Newspaper Article

[HowardJohnson]

Hi All,

I have been asked to write an article for a real estate magazine about the state of the current market.

Now, we have all seen the articles written by brokers and developers so I would like to present the point of view of the general public.

Basically, if you live here or plan to live here and you have a view on the property market in general or an interesting experience then please let me know.

Each comment will be signed of with the contributers initials and perhaps the town they live in.

If you prefer not to post on the thread then please feel free to PM me and it will be treated in confidence.

Many thanks,

HoJo

[1Rai.com]

I know you haven't asked for developers'/agents' views (and I am neither), but there was a good article from the Telegraph this week (18/9/07) which you may like to use as a source. It gave a general synopsis of "prices dropping" but then various people in the business came out and said that, although demand has fallen over the last 12+ months, prices have remained "static".

I think that's pretty-much the scenario at the moment, with a few forced sales prompting a small percentage of properties to be sold at cut prices. But generally prices have stayed where they are and, in some cases (especially higher-end condo and villa developments), risen; although some will want to point out that while prices here are static, they have been rising in other tropical destinations - which their own points of attraction/detraction.

The last section of the article was a statement from a buying consumer...

Certainly the political and economic turmoil of the past year and complicated buying procedure hasn't deterred longer-term owners such as Londoner Neil Redcliffe. Shortly before the coup, he bought a villa on Coconut Island at Maphrao, an island just east of Phuket, after visiting Thailand frequently over the past 25 years.

"It's a beautiful country where the quality of everything - furniture, building, service - is five star, just as those qualities are going down in areas like the Caribbean," says Neil, head of a foreign exchange firm.

"Through my job I'm aware of what's been happening. The effects of the coup won't last long. The former government was on a track unpopular with Thai people, so I see the military involvement as a sign of strength," he says. "Thailand is superbly positioned. The culture and the food are fantastic, and I love it."

The target for Thailand, now, is to persuade the rest of us to love it too.

[Jingthing]

I see the military involvement as a sign of strength

Yep. Military dictatorships are always good for real estate, don't you know? (Some people are really shameless.)

My opinion is that many people who want to sell are delaying selling in hopes the demand will get stronger at a later time. If it doesn't within a reasonable period, prices really could drop alot as more of those delaying sellers are forced to sell.

Edited September 21, 2007 by Jingthing

[cmsally]

Wonder if Neil "head of a foreign exchange firm" , actually exists.

Prices have dropped, I would say. Now is a buyers market.

Question is , if you have to rely on other peoples articles and anonymous people on forums, how on earth can you back up your hypotheses about the property market.

[jumnien]

For flippers and speculators, I'd advise against jumping into the market right now. For long term investors who are buying condos and forgoing rent, I'd say there are some good deals and some bad deals. Above all, be very leary of farang salesmen!

[piersbeckett]

Hi All,

I have been asked to write an article for a real estate magazine about the state of the current market.

Now, we have all seen the articles written by brokers and developers so I would like to present the point of view of the general public.

Basically, if you live here or plan to live here and you have a view on the property market in general or an interesting experience then please let me know.

Each comment will be signed of with the contributers initials and perhaps the town they live in.

If you prefer not to post on the thread then please feel free to PM me and it will be treated in confidence.

Many thanks,

HoJo

HoJo - Can you do the job or have they asked the wrong person?

[HowardJohnson]

Hi All,

I have been asked to write an article for a real estate magazine about the state of the current market.

Now, we have all seen the articles written by brokers and developers so I would like to present the point of view of the general public.

Basically, if you live here or plan to live here and you have a view on the property market in general or an interesting experience then please let me know.

Each comment will be signed of with the contributers initials and perhaps the town they live in.

If you prefer not to post on the thread then please feel free to PM me and it will be treated in confidence.

Many thanks,

HoJo

HoJo - Can you do the job or have they asked the wrong person?

Not sure what you mean here?

I am writing an article about the public perception of the Thai property market rather than the view of Agents/Brokers. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

The first place I thought of asking for opinions was Thai Visa as you all are usually quite vociferous on the subject. However, there haven't been a lot of replies so far...

Thanks

HoJo

[londonthai]

maybe it there is not many replies you should search through the forum threads for the last few weeks/months and contact posters directly through the private messaging if they would like to have their posts included in your article.

yes, it's some work, but you might get somewhere