Average Price For New House In Ubon Ratchathani?

[RY12]

What's does the average Isaan-er consider an acceptable new house and how much do they cost roughly? My thai girlfriend of a year and half has some land in downtown Ubon (near hat wat tai) she got for a half million baht and now she's talking about building a new house on it (in 3 years or so). Part of the thing implicitly keeping our relationship together is the fact that I'll be the one to pay for it (yes there is also love, but let's be realistic, she needs the shelter and she doesn't have any other family to fall back on, see more below). she's going to split the house with her cousin, and was giving me figures of 300k each or 600,000 baht total for a small, two story duplex house. no frills. she frankly doesn't know what to expect either, so is 600k enough to get a simple 5 or 6 roomed house with tile interior? Obviously it has to last for a while, is that concrete-beam-with-brick-walls construction i've seen around the sturdiest way to go?

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AS A SIDENOTE FOR THE BORED (since i couldn't find a forum for relationships); Is it immoral for me to keep this relationship going? she strongly wants to marry me but i'm a little hesitant. I'm a 22 year old law student in USA and i've got a good law job lined up after i finsih school in 2.5 years, and she's 24 scratching away at a crappy job in BKK. [For all you gullible conspiracy-theorist farangs out there that have been decieved in the past: she's NOT cheating me! so don't interject your generalizations about the evils of Thai girls: her apartment is decked out with my photos and we talk 2 hours everyday and have been to 4 countries together]. I'm kinda nerdy, but not grotesque, so I've never had a girfriend before her, and I don't think I'd have one for several years if I dumped her now.

She of course is more comfortable and safer with me now too, so should we just keep going together until the house is built and her life is more secure? We both love eachother and she's fiercly loyal to me, and hel_l we may very well marry in the future, but I think we both know the longterm (5+ years) isn't 100% forseeable because we're both so different. One things for sure, I love her enough to where it would be ###### hard to let her go without her having a secure future, i.e. without a house. God knows what she'd have to do if i couldn't help her out.

There is a feeling of being trapped, especially when i see so many attractive uni girls that wouldn't require any finacial support (but would i assume require more maintanence, and probably dump me), but I can't just break it off, especially when I know I'll be making more money than I'll need in a few years. $15,000 USD for a new house in a downtown!! for a stable future! sometimes it seems like the least I could do for someone who provided so much love to me,

-confused (sorry if this sounded Dear Abby-ish)

[thomo]

I'm kinda nerdy, but not grotesque, so I've never had a girfriend before her, and I don't think I'd have one for several years if I dumped her now.

Welcome welcome, I like you already.

600K is a bit high.... but not massively over priced for something like that. If you're on about it being a long term thing for the 2 of you then insist (tell her it's some kind of law or regulation or something) that it's leased out to you on a 3 times 30 year lease. This means that should things be different later on in life, it's yours, not hers.

That mightn't help much in some situations but it's advisable all the same. I'd advise insisting on this, via stretching the truth that it's a regulation of getting the money together to build it from the bank or something.

Good luck.

[ronthompson]

IMHO if u can afford it do it what the h--- I have been married 4 times, 3 in the states and once in Thailand for over two years and I live here full time. It is my belief that all women want all they can get doesn't matter if American or Thai. If u are happy with the arrangement DO IT. The bottom line on the discussion is it's your life and your money.

I have also discovered that Thai women can build a house for much less. The reason is very simple they do not really need all the creature comforts that Americans are use too!

I would only question one thing in your posting and that concerns the cousin. I do not subscribe to family members buying a house together. I would seriously consider giving her a million then she could charge the cousin rent.

It is much less expensive to support a girl friend in Thailand than in the US.

Many will not agree but that is opinion of a happy American living in a village in Thailand.

[citizen33]

The lease idea is one that many here use, but the snag in your situation is that your GF has already bought the land with her own resources. You would therefore need to get her to lease you the land and house, and she probably won't be so keen given that she has invested half a million.

[malcolminthemiddle]

My wife comes from Ubon and her folks have property "down town". If you let me know the exact size I'll ask what they think the current land price is in that area. You maybe surprised Ubon "down town" land prices have gone up over the past few years.

[Bpraim1]

I don't want to be mean, but if you have the money to burn, then go for it.

I would like you should spend some time with this person in Thailand before you start to spend 20k-30k on her.

Holidays are like honeymoon time, then the true sides come out.

I have a wife from isaan and trust her will all my heart, but it took awhile to find this person. SO i am not knock'n Thai girls!

But I do know about them and how they work, Not all but ALOT!

As for the house 600k sounds about ok for a 5-6 room house with some comforts.

I also agree with other posts, things split with families can come back to bite your lady. Better to do it herself and rent it out.

[Gary A]

A Thai friend of mine recently completed his two bedroom house. He already had the land and the house ended up costing him about 600,000 so that price is in line. I would guess that the floor space is maybe 110 square meters.

[jay-uk]

the price sounds about right for ubon but check out the leasing options mentioned by other members. especially with the extended family having an involvement. it will give you peace of mind in the event anything happens in your relationship or you have a dissagreement with the in-laws etc..

Edited October 17, 2007 by jay-uk

[Farma]

It sounds about right. Relatives have just finished a single storey 80 square metre, 2 bedroom place for 320,000 including labor.

They paid the builders (labor cost 50,000b) but bought their building materials from Ubonwasuda. It included western style good quality toilet and bathroom fittings, aluminium windows and doors with insect screens, large stainless water tank and water pump plus tiles on all floors including the concrete area around the outside of the house.

[philliphn]

It seems to me that $15.000 dollars is a very small amount of money to a rich Attorney.

If you can give this amount as a gift of love, emphasis on the word gift, then why not, up to you.

[thedi]

15 years ago I build a traditional house in Khon Kaen about 50 km from town in a small village. At first it was just a wooden house on stilts. From time to time we added something. It is now a comfortable house with all tiles in the ground floor and wooden floors in the upper floor, two airconditioned bedrooms and two bath rooms. It is still a traditional style house, but quite comfortable.

We payed 600'000 for all this, including TV etc. With inflation this would be about 1 million now.

So I guess yes, 600'000 may be possible for a simple, but comfortable traditional house.

Regards and best whishes

Thedi

[kdc1899]

I know you love her, but, do not give her money. If you want to pay for the construction of a house for your girlfriend and her cousin then so be it. Do not give her money.

You have to be there to monitor all purchases and contribute your persona into the design and interior.

Do not give her money. If she insists on you giving her money without you being there then walk away from the whole thing.

Only a few more years of school for you. You've made it this far. Do not lose focus.

Do not give her money.

[jay-uk]

RY12

It's easy to get paranoid about thai/falang relationships and all you hear & read on the subject and money issues. kdc1899 has a good point in as much that you should be around to monitor things which is sound advice to get value for money and end up with the house built you thought you were going to get for the price quoted but as for giving your partner money to handle things in your absence well.........if you have an "iron clad" relationship built-up over time on good trust between you both then hey what the hel_l you should be ok. i'm certainly ok with my wife handling any sum of money whether i'm around or not BUT and its a BIG BUT many are not! Only you can be the judge of this and if you feel all is well trusting your wife with your life then you may be safe letting her loose with your wallett. Any thai lady you meet is no different from a strange european lady you've just met. if you rush into things with any lady from where ever and trust too soon most can end up burnt or ripped off. Its not the nationality its how green the relationship is that's the risk i feel. At the end of the day you sound like a smart enough chap so you should have no problems working this one out! I wish you all the best and hope you both get what you want from your new home in Ubon if the project goes ahead. One final point which is based on how I looked at my investment into a second home in Thailand. Do not invest more than you can afford to loose because this spend is in one direction and rarely comes back home. Selling up when things go wrong in Europe is relatively easy but to sell from Thailand to bring funds back if things don't turn out as planned is a whole different matter if thai relatives and in-laws are involved in ownership or just plain living in your house.

When in doubt RENT for long enough to eliminate any risks and have all your fears laid to rest before jumping in and taking a gamble with your savings. Take long enough to fall in love with the area where your new home is proposed to be built as you may not like it and can't up sticks and move after you've built the house.

Hope all goes well and let us know how you get on.

Jay

[RY12]

Thanks for all replies. I will be careful and be prepared for the worse when the time comes for contruction, assuming i ever graduate from this deathcamp of a university. I was happy to hear about inflation of home prices, is isaan's economy on a reliable rise?

[Gary A]

Thanks for all replies. I will be careful and be prepared for the worse when the time comes for contruction, assuming i ever graduate from this deathcamp of a university. I was happy to hear about inflation of home prices, is isaan's economy on a reliable rise?

Land prices in our area have gone up substantially, but that doesn't mean much if there are no buyers. I just posted in another thread that we bought a half rai that has been for sale a long time. The asking price was 90,000 and we bought it for 70,000.