Condo Market price trends ? Pattaya/Jomtien

[JimTripper]

52 minutes ago, newnative said:

    VT2 studios are generally smaller, around 37sqm vs. 48sqm for the newer projects.  The extra 11 square meters were applied to making the newer rooms a true rectangle, while expanding the balcony.  VT2 rooms were angled by the balcony window wall to make space for a small balcony. Lucky owners snagged units next to the fire escape stairways, which have much bigger balconies.

     Those extra square meters made for quite the difference.  The rectangle interior room was much easier to work with than a room with an awkward angle.  The truly generous balcony became a whole extra room, with space for both outdoor dining and a couple of lounge chairs to enjoy the nice year-round weather.

      As I mentioned to another poster, big balconies or not, we are still dealing in very small spaces, at both the VT studios and all the many new condo projects that have 1 bedrooms at around 35 sqm.  The new projects mostly do have a lot of nice amenities, to help take the sting out of living in a space so small. 

    I think large numbers of these small condos are used as weekend getaway places.  Perhaps some will remember that The Base was originally marketed to Bangkokers as a getaway place at the beach--tagline in the brochures was, 'It's the Weekend!.  Getaway places could be small units of 29 and 35 sqm, ideal for a weekend at the beach. 

     Others have small condos here to escape the harsh winters in their countries.  We have friends who do just that, live in a small space over the winter months but spend the rest of the year elsewhere--in larger quarters.   Whatever one ends up in, It all boils down to personal preferences, personal lifestyle, and what one's budget can afford.  

Bingo, yes! They were meant to be vacation rooms, not condo's. Felt very similar to cabins on a cruise ship, or a Disneyland hotel.

 

These short term vacation rooms are rented out as condo's & apartments by the real estate agents here. I think that's what confuses many people. They see a year lease and think it's appropriate for long term stays. The older places are more like genuine living spaces.

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, TimeMachine said:

Pattaya Plaza Condotel. Best value I've found. Has decent size, giant pool, two lifts, car space, quiet, access to light and dark sides. Going rate for good room is around 800K. As low as 650 for troubled rooms. Way back bought one for 450. Looks like prices will hover for awhile. Mostly each person has that 6th sense feel for an abode so as they say ,, to one's own choose a mobile phone. And remember love thy neighbour. 

Good value kinda, but Pattaya Plaza is a classic scenario of "you can't polish a turd", i checked it out, made me feel miserable at the time, Thai style where they've built on all the balconies so looks terrible 

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, noobexpat said:

I need to live somewhere whereby i feel 'proud' to live there. Same as living in a nice street in UK. I don't get that feeling with older condo's. I don't like any of those view talay ones, including VT6.

 

The 'garden' condo's on soi 15 are ok. Not too old and reasonable sqm. I can't live in jomtien or pratumnak, they just hold no interest.

That's fine if you don't like the larger older ones you need to get the cash out and pay circ 6m, Unixx is nice about 2m overpriced though 

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, noobexpat said:

I need to live somewhere whereby i feel 'proud' to live there. Same as living in a nice street in UK. I don't get that feeling with older condo's. I don't like any of those view talay ones, including VT6.

 

The 'garden' condo's on soi 15 are ok. Not too old and reasonable sqm. I can't live in jomtien or pratumnak, they just hold no interest.

BTW Noob expats do like living central

[noobexpat]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

That's fine if you don't like the larger older ones you need to get the cash out and pay circ 6m, Unixx is nice about 2m overpriced though 

The problem with the larger new ones in that 6m price is they squeeze 2 small bedrooms out of that. I just want one big one.

 

Unixx - not keen on location. Awkward for the baht bus and the dog situation would worry me at night. 

 

Where i am now is probably the closest to 'perfect'. 

[PJ71]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

   Yes, as I said in my post, some are ok with small, some want much larger spaces.  Fortunately, Pattaya has a wide variety of both.  How  I wish the town where I lived in the US had offered such choice. and such reasonable rents.

Yes, i agree, something for everyone across a whole spectrum of cost.

[scubascuba3]

5 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

The problem with the larger new ones in that 6m price is they squeeze 2 small bedrooms out of that. I just want one big one.

 

Unixx - not keen on location. Awkward for the baht bus and the dog situation would worry me at night. 

 

Where i am now is probably the closest to 'perfect'. 

Unixx is right next to baht bus, most people don't realise. Can walk to walking street easy, dogs no problem, i walk past late at night sometimes, no dogs

[noobexpat]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Unixx is right next to baht bus, most people don't realise. Can walk to walking street easy, dogs no problem, i walk past late at night sometimes, no dogs

Right. Not sure it offers anything more than soi 15 though. I quite like the lower rise condos now - no lift issues and get to know neighbours in your block. Bit of a community feel.

Edited October 17, 2023 by noobexpat
spelling

[NextG]

9 hours ago, JimTripper said:

It sucks

To you. I’m sure if you named the place you are staying now, it would have it’s critics too. Everyone has their owns reasons and perspectives. 

[NextG]

6 hours ago, noobexpat said:

I need to live somewhere whereby i feel 'proud' to live there. Same as living in a nice street in UK. I don't get that feeling with older condo's. I don't like any of those view talay ones, including VT6.

 

The 'garden' condo's on soi 15 are ok. Not too old and reasonable sqm. I can't live in jomtien or pratumnak, they just hold no interest.

You feel ‘proud’ living in Central Pattaya? 
I certainly wouldn’t feel proud walking around there with my mum. Nice street in the U.K? Come on. ????

Central Pattaya is not beautiful; not by a long chalk. When I stayed there, I at least went for beachfront and rooms with lots of windows and airflow. The newness of the accommodation wasn’t an issue. My accommodations still had a landline telephone. It had character. Better than those cheaply constructed soulless shoe boxes they cram in these days. No airflow; just sweat boxes when the air conditioning is off. 

[SingAPorn]

On 10/16/2023 at 6:46 PM, soi3eddie said:

No seller has to accept a low offer. If your condo has been marketed well for a long period and you have received a series of low offers, then maybe, just maybe that is the market value. Still no obligation to accept the offer.

 

That is obvious not to accept. But for those in a hurry to leave, who need the cash to purchase elsewhere where tax and immigration are more foreign friendly, it could be an issue.

[JimTripper]

15 hours ago, NextG said:

Better than those cheaply constructed soulless shoe boxes they cram in these days. No airflow; just sweat boxes when the air conditioning is off. 

The problem is you. Some people don't need a/c or think it's a sweatbox.

[noobexpat]

17 hours ago, NextG said:

You feel ‘proud’ living in Central Pattaya? 
I certainly wouldn’t feel proud walking around there with my mum. Nice street in the U.K? Come on. ????

Central Pattaya is not beautiful; not by a long chalk. When I stayed there, I at least went for beachfront and rooms with lots of windows and airflow. The newness of the accommodation wasn’t an issue. My accommodations still had a landline telephone. It had character. Better than those cheaply constructed soulless shoe boxes they cram in these days. No airflow; just sweat boxes when the air conditioning is off. 

But nobody cares what you think. You don’t even live here.

[newnative]

23 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Bingo, yes! They were meant to be vacation rooms, not condo's. Felt very similar to cabins on a cruise ship, or a Disneyland hotel.

 

These short term vacation rooms are rented out as condo's & apartments by the real estate agents here. I think that's what confuses many people. They see a year lease and think it's appropriate for long term stays. The older places are more like genuine living spaces.

      It's really whatever floats your boat, no matter whether you own it or rent it.  It's that simple.  Mind you, your boat, not my boat--or that guy's boat over there.  Everybody's boat is different.  What's perfect for you, I might hate, and vice-versa.

      Speaking of boats, you've probably been reading the stories about the latest trend, retirees buying a small stateroom of 35 to 50 sqm or so on a ship and spending their retirement years floating on the sea from port to port.  Some claim it's cheaper, for them, than living on land.  Others, instead of buying, book cruise after cruise after cruise so they also spend their retirement years in a small ship cabin, going from ship to ship, year after year.  Again, whatever floats your boat.   

     There are now entire ships devoted to living full-time on a cruise ship--I just saw a story yesterday about a new ship for this purpose getting started.  Small inner cabins, without even a window, start at $100,000.  If you want one with a window, add $49,000.   Sounds fairly reasonable, I guess, but monthly fees for 2 are steep: $3500!  Yikes!  $100,000 (3.6MB) could easily get me a condo in Pattaya--with both a balcony and windows--and a much smaller monthly maintenance fee.

    Both the ship's staterooms, and many of the new condos being built, are small, with 1 bedrooms generally around 35 sqm, give or take.  To compensate, the ships, and the condo projects, are packed with amenities to get you out of your small homes--everything from pools to gyms to yoga rooms to sky lounges to golf simulators to snooker to ping pong to libraries to theaters to jogging tracks to . . .  You name it.

     Despite all the amenities, many could not live in a condo so small.  But, there are many that can, and do, live in small spaces--note, the 'tiny house' movement.  The two condos I mentioned, and showed photos of in a previous post, both have all the things you typically need and want for 2 to live comfortably--they just provide it in an efficient way, in a smaller footprint.   

     At various times, when our finances were smaller, my partner and I resided in several View Talay studios--and lived to tell the tale.  Neither of us felt we were deprived at all at the time.  It was what we could afford, and we made it work.  Having lived 30-some years of cold, gray, depressing, miserable, interminable winters, we welcomed our large balcony, our beautiful ocean view, and the year-round nice weather.  We felt lucky to be living here.  And, if for some reason, we find ourselves back living in a VT studio, we'd make it our home, and make it work for us once again.  And, still count ourselves lucky to be living here

[NextG]

15 hours ago, noobexpat said:

But nobody cares what you think. You don’t even live here.

😊 You, clearly, care about what I think and have no idea where I live. But for sure it is not central Pattaya. 
I used to write and post reviews of accommodation in Pattaya, so I have good knowledge of many places, including places that most here won’t have access or knowledge. Including a  beachfront Penthouse on Beach road for an instance, in which I used to reside. 
But there are no ‘nice streets’ around there. Southern end of Walking Street and Balihai used to be nice. But they totally ruined that. 
The entrance to Soi 15 from Second Road was pretty rough and potholed. Have they fixed that yet? Other end seemed to be a under construction long term. Have they finished that yet? Nice street in London? Not by a long chalk. I guess if you walk through the Avenue you might not notice. Then there’s the proximity to Soi Bua Khao. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but it can hardly be called an upmarket area. Though Debua seem to be making an effort. 

 

[NextG]

17 hours ago, JimTripper said:

The problem is you. Some people don't need a/c or think it's a sweatbox.

I don’t have a problem. I’m referring to rooms that have scant ventilation and rely on aircon for cooling. I have no idea as to why you would try to post to the contrary? Are you suggesting such places don’t exist?

Did you think that I was referring to your place in particular?

What a weird and unnecessary reply from you.

[NextG]

15 hours ago, newnative said:

      It's really whatever floats your boat, no matter whether you own it or rent it.  It's that simple.  Mind you, your boat, not my boat--or that guy's boat over there.  Everybody's boat is different.  What's perfect for you, I might hate, and vice-versa.

      Speaking of boats, you've probably been reading the stories about the latest trend, retirees buying a small stateroom of 35 to 50 sqm or so on a ship and spending their retirement years floating on the sea from port to port.  Some claim it's cheaper, for them, than living on land.  Others, instead of buying, book cruise after cruise after cruise so they also spend their retirement years in a small ship cabin, going from ship to ship, year after year.  Again, whatever floats your boat.   

     There are now entire ships devoted to living full-time on a cruise ship--I just saw a story yesterday about a new ship for this purpose getting started.  Small inner cabins, without even a window, start at $100,000.  If you want one with a window, add $49,000.   Sounds fairly reasonable, I guess, but monthly fees for 2 are steep: $3500!  Yikes!  $100,000 (3.6MB) could easily get me a condo in Pattaya--with both a balcony and windows--and a much smaller monthly maintenance fee.

    Both the ship's staterooms, and many of the new condos being built, are small, with 1 bedrooms generally around 35 sqm, give or take.  To compensate, the ships, and the condo projects, are packed with amenities to get you out of your small homes--everything from pools to gyms to yoga rooms to sky lounges to golf simulators to snooker to ping pong to libraries to theaters to jogging tracks to . . .  You name it.

     Despite all the amenities, many could not live in a condo so small.  But, there are many that can, and do, live in small spaces--note, the 'tiny house' movement.  The two condos I mentioned, and showed photos of in a previous post, both have all the things you typically need and want for 2 to live comfortably--they just provide it in an efficient way, in a smaller footprint.   

     At various times, when our finances were smaller, my partner and I resided in several View Talay studios--and lived to tell the tale.  Neither of us felt we were deprived at all at the time.  It was what we could afford, and we made it work.  Having lived 30-some years of cold, gray, depressing, miserable, interminable winters, we welcomed our large balcony, our beautiful ocean view, and the year-round nice weather.  We felt lucky to be living here.  And, if for some reason, we find ourselves back living in a VT studio, we'd make it our home, and make it work for us once again.  And, still count ourselves lucky to be living here

That’s the spirit! I started out with a bungalow on the beach and cold water showers. 
I appreciate whatever I have. People like JT won’t ever be satisfied…

[newnative]

6 hours ago, NextG said:

That’s the spirit! I started out with a bungalow on the beach and cold water showers. 
I appreciate whatever I have. People like JT won’t ever be satisfied…

   Thanks, appreciate your comment.  I agree that people like JT will never be satisfied.  I think that partly it is because they can't even decide what they want to be satisfied, or unsatisfied with, to begin with.  Readers will remember that some months ago JT was all gung-ho about buying a very run-down looking small studio at Nirun.  Was planning to fix it up to live in.  That went nowhere--first he was satisfied, then unsatisfied. 

    This week he makes disparaging comments regarding View Talay projects, saying:  'look up and you see balconies all the same' and, 'every room is nearly the same.'  In a later post, he called them 'prison cells'--never mind that there is a 3 bedroom, 260 sqm, oceanfront 'prison cell' for sale at VT7 for 35MB.   So, based on no more than standing outside and 'looking up', he's made his decision on View Talays.  Not for him--but Nirun was perfectly ok, until it also wasn't.

     As I stated in a response to his post, nothing could be further from the truth regarding 'every room is nearly the same'.  The exact opposite, to be exact--which he would know if he actually did any research consisting of more than 'looking up'.  And, not all the units are studios--there are huge corner units and also large double units of around 100 sqm.  Having been in some truly stunning, one-of-a-kind condos at various VT projects, with stunning ocean views as the cherry on top, I can say they are lightyears from Nirun. 

   There's no denying that VT3-8 sit on some of the best oceanfront property in Jomtien.  The outsides are indeed rather plain, the amenities usually only a pool, but you have a great location, an economical condo fee, and a variety of blank canvas condo sizes to put your personal stamp on. 

   I do find myself puzzled that the same-looking Nirun balconies were ok for JT, but  the same-looking VT balconies, bad.  In reality, not all the VT balconies are the same--some are curved, some are much longer near the stairwells, and some are huge, wrap-around corner balconies on the end units--not that one should be judging a condo project, as JT apparently does, solely on the look of its balconies. 

    Having lived in VT 3, 5C, 5D, and 7, I can also attest that I was not living in projects 'packed' with people, as he also claims.  Yes, they are big projects--but they also have many absentee and part-time owners, and also some unsold units--the back wings of VT 7 are almost empty.  When we lived at VT3, which is split into 2 buildings, I think there were only 3 or 4 other occupied condos on our floor.  It never felt crowded, although VT5C was busier, in those years before the condo construction boom, and it could have used several more elevators during high season.

    

[Northstar1]

Those of us that rent sure are smiling now , after the new tax laws were announced!

[GypsyT]

"Having lived in VT 3, 5C, 5D, and 7"

 

Have to looked at VT2?

 

I've been and what I like is the price - very cheap! I'd like to get VT7 but #2 is a good starter.

The pool is awesome and super clean and very few uses. The big quiet lot is for walks too.  Close to BKK bus too.

VT1 is a party place, or was, but no longer GoGo bars so it's better but worm out feeling.

 

What I like about VT2-8 is money is safe. VT projects keep value very well. And as you said the location is the best for the money.

 

 

[GypsyT]

"I stayed in something similar in VT2B - Lots of old guys around "stuck" there in the small rooms. I'm just glad I could afford something bigger in a less crowded building. "

 

Less crowded means not popular 🙂 You'll take a hit when selling....

PS. I love to be with old guys! Can't get better neighbors to look after mine when I'm away.