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[shepsel]

I am coming to CM in Jan/Feb 2008 to look for long term housing either by rental or purchase.

In the interim, I have been looking for a furnished studio serviced apartment, or condo rental. Most serviced apartments are priced in the 30K baht range per month. Is this a normal price? And, for that price, linen, blankets, pillows and towels are not provided at most places. I am trying to convert baht to dollars, and the price seems inflated compared with other housing costs. When I was in CM last year I stayed about a week at the Pornping Hotel in an okay room, and the walk in rate was about 1000 baht per night, including breakfast. Bed and towels were changed every day, but one does not have this in monthly rentals as far as I have seen. It seemed that hotels were a better deal.

Should I continue to look for a serviced apartment at a better rate than 30K a month? Or, should I try and make a deal with a hotel for a two month stay?

Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated.

[Potter]

I am coming to CM in Jan/Feb 2008 to look for long term housing either by rental or purchase.

In the interim, I have been looking for a furnished studio serviced apartment, or condo rental. Most serviced apartments are priced in the 30K baht range per month. Is this a normal price? And, for that price, linen, blankets, pillows and towels are not provided at most places. I am trying to convert baht to dollars, and the price seems inflated compared with other housing costs. When I was in CM last year I stayed about a week at the Pornping Hotel in an okay room, and the walk in rate was about 1000 baht per night, including breakfast. Bed and towels were changed every day, but one does not have this in monthly rentals as far as I have seen. It seemed that hotels were a better deal.

Should I continue to look for a serviced apartment at a better rate than 30K a month? Or, should I try and make a deal with a hotel for a two month stay?

Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated.

Make a google search on "condo chiang mai". There will pop up lots of real estate agencies. They can help you. 30k a month you want to pay. What do you expect in return for that? What are your criterias? After looking around on the internet, perhaps you change your opinion of what you want etc. Always good to make a one week or one month deal with a hotel or similar. Then have a look around. How long will you stay for?

[Wizzard of Oz]

Here is a random lot of info I kept in another email from a while ago:

http://www.pachkit.com/room.html

http://www.thebackpacker.net/travelhostels...avelhostels.htm

http://www.fuengfaplace.com/

http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/2_hotel...apartments.html

Rumour (from lotsa pplz) has it - don't go to Huay Kaew Residence tho.

http://www.chiangmai-online.com/apart.html

http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/living/property/

http://en.9apartment.com/

http://www.thaipro.com/dir/Chiangmai/Chian...partment_1.html

http://www.chiangmaihouse.com/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34228

[mcgriffith]

I live in a serviced apartment. My rent is 5200 B a month. Admittedly, it is a 1 room studio (but fully furnished, and in a very nice area). The 1 bedroom apartments in my bldg go for 7000/mo. I think 30K/mo. is way over the top. Perhaps you are on websites offering rentals, thus you are paying broker fees. The way it works here, you do not go through an agent/broker for a rental; the tariff often doubles over what you could get direct from the owner (or mngmnt of a building). My advice is, don't try to do a long-term rental, long distance, on the web. Get here, check into a hotel or nice guesthouse, and cruise the neighborhoods, looking for rental signs. Find a neighborhood you like, then concentrate your attention there. The CM rental market is not even close to being entirely online; i.e. probably more than half of all available rentals are not visible to you.....hope this helps!

McG

[Gravelrash]

I live in a serviced apartment. My rent is 5200 B a month. Admittedly, it is a 1 room studio (but fully furnished, and in a very nice area). The 1 bedroom apartments in my bldg go for 7000/mo. I think 30K/mo. is way over the top. Perhaps you are on websites offering rentals, thus you are paying broker fees. The way it works here, you do not go through an agent/broker for a rental; the tariff often doubles over what you could get direct from the owner (or mngmnt of a building). My advice is, don't try to do a long-term rental, long distance, on the web. Get here, check into a hotel or nice guesthouse, and cruise the neighborhoods, looking for rental signs. Find a neighborhood you like, then concentrate your attention there. The CM rental market is not even close to being entirely online; i.e. probably more than half of all available rentals are not visible to you.....hope this helps!

McG

I just love the way members on this forum love to slam real estate brokers. Likewise lets steer clear of bookshops owned by farang, bike rentals, tourist attractrions and restaurants or any other farang business as they will all rip you off. Only deal with Thais as they are far more generous an honest. Err wake up.

I operate as a brokerage in Chiang Mai, work permit, registered company etc, unlike many...

Where does all the BS about renting or buying direct from the (usually Thai) owner come from? We have had properties before where we know what price the owner will settle for, and wonderful people as customers that use their Thai wife to haggle direct with the owner to cut us out after wasting our petrol and time. Invariably they do not pay the owners minimum price, but of course believe that they have. It is not cheaper.

Owners that sell or rent direct simply pocket the commission the broker would have anyway due to market value. Do you really believe that owners rent/sell direct to pass the savings on to you? Please......

Some brokers are cons, but don't paint all with the same brush.

"The tarrif doubles with brokers"? Where does this BS come from? A broker earns generarlly a small commission on rentals, double the price, you are off with the fairies.

And yes there are no shortage of bottom of the market 5k studios in Chiang Mai. Or would you prefer 3k, we have those too. Generally serviced apartments in that price range is a pseudemim for a Thai style apartment which is shared by students or the struggling. I will never understand why people come to live here and accept a lower standard of living they would have at home.

Now, that feels better.

[mcgriffith]

Anything to help; glad you feel better now!

Just expressing my personal opinion on the rental market here, after speaking with many long term farang who have gone both routes (through broker, or cruising a target neighborhood.)

Nowhere did I state that the tariff doubles, just "often".

And nowhere did I infer that going through a broker is a "rip-off".

And nowhere did I even infer that patronizing a farang-owned business is to be avoided. I patronize numerous farang-owned businesses here in town, and many of the owners are personal friends of mine....

I will remonstrate, however with your categorization of my apartment as some type of domicile occupied by "students or the struggling"

I live on Huay Kaew, past Nimmenheimen. My apartment balcony has a view of about 20 rai of manicured gardens, and a view of Doi Suthep (mountain, not the Wat). I have no traffic noise. I can walk to Arng Kaew reservoir in CMU for my daily walk. My building is filled with mostly farang (Euro, Japanese and US) and Thai middle class couples. The only students here (and there are a few) have rich daddies and drive nicer cars than the farang! Private parking on 3 levels, as well as outside. A pool. A very well managed building, a huge beautiful lobby in marble, in a desireable neighborhood.

My point I was trying to make, was that 30K is way over the top. I know people who rent MANSIONS for less than that. Caveat Emptor.

McG

[shepsel]

Here is a random lot of info I kept in another email from a while ago:

http://www.pachkit.com/room.html

http://www.thebackpacker.net/travelhostels...avelhostels.htm

http://www.fuengfaplace.com/

http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/2_hotel...apartments.html

Rumour (from lotsa pplz) has it - don't go to Huay Kaew Residence tho.

http://www.chiangmai-online.com/apart.html

http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/living/property/

http://en.9apartment.com/

http://www.thaipro.com/dir/Chiangmai/Chian...partment_1.html

http://www.chiangmaihouse.com/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34228

Thanks very much for all the websites and information. I will check them all out.

[rrose070]

My hubby and I just love this place, and it's only 7 or 8k baht a month.

http://www.flora-house.com/rooms-rates.html

[shepsel]

Thank you all for your advice and comments. I am checking websites, and will get a hotel when I arrive and see what I can do in person when I arrive.