thai outside thailand buying land

[ChouDoufu]

my thai girlfriend is now with me outside of thailand.  she has located a small building plot next to her sister's home she would like to purchase.  (with her own money for those of you anticipating the amusing 'run, forrest, run' responses!)  she has the cash to buy now, but we don't expect to be able to return before june or july.

 

shouldn't be a problem sending the cash to her sister by swift.  purchase price half a million, unless she wants the bigger plot for one million.  and now i have a few questions for the experts:

 

if we want to do the transaction in person this summer, how much non-refundable deposit is considered standard?

 

if we want to have her sister buy the land, she would take a bank draft to the land office to hand over when the chanote is put in girlfriend's name.  in that case, would a lawyer be necessary, or can girlfriend simply prepare a power of attorney allowing her sister to buy the property for her?  is there a standard form for that?

 

how much should she budget for other fees, such as deed registration or document preparation?

[ThomasThBKK]

32 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

if we want to do the transaction in person this summer, how much non-refundable deposit is considered standard?

 

if we want to have her sister buy the land, she would take a bank draft to the land office to hand over when the chanote is put in girlfriend's name.  in that case, would a lawyer be necessary, or can girlfriend simply prepare a power of attorney allowing her sister to buy the property for her?  is there a standard form for that?

 

how much should she budget for other fees, such as deed registration or document preparation?

 

1) Up to you and the seller, usually 5-10% of the total sum.

2) They have their standard forms at the land office, just ask them they will tell you, some allow it, some might not - always ask before. Normally u bring a bar check to the land office that can only be redeemed by the seller of the land, or cash. 

3) transfer fees and stamp duty are 2.5% (transfer 2%, duty 0.5%) and usually shared between buyer and seller - but that's also negotiation.

[ChouDoufu]

thanks, pretty much as expected.

 

gf's sister's husband will fetch a form from the land office for us, email monday.  we'll print and sign, scan and return with hardcopy by post or ems.

[Peterw42]

59 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

thanks, pretty much as expected.

 

gf's sister's husband will fetch a form from the land office for us, email monday.  we'll print and sign, scan and return with hardcopy by post or ems.

The land office may want the POA document signed at Thai consulate in your country. Keep in mind a lot of international mail and freight is not going at the moment due to Covid, also a good chance the land office may be shut at the moment.

I would just wait until June and buy in person, with all the virus shutdowns etc, you will probably be here before documents.

If you are worried about the property being sold to someone else, put down a minimal deposit. 

 

 

[ChouDoufu]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

The land office may want the POA document signed at Thai consulate in your country. Keep in mind a lot of international mail and freight is not going at the moment due to Covid, also a good chance the land office may be shut at the moment.

I would just wait until June and buy in person, with all the virus shutdowns etc, you will probably be here before documents.

If you are worried about the property being sold to someone else, put down a minimal deposit. 

 

 

that's all for gf and her family and the seller to work out.  no hansum man involved in this transaction in any way.  her sister tells us her husband is familiar with the procedures, but we'll see what he finds out at the land office next week.

 

CW foreign affairs ministry accepted simple written authorization statement with tax stamps when i got documents for hunny bunny legalized.  would a land office in the hinterlands dealing with thais be more strict?  they don't need to know baby is out of the country, just unavailable.  when granny's in hospital and needs to transfer land, what's the procedure?

 

regardless, no visits to the thai consulate for the time being.  nearest are in guangzhou and nanning, if they're open.  and then we'd have 14 days quarantine when we returned to our island province.  mail from china is still moving, along with alibaba express packages.

 

as to waiting until june.....nothing is certain at this point, no way to make definite plans.  i'd much rather stay put and have the family handle this.

 

 

 

 

[SimpleMan555]

Your GF could call the local Land Department to inquire about the Power of Attorney, and other required documents. Also be aware many Government offices are operating with minimal staffing and reduced services due to the COVID-19 crisis.

 

As part of a new land purchase, we had a survey completed on April 2, (ordered in late February) and the staff indicated it would be 2-3 months after they reopen to receive the updated chanote and complete the land purchase.

 

Best Wishes!