Can A Foreigner Own The House 100%, If Thai Wife Owns The Land 100%

[gdhm]

Hi,

I am hopefully completing my Spanish House sale late November and both my Thai wife and myself wish to buy a house (not condo) in the coming months.

I am hoping there are expert or knowledgeable members that know:

1) How do I satisfy Thai authorities that the LAND purchase is my wife's ALONE and that if it is sold the proceeds are 100% hers as required by Thai law.

My wife has NO money so I wish to gift the money (without conditions or rights over money or the land to her) with NO claims on it now or in the future) so she can buy land (or the LAND part of a "land & house on it" purchase. What do I/she need to sign declare to satisfy Thai authorities the land will be hers ALONE.

2) If we buy a pre built house is there any legal reason why we cannot ask the builder to split the sale into 1) LAND in my Thai wife's name and 2) House I buy in my name. I believe it is ONLY land that a Foreigner cannot own but I can buy and own the house or property on it

3) What would I need to protect my interest in the HOUSE (not Land it is on) value. My intention is that if we decide to sell (as friends or NOT) that my wife would get her 100% value of the LAND sale and I would get 100% value of the house.

AND

that neither of us could cause the value of eaches interest to devalue artificially below market values at the time.

Examples AVOID

i) my wife selling land and I have no right to be there so my house is worthless.

ii) I won't budge or am difficult so my wife cannot sell her LAND for market value of the land.

4) Is it legal to draw up a contract that if we divorced that one or the other could insist on the land and property being put on the market for the MARKET VALUE (but both with 1st option to buy out the other (I understand I would need a Thai to buy the land as I could not - I am thinking more for my wife's interests here than me )

4) Is a Usufruct on the the Land OR the house or on both.

5) What are the Benefits and Negatives of a

i) Usufruct

ii) Lease

iii) Pros and Cons of Lease & Usufruct when compared directly with each other.

6) If My wife and I buy land in my wifes name (she has 100% right to land and proceeds money gifted without conditions).

Can I THEN build a house on it in my name with my wife's (as land owner) permission?

If I can, is it allowed to have a legal (Thai law) contract drawn between us stating my wife or me cannot cannot throw the other off the land or out of house. If that is desired then she/I must pay the Market value of the House ALONE or that either one of us can insist the land and property go on the Market together at the same time, subject for genuine market value (OR both parties agreement on price - subject to Thai wife must retain full value of Land sold and its genuine value.)

7) Why do foreigners need a Tor Tor 3 (TT3) if they wish to buy a house or condo? Why can't they buy without it?

I hope I have asked clearly and suitable and that members can give me valuable information.

I do NOT distrust my wife at all BUT it makes sense that if a future parting occurred then we BOTH are OK and BOTH get something (as permissible under Thai Law).

I know my wife MUST get Land value so I am trying to get HOUSE value in such a scenario. In UK this would be easy as we would buy house and land together in joint names and have a legally binding percentage owned by each (usually 50%/50%). This is regretfully not perm titted in Thai law for Foreigner/Thai marriage.

I am also mindful that if Thailand changes its Visa laws in the future forcing me out and my wife felt unable to leave Thailand (I have a Thai stepson only 4yrs) that I could force a house sale to third parties (or her or others nominated by her to buy me out as a FIRST option) REASON BEING: I would need "MY share" namely the HOUSE value to go set myself up and live there. EQUALLY my wife would need her share (LAND value) to be be able to live in Thailand.

Many thank for you time.

I hope some members can advise my Wife and I, in clear unambiguous terms what I can and cannot do under Thai Law.

(I ALREADY know I can have have NO interest in LAND or its sale or proceeds for its sale)

Kind Regards

Dave

[MrSquigle]

in part, yes she can own the land 100% and you the house 100%, we have done this currently.

One thing to consider to do now, so it is not a problem in the future if ever needed and it probably won't, but you cannot turn the clock back, is to put the rough amount of cash into an account for her now in the country you are in. Then transfer it accross when you want to buy the land, this way she can say it was her funds that bought the land.

Only do this if the trust is there of course, but it could simplify things in the future if any enquiry ever made where the land cash came from.

[bcross2001]

Hi,

I am hopefully completing my Spanish House sale late November and both my Thai wife and myself wish to buy a house (not condo) in the coming months.

I am hoping there are expert or knowledgeable members that know:

1) How do I satisfy Thai authorities that the LAND purchase is my wife's ALONE and that if it is sold the proceeds are 100% hers as required by Thai law.

My wife has NO money so I wish to gift the money (without conditions or rights over money or the land to her) with NO claims on it now or in the future) so she can buy land (or the LAND part of a "land & house on it" purchase. What do I/she need to sign declare to satisfy Thai authorities the land will be hers ALONE.

2) If we buy a pre built house is there any legal reason why we cannot ask the builder to split the sale into 1) LAND in my Thai wife's name and 2) House I buy in my name. I believe it is ONLY land that a Foreigner cannot own but I can buy and own the house or property on it

3) What would I need to protect my interest in the HOUSE (not Land it is on) value. My intention is that if we decide to sell (as friends or NOT) that my wife would get her 100% value of the LAND sale and I would get 100% value of the house.

AND

that neither of us could cause the value of eaches interest to devalue artificially below market values at the time.

Examples AVOID

i) my wife selling land and I have no right to be there so my house is worthless.

ii) I won't budge or am difficult so my wife cannot sell her LAND for market value of the land.

4) Is it legal to draw up a contract that if we divorced that one or the other could insist on the land and property being put on the market for the MARKET VALUE (but both with 1st option to buy out the other (I understand I would need a Thai to buy the land as I could not - I am thinking more for my wife's interests here than me )

4) Is a Usufruct on the the Land OR the house or on both.

5) What are the Benefits and Negatives of a

i) Usufruct

ii) Lease

iii) Pros and Cons of Lease & Usufruct when compared directly with each other.

6) If My wife and I buy land in my wifes name (she has 100% right to land and proceeds money gifted without conditions).

Can I THEN build a house on it in my name with my wife's (as land owner) permission?

If I can, is it allowed to have a legal (Thai law) contract drawn between us stating my wife or me cannot cannot throw the other off the land or out of house. If that is desired then she/I must pay the Market value of the House ALONE or that either one of us can insist the land and property go on the Market together at the same time, subject for genuine market value (OR both parties agreement on price - subject to Thai wife must retain full value of Land sold and its genuine value.)

7) Why do foreigners need a Tor Tor 3 (TT3) if they wish to buy a house or condo? Why can't they buy without it?

I hope I have asked clearly and suitable and that members can give me valuable information.

I do NOT distrust my wife at all BUT it makes sense that if a future parting occurred then we BOTH are OK and BOTH get something (as permissible under Thai Law).

I know my wife MUST get Land value so I am trying to get HOUSE value in such a scenario. In UK this would be easy as we would buy house and land together in joint names and have a legally binding percentage owned by each (usually 50%/50%). This is regretfully not perm titted in Thai law for Foreigner/Thai marriage.

I am also mindful that if Thailand changes its Visa laws in the future forcing me out and my wife felt unable to leave Thailand (I have a Thai stepson only 4yrs) that I could force a house sale to third parties (or her or others nominated by her to buy me out as a FIRST option) REASON BEING: I would need "MY share" namely the HOUSE value to go set myself up and live there. EQUALLY my wife would need her share (LAND value) to be be able to live in Thailand.

Many thank for you time.

I hope some members can advise my Wife and I, in clear unambiguous terms what I can and cannot do under Thai Law.

(I ALREADY know I can have have NO interest in LAND or its sale or proceeds for its sale)

Kind Regards

Dave

Hello Dave

We have a home just north of Suratthani that is in the final stages of construction - three bedroom - two bath - western style kitchen (cabinets - oven dish washer stove etc) large master bedroom marble floors - red wood flooring in living room.

There is five Rai of land with 65 meters on the beach - private road and private bridge leading to the property.

If you are interested in more details and pictures please let us know your budget - if you are interested.

We have to return to China as my wifes mother is very ill and given her business interests the time frame we do not believe we will be able to return to Thailand - so we have decided to sell.

Barry

[gdhm]

in part, yes she can own the land 100% and you the house 100%, we have done this currently.

One thing to consider to do now, so it is not a problem in the future if ever needed and it probably won't, but you cannot turn the clock back, is to put the rough amount of cash into an account for her now in the country you are in. Then transfer it across when you want to buy the land, this way she can say it was her funds that bought the land.

Only do this if the trust is there of course, but it could simplify things in the future if any enquiry ever made where the land cash came from.

Well that was amazingly quick

Many thanks Mr.Squigle. This is reassuring. HOWEVER I currently live with my wife in Thailand and have done so for 18 months. The sale proceeds from my Spanish house will be transferred into my UK bank account.

Are you suggesting I should transfer any LAND purchase monies into my wife's account first and NOT into MY Thailand bank account for later transfer to my wife.

This is NO problem as far as trust of my wife and there is no risk as she is an honourable Lady anyway. BUT I am NOT sure about the 30% reserve withholding BOT requirements. If I transfer monies to my wife's name I would have to do so when I knew the land price and shortly before purchase as I believe I would have to declare it was for LAND purchase purposes to avoid the 30% withholding.

This in itself would prove the monies (although now 100% my wife's with no conditions) did come immediately before purchase from me and not her funds. Would this be a problem do you think?

Am I correct in understanding that my gifting the land money to my wife without conditions or claims now or in the future and PUTTING that in writing (witnessed by a Lawyer or whoever) would not be deemed as sufficient or acceptable to meet Thai Land law requirements.

Finally, (and you of course do not have to tell me MrSquigle) may I ask what (if anything) you did legally to protect your house interest. Did you make a Usufruct, lease or legal agreement to protect you from a "this is your house but its on my land so get off my land" scenario or, "I have sold my land to another" or did you decide that was not necessary between your wife and you ( which to be honest I do not feel is a risk to myself knowing my wife as I do).

Kind Regards,

Dave

[gdhm]

Hello Dave

We have a home just north of Suratthani that is in the final stages of construction - three bedroom - two bath - western style kitchen (cabinets - oven dish washer stove etc) large master bedroom marble floors - red wood flooring in living room.

There is five Rai of land with 65 meters on the beach - private road and private bridge leading to the property.

If you are interested in more details and pictures please let us know your budget - if you are interested.

We have to return to China as my wifes mother is very ill and given her business interests the time frame we do not believe we will be able to return to Thailand - so we have decided to sell.

Barry

Hi Barry,

Sorry to here about your wife's mother. I hope she makes a full and quick recovery . Its sad your wife and your plans have been turned upside down. I do hope the future turns out well for you all.

I regret that my wife is keen to buy property where she has lived nearly all her life in Khon Kaen. Personally I'd love to live near the sea (as I did in Spain for 3 years on the South Costa Blanca). Family and seeing them regularly are important to my wife and she is very happy living in Khon Kaen.

I hope another interested party sees your message very soon and contacts you as your house sounds very interesting and nice. Thank you very much for considering me Barry

Kindest Regards

Dave

[Irene]

Below is another thread that should be of interest to you:-

Posted by: crewcut 2007-11-04 09:47:58

Last week I went to the land office and enquired about the possability of having a usufruct contract made between me and my wife with regards to a property we have recdently built. At first the gentleman we spoke with was unsure of how to help us, my wife then mentioned the Thai name for this process; sit-ti-gep-gin.

We made the relevant photo copies (pasport, ID, marriage, tabien ban and letter of permission to build a house on the land). The contract used was a standard document which allows me to stay in the house rent free until I die. It turns out that I was the first foriegner to ask for this to be done at their office and because of this they had to check the manuals of how to put this together and the paper work needed.

Now whether this standard contract is as full proof as one a lawyer may have drafted I don't know, but after researching this matter and thinking of my own requirements I decided following this process was the best option for me.

My wife and I have been married for 10 years and I have no reason to belive that she would ever be unfair with me if we were to split. All I wanted was something legal and official done with her approval so she would understand/think that I have rights on the property also. Knowing her, if we did split she would never question this document let alone hire a lawyer to do it for her.

You may ask why did you bother going through this process if you trust her and have no reason to doubt her future fairness?

Well the whole process at the land office took just over an hour to sort and cost me 75 baht.

I had quotes from several lawyers ranging from around 10,000 for a contract drawn up and telephone support to 70,000 for a lawyer to come with me and do the process for me. Like I said before I'm sure these contracts may have had more clauses etc, but in my situation the do-it yourself-option was the best solution.

I would encourage others who are thinking about getting an usufruct to inquire about this same process and save a few baht. If you do want other clauses added have them prepared ahead of time and expect the process to take a bit longer.

CC.

Posted by: Khun Bob 2007-11-04 10:04:40

Interesting Post !

What area was the land office you registered your usufruct at ?

TIA

[stevemiddie]

Hi,

Hello Dave

We have a home just north of Suratthani that is in the final stages of construction - three bedroom - two bath - western style kitchen (cabinets - oven dish washer stove etc) large master bedroom marble floors - red wood flooring in living room.

There is five Rai of land with 65 meters on the beach - private road and private bridge leading to the property.

If you are interested in more details and pictures please let us know your budget - if you are interested.

We have to return to China as my wifes mother is very ill and given her business interests the time frame we do not believe we will be able to return to Thailand - so we have decided to sell.

Barry

Hi Barry.

A post on the Commercial section might be more appropiate? This is a thread about ownership...............not sales.

Edited November 4, 2007 by stevemiddie

[gdhm]

Thanks Irene.

Yes it was an interesting and helpful post on Usufructs

Regards, Dave

[Khun Jean]

know my wife MUST get Land value so I am trying to get HOUSE value in such a scenario. In UK this would be easy as we would buy house and land together in joint names and have a legally binding percentage owned by each (usually 50%/50%). This is regretfully not perm titted in Thai law for Foreigner/Thai marriage.

This would be difficult unless you have a prenupt.

In practice your wife has 100% of the land value and 50% of the house value leaving you only the 50% part of the 'value' of the house.

For the house to have ANY value at all it should be in a very good area with not too much building going on.

Otherwise it would be a big challenge to sell it for a reasonable price.

You did not specify where the house would be located. If it is in your wifes village you probably would not be able to sell it at all or only at a very very low price.

If it is in a good area you still need your wife to cooperate as the new owner of the house would like to have the security to be able to live in it by getting a lease or usufruct for the land. If the buyer is a foreigner this can be a large obstacle.

In practice, expect to recover somewhere between 0 and 25%* of the total amount spend by you.

* This percentage based on an equal amount of money spend for the land and the house. Example. 1 MB for the land and 1 MB for the house. You would be able to recover about 500.000 baht (50% of the house value) if all goes well and if the house can be sold for 1 MB in this example.

[CarlBkk]

A little bit worrying to only get back 25% of the total land/house value if things go wrong.

If husband and wife plan on buying a house with money coming from husband's family, what can be done to ensure a) joint ownership so one party cannot throw another out (I'm guessing a lease/usufruct) and a fair 50/50 split of house/land values if things do go wrong?

[Khun Jean]

Best option is to own property outside of Thailand and rent in Thailand.

No worries with that scenario.

btw, Your Avatar is hilarious, especially for an old Star Wars fan.

Edited November 5, 2007 by Khun Jean

[CarlBkk]

Best option is to own property outside of Thailand and rent in Thailand.

No worries with that scenario.

btw, Your Avatar is hilarious, especially for an old Star Wars fan.

Thanks Jean, it's a behind the scenes clip. Rarely seen. ;-)

Edited November 5, 2007 by CarlBkk

[MrSquigle]

Well that was amazingly quick

Many thanks Mr.Squigle. This is reassuring. HOWEVER I currently live with my wife in Thailand and have done so for 18 months. The sale proceeds from my Spanish house will be transferred into my UK bank account.

Are you suggesting I should transfer any LAND purchase monies into my wife's account first and NOT into MY Thailand bank account for later transfer to my wife.

If it is not a problem, do it, if it is, then dont worry as not such a big deal I feel. I simply suggest this as a future problem solver as if the problem pops up in the future, you cannot obviously go back in time and do it.

Having said this, I did not do it, but wifey did earn cash back in home country and would be able to say it was her earnings if the need arised.

This is NO problem as far as trust of my wife and there is no risk as she is an honourable Lady anyway. BUT I am NOT sure about the 30% reserve withholding BOT requirements. If I transfer monies to my wife's name I would have to do so when I knew the land price and shortly before purchase as I believe I would have to declare it was for LAND purchase purposes to avoid the 30% withholding.

This in itself would prove the monies (although now 100% my wife's with no conditions) did come immediately before purchase from me and not her funds. Would this be a problem do you think?

Am I correct in understanding that my gifting the land money to my wife without conditions or claims now or in the future and PUTTING that in writing (witnessed by a Lawyer or whoever) would not be deemed as sufficient or acceptable to meet Thai Land law requirements.

If you are formerly married here in Los, the land department expects you to sign a document at the time of the purchase which states that you as the farang husband have no claim or ownership of the land in any way whatsoever and that funds for the land are your wifes or if given to her by you, that you are clear that you relinquish any claim of ownership in any way of the land.

This should satisfy your requirement to have it legalised that she is the sole owner of the land, seconded by this is that she will be the only one on the land title and basically whoevers name is on the title is by law the only owner. It can have any interested parties on it, for example a bank, or other loan type and any registered lease against it.

To satisfy your possible future concerns, should any shit hit the fan so to speak, you could arrange a loan to her for half of the house and have that registered against the title and also get a lease term which is suitable to you so that you can live in it as long as you want, dependant on where the house is located of course as you may not wish to live there if it is next door to mum inlaw.

Finally, (and you of course do not have to tell me MrSquigle) may I ask what (if anything) you did legally to protect your house interest. Did you make a Usufruct, lease or legal agreement to protect you from a "this is your house but its on my land so get off my land" scenario or, "I have sold my land to another" or did you decide that was not necessary between your wife and you ( which to be honest I do not feel is a risk to myself knowing my wife as I do).

I did not do anything re this, I feel the same way as you do re my missus and we recently sold it with no problems and looking for another plot.

Hope it helps.

Kind Regards,

Dave

[gdhm]

know my wife MUST get Land value so I am trying to get HOUSE value in such a scenario. In UK this would be easy as we would buy house and land together in joint names and have a legally binding percentage owned by each (usually 50%/50%). This is regretfully not perm titted in Thai law for Foreigner/Thai marriage.

This would be difficult unless you have a prenupt.

In practice your wife has 100% of the land value and 50% of the house value leaving you only the 50% part of the 'value' of the house.

For the house to have ANY value at all it should be in a very good area with not too much building going on.

Otherwise it would be a big challenge to sell it for a reasonable price.

You did not specify where the house would be located. If it is in your wifes village you probably would not be able to sell it at all or only at a very very low price.

If it is in a good area you still need your wife to cooperate as the new owner of the house would like to have the security to be able to live in it by getting a lease or usufruct for the land. If the buyer is a foreigner this can be a large obstacle.

In practice, expect to recover somewhere between 0 and 25%* of the total amount spend by you.

* This percentage based on an equal amount of money spend for the land and the house. Example. 1 MB for the land and 1 MB for the house. You would be able to recover about 500.000 baht (50% of the house value) if all goes well and if the house can be sold for 1 MB in this example.

Hi Yes I DO have a pre nuptial. Essentially it says I have 100% rights and ownership of all possessions I own house in Spain, contents, car and the cash proceed from selling any of them.

My Lawyer said I can always take a more lenient view by choice but this protects me from abuse. I appreciate gifts (e.g. money to buy land) override the prenuptial.

Must be honest how Thai Thai favours the Thai to the extent that one (not in my case) could marry a gold digging fiend and find themselves without a baht or that the law supports the Thai getting 75% and me 25% (just for starters).

House will be in Khon Kaen City (possibly on the nice Piman group sites (popular with Foreigners) or similar. House and land about 2.5 to 3 million Baht. According to the builders the land part is worth 800,000baht of the price to 1 million. This leaves the house value at 1.5 to 2 million baht.

Of course if my wife bought a suitable plot of land the cost and value would be less as the various builders seem to turn a very nice profit for themselves on the land part of their sales and the house could consequently be bigger OR both cheaper.

Thank for you other comments as well

Kind regards, Dave

[gdhm]

Thank you MrSquigle for all the input Very Very helpful and I am delighted that you have a relationship as I do with my wife and that trying to batten down ALL the legal hatches is and was not necessary.

Live next door to mum-in-law. NO WAY.

I made a big mistake with an ex Bolivian girlfriend fiancée (when I was in Spain) permitting her mum to visit and stay with us (she did not return home). Destroyed the intended marriage (papers filed but take up to 3 months in Spain).

To be fair to her mum it was not so much her mum's fault but my fiancées big change in priorities for her mum compared to me which were massive. Mum was all important and she stopped discussing things with me and did so with her mum ONLY. She then announced what they wanted me to do (verbally supported by her mum if I resisted). If, I said NO then my fiancée did a wobbly about not loving her and her mum. Bolivians (like many South Americans) have a similar attitude to Thais, concerning family. Namely, family is very important, children or those earning look after the parents and family less well off if necessary AND "love me, love my family"

I have an eye on fact houses are not easy to sell in Thailand and location where a Foreigner or Thai (able to afford up to 3 million Baht) would like or wish to live is important

What you say about the declaration wording I would need to sign when land is bought by my wife seems to me to be all covering and that where the money came from would not be important as that wording would be ideal to ensure the Thai Law on land is 100% protected.

Very best wishes and thanks again for your advice and experience

Dave

[MrSquigle]

No problem...by the way, what was the deal breaker with the Bolivian when telling you things to do....was it the french maids outfit they wanted you to wear ??

Good thinking to buy in an area and price range which would be attractive for a quicker future sale....but then again, farnag market being much smaller than the thai one, half dozen one or the other really.

Buy at the right price, or buy and build at the right price and you should not lose when comes round to selling for whatever reason.

[gdhm]

No problem...by the way, what was the deal breaker with the Bolivian when telling you things to do....was it the french maids outfit they wanted you to wear ??

french maids outfit????

Now THAT would be a sight. A 148 kilo man in a french maids outfit. - the mind boggles.

well you asked MrSquigle. Actually, we argued increasingly about her mum not looking for work and other mum/Bolivian family issues. The BIG "future changing" row close to the end was:

Fiancée: my father (divorced from mum for 15 year due to his womanizing) is planning to come to Spain because he is worried about my mum's very poor back (true she had major back problem needing surgery at some time) . What do you think Dave?

Me: I don't think anything I don't know him. What do you and your mum think because you both hate him for what he did to her?

Fiancée: Oh she is OK with it. She forgives him a little. I am happy if my mum is happy.

Me: Well that's good. Where is your dad going to get work (as an illegal) and where will he live?

Fiancée: My mum's new employer says her husband can give him a job in his building company and my dad will stay with us:

Me: What!!! . Are you joking we do not have room and I do not want anybody else here. We already, have your baby (not mine), your mum and us in the 3 bedrooms.

Fiancée: He will sleep with mum. My mum AND my dad have discussed this and are OK with it.

Me: So, when did you, your mum and dad all discuss and agree this without mentioning or asking me first. This is my house and I do have some say in it?

Fiancée: Well I am telling you now. What is the problem???? it does not affect you. He will be in mums bedroom.

Me: I am sorry but NO he cannot stay here. We do not have the room, the money and your mum and your dad are divorced. We also agreed months ago that no other members of your family (after your mum) would come across from Bolivia and expect to move in with us.

Fiancée: You do not want my mum to be happy. You hate my mum. You don't care about my mum. You hate me. I think my mum and I move out with baby and live with my dad when he comes over.

Me: Thank you, now I know just where your loyalties, priorities and love really lie.

Fiancée: I am sorry but Blood ALWAYS comes first. I love you but I love my family and my blood family always comes first. If you not accept this I leave with my family.

Well MrSquigle, I think you can guess the slippery slope after that, leading to the end of our relationship and wedding plans shortly afterwards.

From one point of view: it is such a shame I did not listen to my friends who cautioned about never allowing the mum to come over and stay because we were both in love, happy and never argued until we decided to allow.

From the other point of view: having later married an Internet found (well she found me) Thai wife from hel_l and divorcing only 3 months later I married another Thai Lady (who I now expect will remain my lifelong soul mate) and I do not believe I could not ever be happier than I am now with her.

Regards,

Dave

Edited November 6, 2007 by gdhm

[gdhm]

...Good thinking to buy in an area and price range which would be attractive for a quicker future sale....but then again, farnag market being much smaller than the thai one, half dozen one or the other really...

Yes you have made a fair point. I have tried to allow for this and came up with two views.

1) Many Thais in Isaan would not be in the market for 2.5m+ baht houses I believe due to the general poverty of the area.

2) My wife informs me that Thais do not tend to move house anything like as often or as willingly as Westerners. That they often live for life in the family home or just one purchased home.

An additional reason for this I am told is that Thais are very superstitious about ghosts, bad house spirits and spirits from those who may have died in a house during previous ownership.

All this info makes me feel catering for possible future Western buyers is probably on balance a wiser assumption. However, who knows? Any very negative Visa rule changes would destroy all my logic.

Kind Regards, Dave

[ThaiLawOnline]

Hi GDHM,

If you buy a house in Khon Kaen, we might be able to help you. Look at our website and send me an email.

We also have an agreement with Piman Group in Khon Kaen and they work as a real estate agency and developers for a division of Isaan Lawyers. We can maybe negotiate for you as they know us and help you to get everything you want, under legal limit of Thai law. We are talking about ownership, usufruct or lease, or other rights. Maybe even a small discount on the house!

Piman group has great staff speaking English and I believe they have 25 projects under development. They are very big but their office is difficult to find, unless you know KK very well. I was with them last Friday.

Best regards,

[gdhm]

Hi GDHM,

If you buy a house in Khon Kaen, we might be able to help you. Look at our website and send me an email.

We also have an agreement with Piman Group in Khon Kaen and they work as a real estate agency and developers for a division of Isaan Lawyers. We can maybe negotiate for you as they know us and help you to get everything you want, under legal limit of Thai law. We are talking about ownership, usufruct or lease, or other rights. Maybe even a small discount on the house!

Piman group has great staff speaking English and I believe they have 25 projects under development. They are very big but their office is difficult to find, unless you know KK very well. I was with them last Friday.

Best regards,

Many thanks.

Will be flying to Spain 24th Nov and back (all being well and house sold) 6th Dec.

I will then no doubt take my family on holiday, buy a car (at last) and then look into house buying.

Kind regards, Dave

[Samuian]

The Rental market is gigantic, rent and you are not tied to anything, worry free and can move anytime anywhere!

Too much can go wrong in LoS...!

"Love" doesn't last forever if material values are involved!