Would Samui Still Be Favourite For Holiday House?

[roshan]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy beach land, and build a holiday home for myself and family.

I have heard Samui is becoming more commercialized and touristy every year. Is this spoiling the island? Is Koh Samui still the favourite place in Thailand for holidays and living for many people?

How does Samui compare to resorts such as Phuket? Or even less developed islands in the nearby area?

I would like a combination of activities and remoteness. ie night clubs are not high on the priority list, but proximity to resaurants, hotels, bars, golf courses would be ideal.

Where can anyone reccomend?

Any advice would be highly appreciated. Also, as I am looking to buy land, if anyone can reccomend reputable estate agents, or families with land for sale, this would help me so much.

Thanks,

Roshan

[WhiteSnake]

Hi Roshan,

Samui is still unspoiled in some parts, south and southwest of the island still not very populated.

Maybe I can drop you a few tips, because I bought quite recently a plot of land in Samui.

You have to decide yourself where you want to buy if beach side or hill side, this because beach side is sometimes 10 times more expensive than hill side. The type of land ownership is different as well. Beach side lands usually are leased and hill side you effectively own it if you have for instance a thai wife, if not is only doable through a limited company where you have to include thai partners, but they have a formula to keep you in control of everything. Regarding the house you can own it without any issues.

I try several estate agents before doing business. I choose "Ko samui properties" they have a web site www.kosamuiproperties.com they are quite professionals.

I had a few problems not with the estate agent, but guess .... with a lawer. I didn't have time to finish the deal so we had to leave a lawer to take care of the paperwork. First we have been ripped off with a fee we paid 30,000 bahts for him to take care of all the paperwork, secondly was very dificult to convince him to follow our directions(with many emails not being replied), in the end was difficult to get the remaining balance, it seems he forgot our bank details. In all these issues Ko Samui Properties gave us a big help to sort this out.

Anyway is completed, we have our papers and I would loose much more money if I had to remain in Thailand for more time.

My advice is, if you have time stay in the island until the deal is completed. Take enough time to view all the properties. There is a lot of property especulation. Pay special attention to infrastructure, water is a big problem in the island. ADSL only available at north. You have other option is UBC a satelite service but I'm not sure if download bandwith is good enough.

I face now a new phase in this process that is building a house. I learned with past experience and I know I can't trust in builders. I was planning to build a house next year but I'm thinking to postpone it because I need to be there at least for 6 months and I can't leave Europe for such a long period. I don't mind to pay if the outcome has the desired quality but the issue in Samui is you pay expensive and results don't seem to meet the expectations.

I contacted already a builder when I've been in Samui, it's really amazing, the same guy start asking me a price of 4 million bahts and we met in Bangkok later on and he put the price in 3 million for exactly the same kind of house. I just drop him. He could not show me any house built by him. Behind this thai sales man I realized there was a Swiss guy that never showed his face. Be aware of some foreigners as well.

Don't loose hope. I still think the island is a great place to live. We just have to be carefull and make things happen more slowly.

Hope this helps

WS

[Khun Larry]

TROLL

[medicinebox]

TROLL

Why have you jumped down his throat. It was a valid post. Care to explain?

I can recommend a really good British Estate agent on Samui, who can advise you on everything from buying to building. Check out his Samaran Gardens project near the golf course.

www.kohsamuiland.com

His name is Stuart Evans and he is a real decent fellow.

[snoophound]

Definitely stick around and have a good look.

Their are many Falang speculators making good money,but they deserve to for taking the risk and of course taking on building projects in Thailand,where the labour force is not very reliable

3m baht should buy you a nice place.

[limbos]

TROLL

Why have you jumped down his throat. It was a valid post. Care to explain?

I can recommend a really good British Estate agent on Samui, who can advise you on everything from buying to building. Check out his Samaran Gardens project near the golf course.

www.kohsamuiland.com

His name is Stuart Evans and he is a real decent fellow.

Hi,

That's exactly the person I would recommend as well.

Check his website out and check out his Samran project, very nice indeed, close to the golf course.

[pluto_manibo]

I used to live in Samui from 1994-98. I went to visit the island after having been away for seven years. It sure has changed! Hardly none of the people who lived there at the same time as me, have stayed on. Samui is magical but after a while, you find you can't stay there anymore. It is quite far away from Bangkok, and driving around the 56 km ring road becomes repetitive after a while. Although they have really cleaned it up, there nothing really Thai about it now...It looks like some beach resort in Spain...I remember we used to have to take the ferry across and then drive 100 km to Surat to get a mobile phone...now they have broadband..wow!

[Khun Larry]

??

[Khun Larry]

TROLL

Why have you jumped down his throat. It was a valid post. Care to explain?

Any update in your view?

[elfe]

I used to live in Samui from 1994-98. I went to visit the island after having been away for seven years. It sure has changed! Hardly none of the people who lived there at the same time as me, have stayed on. Samui is magical but after a while, you find you can't stay there anymore. It is quite far away from Bangkok, and driving around the 56 km ring road becomes repetitive after a while. Although they have really cleaned it up, there nothing really Thai about it now...It looks like some beach resort in Spain...I remember we used to have to take the ferry across and then drive 100 km to Surat to get a mobile phone...now they have broadband..wow!

[taxexile]

i have recently returned to bangkok after three months on samui where we have been going through the process of getting designs done for a house.

even with all the development going on there i feel it will be many many years before samui becomes anything like phuket which to me is a messy jumble of completely uncontrolled development, horrendous traffic and grasping locals.

phuket has nightlife,supermarkets,traffic, pollution and clubs in abundance.

and phuket town has great charm. but to me it has no advantages over bangkok.

there is a lot less to do on samui, and the ring road is a bore after the 10th circuit, but the island retains a lot of charm,the interior is almost untouched, there is still a lot of lush greenery and there are many places on the island where you can feel completely cut off from the rest of the world. some beautiful unspoilt beachland too.

that is a big attraction for many.its slow and lazy.....just like me!

there is no shortage of good eating places, thai and falang , and some of the most unlikely looking places serve up some real treats.

most people are friendly enough, but southern thais are not known for their smiles or warmness. we have had dealings with many island locals and all have been favourable, but lots of people have come to the island from mainland thailand and from abroad, all with the express purpose of making some quick money, and then scooting off. many come to settle here and do business too.

land prices are rocketing, its almost impossible to buy beachfront land in small plots now and hillside land is getting pricey too, but smaller plots with stunning views are still readily available and the prices are not yet ridiculous.

there is nightlife in the towns, but the variety is not great,there are the usual assortment of lookalike irish pubs,english pubs,sports bars ,girlie bars,italian restaurants,fusion restaurants,english breakfasts,american breakfasts,etc.etc.etc.

good falang food in the pubs of chaweng,lamai and bo-phut, good daytime food in nathon.maenam has good restaurants on the main road too.

no shortage of out of the way thai roadside restaurants that never fail to please.

there are a few gyms,one new golf course,a "canopy jungle adventure", a monkey show, a snake show,a butterfly farm and ..errrrrr thats it. you make your own entertainment on samui. and in my opinion the place is better for it.

but if you have a good family, or you make good friends then you are more than 90% entertained anyway.

if you want a big choice of nightlife then phuket is a better choice, if you want a place with a proper island feel then samui should be your choice. but along with the island feel goes an island mentality that can be frustrating to deal with sometimes. it is also one big village, you soon begin to recognise faces and soon everyone will know your business if you are loose tongued.

if you are looking for sophisticated living with instant solutions to everyday problems then stay away, if you can live with the slower pace of island life and the frustrations of not always getting things done to your 100% satisfaction then come to samui, there is not too much to stress you out here if you dont make too many demands and dont have unrealistic expectations.

samui is attracting lots of euro expats these days, many seem to have come to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by the land and building boom going on there, and you have to take care who you do business with, there is something of a frontier town atmosphere there in the business world.

companies open up and close down every day and they all talk the talk.

lots of people have stories and warnings.

you have to be careful who you deal with whether they are thai or falang, plenty of rogues around, plenty of good people too. do your homework and take your time before laying out big money.

we will be back there soon to build and we hope that we have done our homework properly. every big decision in life is a gamble, its part of the adventure, i cant wait to get back there, i really began to feel at home there.

if you want to buy land there then your best bet is to go there for a month or two and explore. there are new land agent offices opening every week and every local knows of someone selling land, but do your homework carefully with regard to land access rights,right of way,and title. some people are selling land that you cant build on, you can only use it for agricultural use.

there are hidden costs at every stage, but find a nice plot and a good builder and you wont regret it. lots houses for sale too, you will pay more but you wont have to go through the ups and downs of looking for land and builders and architects.

good luck.

[ArtfulD]

Ive been pondering Samui over Phuket also, while I do indeed want perhaps more facilities/infrastructure than what Samui currently provides (from my understanding after lots of post reading) the thought that Phuket has gone overboard with development is a concern, indeed I fully expect Samui to go the same way eventually, but at least it will take a few years yet.

What type of land purchases have people here done? Via Thai wife, land lease, company? Id be looking to buy a pre built home, via company route. Would be interested on any opinions/difficulties people have ran into.

[Samuibound]

Hi WS,

I am in the process of buying beachland in northeast Samui. Do you have idea what the price per rai should be nowadays? Also, may I ask who you are using for yourhouse designs and construction?

Many thanks in advance!

Hi Roshan,

Samui is still unspoiled in some parts, south and southwest of the island still not very populated. 

Maybe I can drop you a few tips, because I bought quite recently a plot of land in Samui.

You have to decide yourself where you want to buy if beach side or hill side, this because beach side is sometimes 10 times more expensive than hill side. The type of land ownership is different as well. Beach side lands usually are leased and hill side you effectively own it if you have for instance a thai wife, if not is only doable through a limited company where you have to include thai partners, but they have a formula to keep you in control of everything.  Regarding the house you can own it without any issues.

I try several estate agents before doing business. I choose "Ko samui properties" they have a web site www.kosamuiproperties.com they are quite professionals. 

I had a few problems not with the estate agent, but guess .... with a lawer. I didn't have time to finish the deal so we had to leave a lawer to take care of the paperwork. First we have been ripped off with a fee we paid 30,000 bahts for him to take care of all the paperwork, secondly was very dificult to convince him to follow our directions(with many emails not being replied), in the end was difficult to get the remaining balance, it seems he forgot our bank details. In all these issues Ko Samui Properties gave us a big help to sort this out.

Anyway is completed, we have our papers and I would loose much more money if I had to remain in Thailand for more time.

My advice is, if you have time stay in the island until the deal is completed. Take enough time to view all the properties. There is a lot of property especulation. Pay special attention to infrastructure, water is a big problem in the island. ADSL only available at north. You have other option is UBC a satelite service but I'm not sure if download bandwith is good enough.

I face now a new phase in this process that is building a house. I learned with past experience and I know I can't trust in builders. I was planning to build a house next year but I'm thinking to postpone it because I need to be there at least for 6 months and I can't leave Europe for such a long period. I don't mind to pay if the outcome has the desired quality but the issue in Samui is you pay expensive and results don't seem to meet the expectations.

I contacted already a builder when I've been in Samui, it's really amazing, the same guy start asking me a price of 4 million bahts and we met in Bangkok later on and he put the price in 3 million for exactly the same kind of house. I just drop him. He could not show me any house built by him. Behind this thai sales man I realized there was a Swiss guy that never showed his face. Be aware of some foreigners as well.

Don't loose hope. I still think the island is a great place to live. We just have to be carefull and make things happen more slowly.

Hope this helps

WS

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Khun Jean]

Can you be more specific, prices are over a broad range,

I think you mean beachfront land, as beachland is public.