3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

How about the land Office? They usually check everything 

Corruption makes everything doable if the right person get it.

After years the truth comes forward.

3 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

 

It's not. It's overrun with tourists 365, expensive and scammy

 

I'd recommend Bangkok. People see it as a massive sprawl and it is, but it's a patchwork of small neighborhoods. You certainly don't need to live on Sukhumvit!

 

CM is a wasteland and you'll never resell.

 

HH ... The beach is crap. Maybe southward.

 

As a single man why must you own a condo here? Guarantee buyer's remorse

 

*Wongamat is nicer, has European demand. Cleaner beaches.

Don't you need transportation up in Wongamat? Or is it possible to live as a pedestrian and have enough food places nearby? Not interested in taking taxi's everywhere. Obviously i dont want to eat at the same few restaurants every day.

 

The places I saw online looked nice but they were very removed from anything, down really long streets with nothing, etc when I looked on google streetview.

1 hour ago, KhunHeineken said:

This is exactly why your posts should be taken with a grain of salt.  You have a conflict of interests. 

 

You constantly talk up the property market here.  All you focus on is the peaks, never the troughs.  Over the years, not once have you posted of a stalling property market here, covid aside. 

 

Is property a long term investment, sure, but the days of "flipping" condo's here for a profit are long gone.  There's just too much oversupply in the market.

 

Conveniently, you did not post about the average Time on Market (TOM) for your properties.  It's one thing to boast selling for a profit, it's another thing having that capital tied up in a property that's sitting on the market here or years, yes, years.  That money invested elsewhere would have made more money than property in Thailand, which also attracts fees.     

 

 

       Short version:  No troughs, no stalled property market, busy Land Office, 25 property sales since 2010, TOM of about 6 months on average, no pushing of property, opinions given on real estate issues when I think warranted, continued salt intake advised.   Longer version:

 

      Spouse and I sold two properties during covid.  People were still buying and selling then in Pattaya.  We haven't encountered any "troughs", even during covid, although I would say there are fewer Chinese buyers at the moment.  There doesn't seem to be a trough now, if the busyness at the Land Office is any indication.   I haven't posted a "stalling property market" because it has not stalled, at least for us and the many others crowding the Land Office.  Sorry if our experience doesn't fit your narrative.  

     To answer your Time On the Market, (TOM) question, we arrived in Pattaya in December of 2010 from Rayong.   We have sold 22 properties in Pattaya, 2 in Rayong, and 1 in Bangkok.  So, 25 property sales in 15 years.  Our properties are not sitting on the market for "years, yes years".   

    Mostly, the Pattaya properties have sold on average in about 6 months, with one or two taking longer.   We try to field a good product, at a competitive price, and we like quick sales because, as I mentioned in another post, I am lazy.  Most of our sales have been through the hard work of realtors, although we have sold a few ourselves.

     Our house sale on July 4th was a fairly typical sale for us.  I sent the initial email out putting the house on the market to realtors on March 20th.  This went to about 45 individuals and agencies, in some cases both an individual agent and his or her agency.    

     We thought we had a buyer in late March with one of the first showings but it didn't pan out--such is real estate.  A few showings but not a lot happened in either April or May, with all the Thai holidays and some realtor offices closing for Songkran.  June saw three serious buyers emerge and the first buyer to show up with money got the property.   Time on the market (TOM) March 20th to July 4th.

    The sequence I just described is fairly typical of how a property sale goes with us.   If you actually read my posts carefully you will find they are mostly of a similar vein to this one--describing my experiences and sometimes giving pointers that I have learned, often the hard way--such as buying a condo in foreign quota, if possible. 

    I would not describe any of my posts as "talking up the property market here",  and I have never advised anyone to buy property here--or anywhere else.  In some cases, I will post my take on a subject, based on my experiences.  For example, some have posted here that real estate agents are useless.  That has not been my general experience and I have provided an alternative point of view, and will continue to do so--especially when a howler of a post shows up.  

    When I do comment on something, I try to give examples, or provide some detail, as I did with this post.  Anybody is, of course, welcome to skip my posts altogether, or take them with your "grain of salt".

 

     

       

24 minutes ago, newnative said:

Short version:  No troughs, no stalled property market,

I simply don't believe you.

 

https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/asia/thailand/price-history#_Housing_Market_Snapshot

 

"Nationally, prices for single-detached houses increased by 2.55% year-on-year (1.54% inflation-adjusted), while townhouses saw a slightly higher annual rise of 3.53% (2.51% inflation-adjusted)."

 

I get a better return from just keeping the money in the bank. 

 

"The condominium segment experienced a notable deceleration, with price growth slowing from 7.20% year-on-year in Q3 2024 to 2.46% (1.45% inflation-adjusted) in Q4 2024."

 

Goes against the picture your are painting. 

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Rents generally go up, especially since covid, another reason to buy to hedge against high rents 

With the massive oversupply, and they are still building more, I find rents tend to have downward pressure here.  There's a lot of competition to find a long term tenant.  

5 hours ago, norsurin said:

Right.Two of my friends loosed their house in hua-hin.All papers was fake from the seller.Didnt owing the land and of course not allowed to build anything.

That's a separate issue to the one being discussed in this thread, but your friends were not the first, and will not be the last to lose a significant amount of money on dodgy property deals here.

 

I still can't believe, with all the readily accessible information out there, that foreigners still buy off the plan here.  Crazy.   

6 hours ago, Mark1969 said:

Many people can't just let cash sit in a bank account. Similar to having a credit card, if it's liquid it gets spent. Buying property locks up the money.

Strange way to look at it.  I suppose they could put it in a term deposit. 

830 properties for sale in Pattaya by just one online real estate agency. 

 

https://www.siamrealestate.com/search?k[]=Pattaya&type_code=sale&offer_type=&category_id=&min_price=&max_price=&bedroom=&status=available&rent_from=&rent_to=&indoor_area=&land_area=&minimum_yield=

On 7/13/2025 at 6:41 AM, flaming dragon said:

The French woman in Phuket who shot herself and left everything to her maid, only for the government to snatch it (due to the corporate structure) comes to mind. 

Interest case.

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2024/05/09/french-woman-catherine-delacote-ko-samui-company-assets-could-be-seized-by-the-ministry

 

You hear a lot of foreigners here say, "when I go the Thai missus gets the condo" but they could be leaving behind a similar mess. 

29 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

I simply don't believe you.

 

https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/asia/thailand/price-history#_Housing_Market_Snapshot

 

"Nationally, prices for single-detached houses increased by 2.55% year-on-year (1.54% inflation-adjusted), while townhouses saw a slightly higher annual rise of 3.53% (2.51% inflation-adjusted)."

 

I get a better return from just keeping the money in the bank. 

 

"The condominium segment experienced a notable deceleration, with price growth slowing from 7.20% year-on-year in Q3 2024 to 2.46% (1.45% inflation-adjusted) in Q4 2024."

 

Goes against the picture your are painting. 

     A better return, possibly, but you can't shelter under a bank book.  Some of us like to own the space we live in, to enjoy it, and to do with it what we like, with our own furniture, art, electronics, appliances, and accessories.  Certainly that is the case for my spouse and me, and it's never been about a return on investment, but it's nice when it happens.  Others are just as happy renting.  Really, it's whatever floats your boat.  

    So, from your figures, not mine, it seems house prices rose slightly, townhouse prices rose slightly, and condo price increases slowed, but still also rose.  I'm not seeing a 'trough' or a 'stalling property market' with prices rising, even if only slightly, on average.

     So, from your figures, property values are rising.  No reason why mine shouldn't, too.  And, they have.  If they hadn't, we would have gone broke years ago, selling twentysome properties at a loss each time. 

     Once we buy a property, we try to make it better than any of the competition, both with good space planning and function, design, materials, and decoration.  We then enjoy the property ourselves, for a time, get bored, and start the process again.  It takes some work and it's certainly not for everyone.  I do wonder why you are so focused on real estate when clearly it's not for you, at least here in Thailand.

    As far as buying or renting goes, I refer back to what I said in a previous post:

 

I think a Pattaya condo buyer should be buying because they prefer to own rather than rent, prefer to pay themselves, rather than a landlord, expect to be living in the condo for a number of years, and realize that the condo may not increase much in value, if any, and might more likely just maintain its value.  That's why we bought, and would have bought even if we might have lost some money--we like to own the space we live in.   If that's not you, stick with renting. 

     

   

1 hour ago, Mark1969 said:

Don't you need transportation up in Wongamat? Or is it possible to live as a pedestrian and have enough food places nearby? Not interested in taking taxi's everywhere. Obviously i dont want to eat at the same few restaurants every day.

 

The places I saw online looked nice but they were very removed from anything, down really long streets with nothing, etc when I looked on google streetview.

   Yes, I would say you need transportation if you are in the beach area of Wong Amat.  That's where we were and we mostly drove everywhere, although there were some restaurants, 7-11, food stalls, etc., within walking distance.  With transportation, it was easier to get to places like Terminal 21, Central Festival, Lotus's, Big C Marina, and the two hospitals in that area than if we were coming from Jomtien.  If you like that area you might look for something close to Naklua Road, as you can get a baht bus running on that road.   

     

1 hour ago, KhunHeineken said:

830 properties for sale in Pattaya by just one online real estate agency. 

 

https://www.siamrealestate.com/search?k[]=Pattaya&type_code=sale&offer_type=&category_id=&min_price=&max_price=&bedroom=&status=available&rent_from=&rent_to=&indoor_area=&land_area=&minimum_yield=

   How many of those 830 properties are 2 bedroom/2 bath Wongamat condos with a seaview, in foreign quota, and priced under, say, 8 MB?   I do also need a pool and a gym with AC.   And, to enjoy my seaview, also a nice balcony.  I'm guessing it's going to be a lot less than 830.  

2 hours ago, newnative said:

       Short version:  No troughs, no stalled property market, busy Land Office, 25 property sales since 2010, TOM of about 6 months on average, no pushing of property, opinions given on real estate issues when I think warranted, continued salt intake advised.   Longer version:

 

      Spouse and I sold two properties during covid.  People were still buying and selling then in Pattaya.  We haven't encountered any "troughs", even during covid, although I would say there are fewer Chinese buyers at the moment.  There doesn't seem to be a trough now, if the busyness at the Land Office is any indication.   I haven't posted a "stalling property market" because it has not stalled, at least for us and the many others crowding the Land Office.  Sorry if our experience doesn't fit your narrative.  

     To answer your Time On the Market, (TOM) question, we arrived in Pattaya in December of 2010 from Rayong.   We have sold 22 properties in Pattaya, 2 in Rayong, and 1 in Bangkok.  So, 25 property sales in 15 years.  Our properties are not sitting on the market for "years, yes years".   

    Mostly, the Pattaya properties have sold on average in about 6 months, with one or two taking longer.   We try to field a good product, at a competitive price, and we like quick sales because, as I mentioned in another post, I am lazy.  Most of our sales have been through the hard work of realtors, although we have sold a few ourselves.

     Our house sale on July 4th was a fairly typical sale for us.  I sent the initial email out putting the house on the market to realtors on March 20th.  This went to about 45 individuals and agencies, in some cases both an individual agent and his or her agency.    

     We thought we had a buyer in late March with one of the first showings but it didn't pan out--such is real estate.  A few showings but not a lot happened in either April or May, with all the Thai holidays and some realtor offices closing for Songkran.  June saw three serious buyers emerge and the first buyer to show up with money got the property.   Time on the market (TOM) March 20th to July 4th.

    The sequence I just described is fairly typical of how a property sale goes with us.   If you actually read my posts carefully you will find they are mostly of a similar vein to this one--describing my experiences and sometimes giving pointers that I have learned, often the hard way--such as buying a condo in foreign quota, if possible. 

    I would not describe any of my posts as "talking up the property market here",  and I have never advised anyone to buy property here--or anywhere else.  In some cases, I will post my take on a subject, based on my experiences.  For example, some have posted here that real estate agents are useless.  That has not been my general experience and I have provided an alternative point of view, and will continue to do so--especially when a howler of a post shows up.  

    When I do comment on something, I try to give examples, or provide some detail, as I did with this post.  Anybody is, of course, welcome to skip my posts altogether, or take them with your "grain of salt".

 

     

       

Out of curiosity, how much work and money did you have to put into refurbishing your properties before you sold them? And do you think your units had a competitive advantage over other units in your buildings? I have seen many foreigners come over here and buy condos because they seem cheap, then put them in the hands of an agent to rent out and manage. Generally, the results haven't been great.

 

 

25 minutes ago, jaywalker2 said:

Out of curiosity, how much work and money did you have to put into refurbishing your properties before you sold them? And do you think your units had a competitive advantage over other units in your buildings? I have seen many foreigners come over here and buy condos because they seem cheap, then put them in the hands of an agent to rent out and manage. Generally, the results haven't been great.

 

 

      We did about seven View Talay condo shells at VT 3, the 5s, and VT7 that didn't even come with a floor.  This was around 2011 to 2013.  We had to add the floor, kitchen cabinets, desk, wardrobe, loose furniture, A/C, appliances, tv, art, blinds, and so on.  We did a good design with the studio units that turned the studios into sort of junior one bedrooms, with a partitioned off bedroom area by the balcony.

      You see the partitioning thing all the time now with studios but not that much back then.  We always lived in most of the condos that we bought and designed, at least for a time, and I wanted a separate bedroom area, even in a studio.  We always designed for ourselves with every project, even the rentals.  Luckily, we always found a buyer that liked our taste--and it only took finding one buyer for each project.

     We did custom cabinetry, which we designed, so we had our own look and everything fit together well and we utilized the limited space as well as we could.  We like a unified look, especially if the space is not large.  Even with the small VT spaces, we liked to have designated areas with a sleeping zone, a living room/dining room area, and kitchen/foyer area.

     Renovation budgets varied depending on the project but, before we started anything, we worked out approximately how much we thought we would be able to sell a condo for and we planned our budget accordingly to, hopefully, make a profit. 

    This was years ago but at that time VT 48 sqm shell studios at VT3, 5C and 5D were selling from the developer starting from around 2MB depending on floor--the price went up for each floor. 

    I do think our design for the VT studios might have stood out a bit and perhaps made our sales go quicker than some others but, going in, you need to know that, even with the best design, there is usually a pricing limit to how much you can achieve when there is pretty much an established price range for similar size units.   At that time, the VT finished studios in VT 3 and 5 were going for around 3 MB to 3.5MB and we sold in the higher part of that range, as well.   These projects did not make big profits but we were learning, and having fun.

     We did two major renovations around 2018 to 2020, a very rundown, but charming, pool villa on the Darkside in a nice development and a not quite so bad large 3 bedroom condo right on the ocean.  Both were financially iffy because we were risking what was, for us, a fairly large chunk of money each time and we weren't sure going in what horrors might await us.  The 'Money Pit' movie stuck in our minds.

     Both were a lot of work and gave us some headaches, especially the house, but they were two of our more profitable projects.  I should mention that we do all the designing, planning, product and materials selecting, buying, supervising, etc., but we hire workers to do the actual painting, tiling, and so on.  

     We did buy at various times 4 condos to rent out.  These were all 1 bedrooms at projects like Centric Sea, Unixx, and The Base.  We always had long-term renters.  When illegal daily renters starting to be a problem at the projects, we decided we no longer wanted to be landlords and we sold all of them.  I think we also liked the quick profits of selling rather than waiting a number of years to make the same amount with rents. 

     We bought a number of condos off-plan and got them for a good initial price.  Although they were new and, in some cases came with furniture, we always put our mark on them.  One buy was a high floor 2 bedroom seaview at Centric Sea. 

    Even though it came with a brand new kitchen, we gutted it.  The cabinets, which we didn't like, were the same as what came with the cheapest unit in the project and the kitchen layout wasn't that good.  We did a better layout and put in much nicer custom cabinets, high-grade granite counters, better fridge and induction cooktop, snazzier backsplash, undercounter lighting, etc.  We also had a custom storage cabinet hutch made for the foyer that matched the adjacent kitchen cabinets and visually expanded the kitchen.

    We thought all the furniture was rather juvenile and, again, the sofa was the same small 2-seater as the tiniest unit in the project.  We kept the second bedroom furniture but changed all the other furniture, including adding custom master bedroom furniture, a custom sofa, art, and some nice Asian antiques. 

    That condo broke the pricing rule I mentioned earlier and sold for a much higher price than the norm for a 2-bedroom CS condo at the time, probably because it had such a different look when we were done with it.  It also didn't hurt that it was one of only a handful of CS condos that had a spectacular bathtub in the master bath that cantilevered from the building with windows on 3 sides.  

9 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

With the massive oversupply, and they are still building more, I find rents tend to have downward pressure here.  There's a lot of competition to find a long term tenant.  

I just go by Facebook marketplace, rents definitely gone up since covid. I can't see new builds wanting 30k a month effecting demand for condos 20k for example

12 hours ago, newnative said:

   How many of those 830 properties are 2 bedroom/2 bath Wongamat condos with a seaview, in foreign quota, and priced under, say, 8 MB?   I do also need a pool and a gym with AC.   And, to enjoy my seaview, also a nice balcony.  I'm guessing it's going to be a lot less than 830.  

So, you are going to spin it to say 830 properties for sale, on just ONE online real estate agency, doesn't indicate a glut on the property market here. 

 

Once again, you talk up the property market here again and again.  I suspect you have some property that's not moving. 

12 hours ago, newnative said:

A better return, possibly, but you can't shelter under a bank book. 

I worked the math put forward by another member. 

 

The money used to buy a condo, invested elsewhere, even in a bank for interest, which is near zero risk, returns more than the rent, with no property fees, taxes, maintenance costs etc. 

 

I worked this math for a condo that sold in my block a few years ago.  Turns out I was ahead to bank what the guy paid for the purchase price, with the interest more than covering  the rent, leaving the capital untouched.  The money in the bank book pays for the shelter, and then some.  

 

The purchased condo was only a couple of floors down, and had the same aspect.  The condo configuration was the same as the one I rent.  It did not have a high end European kitchen or Italian marble tiles in the bathroom.  The two condo's were "like for like."  The use of all common facilities, Eg. pool, is the same for owners and tenants.  I get all the benefits, without ongoing costs, and the risk and tying up my capital in a Thai property, and the capital is still making more than the cost of the rent. 

 

Given many expat retirees buy their "forever condo" in Thailand, where's the investment?  They are going to die in it one day, so where's the return on investment?  Many leave the property to the Thai missus, and I have no problem with that, but most Thai girls would prefer cash.   For those leaving the condo to their kids, what a mess.  Sure, they know Dad loves Thailand, but have no knowledge of property laws here etc. 

 

You are flipping properties here.  I don't have a problem with that, but just don't dribble on here typical real estate agent BS like, "now is the time to buy" because it's just a hard sell spiel and is not backed up by data. 

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I just go by Facebook marketplace, rents definitely gone up since covid. I can't see new builds wanting 30k a month effecting demand for condos 20k for example

Covid was an anomaly.  It was 5 years ago, and ended 2 years ago.  The only way was up after covid. 

 

The question is, if the new builds can't rent at 30k, do they sit empty, or does an owner rent it out at 25k?  Your post suggests a new build opens for occupation and straight away all condo's in the block are full of owners / tenants.  Look what happened at The Base.  Couldn't sell them all.  Couldn't rent them.  Many ended up as daily rentals, and it's still that way until today. 

 

I'm not suggesting a collapsing rental market, just downward pressure. 

8 hours ago, newnative said:

We did about seven View Talay condo shells at VT 3, the 5s, and VT7 that didn't even come with a floor.  This was around 2011 to 2013.  We had to add the floor, kitchen cabinets, desk, wardrobe, loose furniture, A/C, appliances, tv, art, blinds, and so on. 

So, how much did the developer / previous owner lose? 

35 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So, you are going to spin it to say 830 properties for sale, on just ONE online real estate agency, doesn't indicate a glut on the property market here. 

 

Once again, you talk up the property market here again and again.  I suspect you have some property that's not moving. 

    Pointing out facts is not 'talking up' anything.  I invite you to read my post explaining how, when you are selling, you are not competing with every other property on the market.  And, when you are buying or renting, once you punch in just the three minimums--price, size, and location, you greatly reduce what is both for sale and for rent for you to choose from.  When you add in some other things you might want, such as a seaview, covered parking, a pool and a gym, foreign quota, balcony, north exposure, high or low floor, etc., the list reduces even more.  Your crowing that there are 830 properties on the market is meaningless.  What is important is how many are going to match, or at least come close, to what you want to buy or rent.  This is not brain surgery.  

9 minutes ago, newnative said:

Pointing out facts

As I am. 

 

On that website, are there 830 properties for sale in Pattaya?  It's a yes or no answer. 

 

On the "Baht Sold" website there are 1,312 properties for sale / rent.  (not sure if allowed to post that link here)  Sure, some may be advertised elsewhere, but not all, so the amount of properties on the market here gets bigger and bigger. 

14 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So, how much did the developer / previous owner lose? 

   Huh?  The developer was the previous owner.  Since this developer built seven massive projects, VT1, VT2, VT3, VT5C, VT5D, VT6, and VT7, it is doubtful they lost any money on any of the projects or they would have soon been out of business.  If I had to guess, I would say the developer probably spent less than 1MB per studio empty shell for the VT3 and on projects and was selling them for around 2MB or more, with VT6 and VT7 having bigger shell prices as they were pricier projects.  

On 7/13/2025 at 9:09 AM, newnative said:

How Pattaya Became a Condo City: A Look at 40 Years of G | ABPC

Just tried the link and it didn't work for some reason but maybe you can google it.  

https://pattaya-property.net/blog_post/how-pattaya-became-a-condo-city-a-look-at-40-years-of-growth-and-whats-still-to-come

 

7 minutes ago, newnative said:

   Huh?  The developer was the previous owner.  Since this developer built seven massive projects, VT1, VT2, VT3, VT5C, VT5D, VT6, and VT7, it is doubtful they lost any money on any of the projects or they would have soon been out of business.  If I had to guess, I would say the developer probably spent less than 1MB per studio empty shell for the VT3 and on projects and was selling them for around 2MB or more, with VT6 and VT7 having bigger shell prices as they were pricier projects.  

So, the developer sold "shells."  Couldn't they finish the project and make more money?  Sounds like a distressed sale to me. 

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

https://pattaya-property.net/blog_post/how-pattaya-became-a-condo-city-a-look-at-40-years-of-growth-and-whats-still-to-come

 

So, your own link, reposted by a Mod, states Pattaya is a "condo city" but in no way is there an oversupply of condo's. 

 

The government and developers have gauged the market forces just right, with supply meeting demand, and property values remaining buoyant.

 

Yeah, right. It's a free for all here. They just keep building and building, more and more, and, according to you, this has absolutely zero effect on property prices.  

1 minute ago, KhunHeineken said:

As I am. 

 

On that website, are there 830 properties for sale in Pattaya?  It's a yes or no answer. 

     I can't be bothered to check.  I'll take your word for it.  Let's say yes.  It's meaningless and you're totally missing the point, and totally wasting my time.  And, you didn't answer my earlier question as to how many of those 830 are 2 bedroom 2 bath seaview Wongamat condos in foreign quota, for less than a certain price I can't remember.  Why don't you take some of your time and go back and read my post that explains why 830 is a meaningless number.

    It's really no different than when I was selling my VW Beetle before I moved to Thailand.  I lived in the Washington, DC area in northern Virginia, and there were probably thousands of used cars available for sale at any one time, both privately and at dealers.  My goodness!  Thousands!  How am I ever going to sell my car with thousands of competing used cars for sale?  Woe is me.

    Well, I could sell because there were not thousands of VW Beetles for sale.  There were all sorts of cars for sale--sedans, convertibles, SUVs, pick-ups, station wagons, coupes, large cars, small cars, cars in-between in size, luxury, and economy.    I was mostly competing only wth other VW Beetles for sale and, even then, mostly with models close to my car's age and condition.  It wasn't hard to find a buyer.   Once again, this is not brain surgery--or rocket science.

5 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So, your own link, reposted by a Mod, states Pattaya is a "condo city" but in no way is there an oversupply of condo's. 

What!! 

I simply located the link the OP was having issue to find. 

 

14 hours ago, newnative said:

Some of us like to own the space we live in, to enjoy it, and to do with it what we like, with our own furniture, art, electronics, appliances, and accessories.  Certainly that is the case for my spouse and me, and it's never been about a return on investment, but it's nice when it happens.  Others are just as happy renting.  Really, it's whatever floats your boat.  

 

Once we buy a property, we try to make it better than any of the competition, both with good space planning and function, design, materials, and decoration.  We then enjoy the property ourselves, for a time, get bored, and start the process again.  It takes some work and it's certainly not for everyone.  I do wonder why you are so focused on real estate when clearly it's not for you, at least here in Thailand.

    As far as buying or renting goes, I refer back to what I said in a previous post:

Apart from the structure modification aspect, why can't you do that with a rental? I noticed the rentals are usually furnished here. Is it taboo to bring in your own furniture, stuff, etc. (other then just a few suitcases)?

 

It does "feel" like the place needs to be kept as it is in Thailand when I rent. Combine that with someone from the building/landlord coming into clean the place every few days and it downright starts to feel like someone else's space needs to be maintained as it was at move in time.

 

That's very different from the Usa where I'm from, where it is common for a household of things to be moved into a rental making it feel like home rather quickly.

1 hour ago, KhunHeineken said:

The question is, if the new builds can't rent at 30k, do they sit empty, or does an owner rent it out at 25k?  Your post suggests a new build opens for occupation and straight away all condo's in the block are full of owners / tenants

I couldn't care less about new builds, anyone buying them is buying at the top of the market, as for dropping rent, some owners will some won't, there are other reason of course why people prefer buying rather than rent

9 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So, the developer sold "shells."  Couldn't they finish the project and make more money?  Sounds like a distressed sale to me. 

    That was the strategy for some developers at the time.  The first two condos we bought in Rayong were also empty shells, though they did have floors.  It did allow you the freedom to do what you wanted with the space.  It's often been said that a VT project is like a box of chocolates--you don't know what one of the condos will look like inside until you open the door.  Lots of buyers, though, wanted a finished product and new developers, such as Riviera, began selling fully-furnished and fitted turnkey units.  

     You can still find empty shells.  We looked at a new house the other day--14MB starting price for the top model--and it was an empty shell.  No kitchen, no air con, no drapes, no built-in furniture, no appliances.  Really nothing except the bathrooms.  Figure another million or two to finish it, depending on how thrifty or over-the-top you go.