to the value of a house. My previous rented condo cost 25k a month and I've been in my house for almost ten years, that rent could have amounted to what my house cost me to buy.

[marin]

22 hours ago, Old Fool said:

trying to take advantage before it's Disneyland..

You are about 20 years too late.. Sorry about that.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, saengd said:

I also am married to a Thai whom I trust implicitly and who is the sole beneficiary of my UK and Thai estates..But of course we all need insurance whilst we are still alive and for me that works perfectly in the form of an usufruct

Something of a contradiction there but I’m not being critical of your choices. My choices are different, I don’t have a Thai spouse.

I don’t believe in renting either, the only time I did rent here was while my off plan condo was being built.

[saengd]

1 minute ago, Fairynuff said:

Something of a contradiction there but I’m not being critical of your choices. My choices are different, I don’t have a Thai spouse.

I don’t believe in renting either, the only time I did rent here was while my off plan condo was being built.

That doesn't stop you from getting an usufruct (or a superficies), if you wanted to buy a house.

 

TBH I would still go the same route if I'd remained single, in fact, we have only married two months ago but have been together for over 16 years so the usufruct was taken out as a single man.

[rumak]

3 minutes ago, saengd said:

 

 

TBH I would still go the same route if I'd remained single, in fact, we have only married two months ago but have been together for over 16 years so the usufruct was taken out as a single man.

Here it is again !  Another guy that knows his wife for just 16 years before getting married !

????    

[Chongalulu]

22 hours ago, steven100 said:

Koh Tao also known as death island .... be careful

Perhaps he’s after a burial plot? ???? 

[crazykopite]

As far as I know all of KOH TAO is Tor Bor Por Government land and I am to understand that you can lease the land from the government this was what I was told when I looked to buy 12 years ago so I didn’t bother .12 years ago the island was beautiful not the case these days as it’s now overbuilt . Koh Phangan is very beautiful and you can buy land that has the best title chanote it’s only just over an hour from KT 

Edited February 24, 2020 by crazykopite

[Fairynuff]

12 minutes ago, saengd said:

That doesn't stop you from getting an usufruct (or a superficies), if you wanted to buy a house.

 

TBH I would still go the same route if I'd remained single, in fact, we have only married two months ago but have been together for over 16 years so the usufruct was taken out as a single man.

Our situations are different. However based on your comment regarding still following the path if single, I also maintain that in my home country I wouldn’t buy a property in someone else’s name so why on earth would I do it here.

[khunPer]

On 2/23/2020 at 3:26 AM, Old Fool said:

How does one go about this?

Apart from all the normal warnings, and various options for a foreigner to be in some level of control of land in Thailand, Koh Tao might be a special case, as it's originally an uninhabited prison island until 1947. Some land on Koh Tao has been granted to a few families coming over from Koh Pahngan for coconut plantation, but it's without any ownership rights. Furthermore, Koh Tao still seem to be controlled by the families of these few original settlers (I din't mentioned "mafia", but others do).

 

Quote

But Koh Tao was a political penal colony from 1933 until 1947, and a sense of self-sufficiency and isolation exists to this day. Far from official oversight, de facto control falls to the owners of booming hospitality businesses that were developed on land originally obtained, via government concessions, for coconut plantations.

Source: Time Magazine "This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao".

 

If you want to start business, or looking for a place to live, on Koh Tao, then rent the land, or just rent the building – or be prepared with the good old advise: "Never invest more in Thailand than you can afford to loose".

 

There are several threads in Thaivisa forum about how to possess land in Thailand as a foreigner, you can also find a lot of information on the website SamuiForSale.

????

[ThomasThBKK]

19 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Apart from all the normal warnings, and various options for a foreigner to be in some level of control of land in Thailand, Koh Tao might be a special case, as it's originally an uninhabited prison island until 1947. Some land on Koh Tao has been granted to a few families coming over from Koh Pahngan for coconut plantation, but it's without any ownership rights. Furthermore, Koh Tao still seem to be controlled by the families of these few original settlers (I din't mentioned "mafia", but others do).

 

Source: Time Magazine "This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao".

 

If you want to start business, or looking for a place to live, on Koh Tao, then rent the land, or just rent the building – or be prepared with the good old advise: "Never invest more in Thailand than you can afford to loose".

 

There are several threads in Thaivisa forum about how to possess land in Thailand as a foreigner, you can also find a lot of information on the website SamuiForSale.

????

The best is to run away from these places as far as your shoes can carry you imo.

 

The Gulf side has islands that aren't that corrupt and have all ownership properly done.

 

Property here is already hot enough, being a foreigner on these kind of islands is more risky than everyone should be willing to accept -.-

[PatOngo]

Gamblers either win or break even, they never lose! Good luck!

[tomazbodner]

22 hours ago, paddypower said:

retrace your steps:

why do you want to buy land? persumably it is to build a house. At that point, you can add the land and house building budget together, to see how much of your capital you are putting at risk. Many expats who are cautious consider that any money you put into a Thai property, you need to ask yourself if all goes sour, can you afford to lose it?

Is your wife from the island? if she is, great, you have a better chance of finding land that is not overpriced, via here family. . The suggestion of going to the head man is sound advice. Also, if you do find some land, get a copy copy of the chanoet and take it to the Land Office, where they will tell you what its valuation is on their books - a useful indicator of is it overpriced or not.

Finally, you have 3 ways of doing this:

1. easy way is to buy in your wife's and don't worry until its too late.

2. same as #1, but register a lease or an usfruct in your name. one of the Thai law firms advertsing here offer a legally solid contract, for a reasonable price. You can fill it in yourself. 

3. the expensive way, is to register a company, to hold the land. Keep the house in your name. and good luck with your search!

 

4. Apply for a Thai citizenship - not expensive, but a lot of work and time needed.

[KhaoYai]

Have you read up on Koh Tao? I can't see why anyone would want to live there.

[Tayaout]

24 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Have you read up on Koh Tao? I can't see why anyone would want to live there.

 

[khunPer]

36 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

 

That is Koh Nangyouan, and you cannot live there, but you can rent a honeymoon bungalow for a couple of nights. Koh Nangyouan is a privately owned marine park.

[Tayaout]

Just now, khunPer said:

That is Koh Nangyouan, and you cannot live there, but you can rent a honeymoon bungalow for a couple of nights. Koh Nangyouan is a privately owned marine park.

Thanks I never went to Koh Tao. It's the viewpoint that always come-up on Google image. I was wondering why the island seemed so small...

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

That is Koh Nangyouan, and you cannot live there, but you can rent a honeymoon bungalow for a couple of nights. Koh Nangyouan is a privately owned marine park.

Your point is?

 

It can be as picturesque as it likes - that doesn't take anything away from the fact that the whole area is run by gangsters/mafia. I'm also sure you know about the large amount of 'unsolved' murders on Koh Tao - mostly foreign tourists. Certainly not on my list of must go destinations.

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

Your point is?

 

It can be as picturesque as it likes - that doesn't take anything away from the fact that the whole area is run by gangsters/mafia. I'm also sure you know about the large amount of 'unsolved' murders on Koh Tao - mostly foreign tourists. Certainly not on my list of must go destinations.

Point is the picture only of a private owned marine park island that has nothing to do with Koh Tao, apart from Koh Nagyoun, the Seagull Island, is only a minor distance away from the larger Turtle Island, Tao....????

[Social Media]

Seems to me that the OP is either extremely ill informed, naive, or trolling.

I hope its the first two and he does his due diligence.

Personally I wouldnt even go there of on a FREE day trip. The information readily available would suggest the same and to give it a wide birth.