Looking For A House In Udon Thani

[johnjohnson]

I live in Chiang Mai now and am going to move to Udon in one to two months. I would like to rent a two bedroom house. Preferably with privacy.

I don't need it fully furnished. I just need a fridge and living room furniture only.

Can anyone give a suggestions on where and how to look. I go there often and will be there in a few weeks.

PM me if you have anything.

Thanks

[mijan24]

I live in Chiang Mai now and am going to move to Udon in one to two months. I would like to rent a two bedroom house. Preferably with privacy.

I don't need it fully furnished. I just need a fridge and living room furniture only.

Can anyone give a suggestions on where and how to look. I go there often and will be there in a few weeks.

PM me if you have anything.

Thanks

Check out FBI Real Estate they are located in Udon & always have a few houses for rent on their web site.

[yorkman]

I live in Chiang Mai now and am going to move to Udon in one to two months. I would like to rent a two bedroom house. Preferably with privacy.

I don't need it fully furnished. I just need a fridge and living room furniture only.

Can anyone give a suggestions on where and how to look. I go there often and will be there in a few weeks.

PM me if you have anything.

Thanks

Check out FBI Real Estate they are located in Udon & always have a few houses for rent on their web site.

Well I would not check out FBI Real Estate, if you live in Udon that is, Farang run and on the make. Ridiculous prices on the website

If you can get over from Chaingmai in advance, look just outside the Ring Road. There are plenty of small places. I rented a 3 bed 2 bath before I finished building our house for 3500B a month. Not fantastic, but clean, lots of local ameneties. A friend has the same square metre (about 150 or so) with 2 beds and much better finished, same price.

John

[Tafia]

Interesting ......Would you buy from FBI?

[yorkman]

Interesting ......Would you buy from FBI?

Not really..... you could buy some of their secondhand properties (although the TW would object, because its not new/has ghosts etc etc ) at about double what a Thai would pay.

Apart from that, No. Why do you ask?

John

[Tafia]

Interesting ......Would you buy from FBI?

Not really..... you could buy some of their secondhand properties (although the TW would object, because its not new/has ghosts etc etc ) at about double what a Thai would pay.

Apart from that, No. Why do you ask?

John

Been looking at their site, some nice properties but Im unsure about 'good value' etc.

GF quite happy with my decision (well for now anyway)

Edited December 7, 2007 by Tafia

[marshbags]

Interesting ......Would you buy from FBI?

Not really..... you could buy some of their secondhand properties (although the TW would object, because its not new/has ghosts etc etc ) at about double what a Thai would pay.

Apart from that, No. Why do you ask?

John

Been looking at their site, some nice properties but Im unsure about 'good value' etc.

GF quite happy with my decision (well for now anyway)

If you are going to buy then look for a plot of land and build your own.

Come over, rent a room and if you have / or rent a car, pick up or m.bike. and ride about.

Then you can look around for signs on the gates ect. that indicate they want to rent, ( usually provide a contact No. ) even if it,s for sale they may be open to renting as properties tend to move pretty slowwwwwwwwwwwwww in this area.

Don,t forget to check for a newly painted exterior, especially at lower level or possible signs of water / flood stains and the lay of the land ect of course.

Don,t use FBI or any other agents, do it yourself and get the wife to bell them on initial enquiries re cost, rent ect.

marshbags

Edited December 9, 2007 by marshbags

[FBI]

I am the manager and the owner of FBI Udon Real Estate and I must say that I am dumbfounded of the quality of the replies that John Johnson is receiving.

It is right that you, like Yorkman and Marshbags are tell you, can drive around and look for signs on the gate and it may also be true that you can get a cheaper deal, than if you were renting a property through FBI, but …

You will need to find the property yourself, and pay for the transport.

You can also be 99% sure that you will not receive a lease contract in English, you will therefore not know what you are responsible for.

What about the deposit, will this be returned when you move out again ? … many times it is not.

If the roof is leaking in the middle of the night or a toilet, an air-con etc. is not working, do you think that the owner will fix it straight away ? … and do you think that he will pay for it ???

You will have none of those problems, if you were renting a property through FBI or through some of the other real estate agencies.

FBI have approx. 45 properties rented out right now, some of the tenants have been renting their property for 4 – 5 years … ask yourself, why haven’t those people moved to next door house and saved half their rent ???

But Yorkman is right, I am a farang and I am here for business, is this bad ?

I believe that the owner of the room Marshbags suggest you to rent, would like to make some profit too and I guess that Marshbags idea about renting a car can not be done without paying a little profit to the car rental shop, either.

We have people coming to our office every week, they have all taken Marshbags or somebody else similar advise about not using “FBI or any other agents”

And all I can say is, that taken Marshbags advise is probably the most rapidly way of loosing your investment.

Good luck

Preben Pretzmann

Manager FBI Udon Real Estate

//url removed//

[marshbags]

I am the manager and the owner of FBI Udon Real Estate and I must say that I am dumbfounded of the quality of the replies that John Johnson is receiving.

It is right that you, like Yorkman and Marshbags are tell you, can drive around and look for signs on the gate and it may also be true that you can get a cheaper deal, than if you were renting a property through FBI, but …

You will need to find the property yourself, and pay for the transport.

You can also be 99% sure that you will not receive a lease contract in English, you will therefore not know what you are responsible for.

What about the deposit, will this be returned when you move out again ? … many times it is not.

If the roof is leaking in the middle of the night or a toilet, an air-con etc. is not working, do you think that the owner will fix it straight away ? … and do you think that he will pay for it ???

You will have none of those problems, if you were renting a property through FBI or through some of the other real estate agencies.

FBI have approx. 45 properties rented out right now, some of the tenants have been renting their property for 4 – 5 years … ask yourself, why haven’t those people moved to next door house and saved half their rent ???

But Yorkman is right, I am a farang and I am here for business, is this bad ?

I believe that the owner of the room Marshbags suggest you to rent, would like to make some profit too and I guess that Marshbags idea about renting a car can not be done without paying a little profit to the car rental shop, either.

We have people coming to our office every week, they have all taken Marshbags or somebody else similar advise about not using “FBI or any other agents”

And all I can say is, that taken Marshbags advise is probably the most rapidly way of loosing your investment.

Good luck

Preben Pretzmann

Manager FBI Udon Real Estate

//url removed//

From a non profit making point of view and based on 9 years of living in Udon i offer my view on how i went / go about looking for a property and have passed it on to several new comers to the area who asked for my advice.

Not one regrets utilising my take on the situation and are happy.

I repeat i do not have any monetary interest in how i see things.

I will not even go into any details of any negative feed back as i am not out to stop you doing business but i can assure you i have lived in my present accom. for 3 years, have rented since coming here and have not had any unfortunate rent loosing situations.

Any problems have been rectified within a reasonable time and the owner has paid for them.

Mostly storm and flood damage that i think you will agree happens sometimes, as for the A/c and other utilities most repairs / problems are minor and in my case i,ve paid myself as the costs and labour from a local tradesman i know are very cheap and reasonable.

I do not use the A/C by choice and a comfort / health level by the way.

Apart from the first month when i stayed in a local hotel in town that is while i found my way about ect. re coming here.

While staying there i did exactly what i have posted and for the reasons why.

There are plenty of properties available and one can always get any agreement checked over by a lawyer and indeed this would go for any document you may avail to your clients.

It wouldn,t cost him mega bucks to do this.

There are now more importantly, plenty of rooms in two new complexes that offer fair prices that do not cost to much and they are begging for custom and are more than willing to do a deal on a month to month basis.

A third is nearly finished and will be available soon as well.

No deposit is required apart from perhaps the costs to cover your period of rent ( 1 month )

Indeed he can choose to spend x amount of nights to ascertain if it is suitable and if not, move on.

Should the O.P. decide on viewing and they are within his budget then again that is an option open to him.

Again i would personally offer this advice as he can move on after x nights / a month if he,s not happy with the situation.

By all means let him compare your offers available along with viewing the accomodation and surroundings ect.

Language is not a barrier as most contracts can be translated for a couple of hundred baht, possible less.

The O.P. can and will make his own way to go about finding a property to rent, should he wish to do so.

You are entitled to offer your views and what services you have that may be of interest to the O.P. and he in turn will possibly visit your premises to view your portfolio, if he wishes to do a comparison and assess what,s on offer.

As for buying, my observations are again based on the local scenario that is not only applicable / advisable to Udon but anywhere in Thailand.

I will not rant on but will gladly respond on any of the points i have not taken on board. should it be asked for and is sensible.

You may not of course approve of my additional responses or be happy with my replies and thereby cause any further offence.

In general terms.................................. and from personal choice re building ect.

I would not buy a property without knowing the details of how it was built and any legal obligations that could arise on who actually owns it, along with the land it is built on.

On the other hand if you legally purchase a piece of land after checking that it is legit ect. along with any possible effects of nature, the enviroment and it,s surroundings you can build a house to your own standards and requirements while observing it being built on a day to day basis.

There are many local foreigners that have done such as i suggest and without the need to use a property agent.

I feel confident they would be more than happy to advise and assit the O.P. as and when he decides to do so, based on their personal and unbiased experiences.

Renting transport for a few days is not going to cost much either and IF the O.P. doesn,t have any then surely this is the sensible thing to do.

He can the view his options at his leisure and if he wishes pop in to your office to unofficially make enquiries on what you have to offer and gleen from it what he wishes.

As an added incentive there are internet facilities available in the new complexes, so he can search for local url,s to view in private, sites like yours if he chooses to do so.

I do not have a business bias in any of my observations on offer

marshbags

P.S.

Members coming to the Udon or thinking about settling in the area may appreciate being able to access your business via a sponsorship link on T.Visa and in turn you may benefit by doing the same....

That is if it available to do so of course as we already have local sponsors for both estate agents and coincidentally for translation facilities

Just a thought as you obviously wish to advertise your business indirectly via debate.

Edited December 11, 2007 by marshbags

[dereklev]

A link to FBI in Udon is available through a sponsor of this Forum, Isaan Properties.

Isaan Properties is a network of Real Estate Agents, Property Developers, Bulders and Architects throughout Isaan.

We so far have Agents in Udon, Nong Khai, Roi-Et, Ubon, Khon Kaen and Korat.

Click the link at the top of the page.

[yorkman]

I am the manager and the owner of FBI Udon Real Estate and I must say that I am dumbfounded of the quality of the replies that John Johnson is receiving. dumbfounded because offering unbiased advice seems to be dumb to you?

You will need to find the property yourself, and pay for the transport. Transport is 100B per day, maximum, you will save that in the first month as against inflated prices

You can also be 99% sure that you will not receive a lease contract in English, you will therefore not know what you are responsible for. You assume, and that is your entire basis for business I assume, that the potential lessor does not speak Thai, or their significant other does not, or they are too stupid to not get a translation

What about the deposit, will this be returned when you move out again ? … many times it is not. Yes it was

You will have none of those problems, if you were renting a property through FBI or through some of the other real estate agencies. No you won't, there are thai real estate agencies too, but they will just see farang fool stamped their your forehead. Ohhh you dont mean the franchisees you advertised for that, ahem, send recommendations in Udon, surely?

FBI have approx. 45 properties rented out right now, some of the tenants have been renting their property for 4 – 5 years … ask yourself, why haven’t those people moved to next door house and saved half their rent ??? Because next door was occupied? Paying half the rent why are they going to move out?

But Yorkman is right, I am a farang and I am here for business, is this bad ? Absolutely not, as long as you honestly provide Thai prices, and are not into the double pricing

And all I can say is, that taken Marshbags advise is probably the most rapidly way of loosing your investment. What investment? It was a question about renting. Of course being unbiased renting = investment

Preben Pretzmann

Manager FBI Udon Real Estate

//url removed//

Post clipped for irrelevency where appropriate

Ahh Marshbags, just let it go,

I am sure the OP and future visitors to this thread can see between the lines If they cannot, well.....

The property wanted by the OP is available at about 2500 to 3000B monthly. A newish place, not fancy but well maintained.

I rented (before I built) a 3 bed 2 bathroom, a kitchen, and a huge lounge. 3500B a month. Quiet but amenities 5 minutes away. A great Thai landlord that did not bother us, and fixed the minor problems we had very quickly, usually the same day.

A PM to many of the residents will, I am sure, get you a less biased response than the above

[ray23]

You might want to check out First homes usually rentals available in the area. Just stop by the office they will know.

Good Luck

[ThaiLawOnline]

Isaan-Properties (click on the banner in this forum) works with FBI in Udon because we believe they offer a great service.

I met in person Mr. Pretzmann and he knows his business.

In Khon Kaen, Piman Group is the biggest builder and many foreigners are buying houses made by Piman. This is why we work with them.

In Nakhorn Ratchasima, it's quite difficult to find rentals and we are working to improve our listing.

Communication betweeen foreigners and Thai is a MAJOR problem in Thailand.

Having good contracts in Thai and English, having a good service after sale is important. Not essential.

Also, SOMETIMES, when they see a farang, the price is up... that's life.

I personnally rented many houses by myself, sometimes with problems (not giving back a deposit, water problem, etc) and sometimes without any problems. But to FIND a good one is difficult.

I made or read hundreds of purchase agreements for houses, land, condominiums... All of them were a little bit different, depending on the law firm, depending on the seller and the buyer, etc. All houses and owners are also different.

Isaan will attract more and more foreigners. It's a great place to live. Services for real estate, rentals, etc. is a NEED.

Everyone is absolutely free to use them or not, to compare prices and to shop around.

[ray23]

Wow poor guy all he was doing was looking for a rental and look where it went. Hope he doesn't think life here is unpleasant.

[yorkman]

Wow poor guy all he was doing was looking for a rental and look where it went. Hope he doesn't think life here is unpleasant.

So true Ray,

If you try to offer a little bit of friendly advice as to how to just find for yourself a place to stay, and avoid excessive pricing, then those with pecuniary self interest are on to it like a flash!

As said above, people can read down this thread, then judge for themselves what to do

[yorkman]

So, lets sum it up, highlights below

Isaan-Properties (click on the banner in this forum) works with FBI in Udon because we believe they offer a great service.

I met in person Mr. Pretzmann and he knows his business.

In Khon Kaen, Piman Group is the biggest builder and many foreigners are buying houses made by Piman. This is why we work with them.

In Nakhorn Ratchasima, it's quite difficult to find rentals and we are working to improve our listing. Your listing? You are an independent qualified lawyer surely? Far away from the rather downscale estate agents/ real estate people

Communication betweeen foreigners and Thai is a MAJOR problem in Thailand. Stop shouting in capitals, I can communicate, only my personal experience however

Having good contracts in Thai and English, having a good service after sale is important. Not essential.

Also, SOMETIMES, when they see a farang, the price is up... that's life. SOMETIMES, when a farang sees a farang the price is up

I personnally (sic) rented many houses by myself, sometimes with problems not so smart then (not giving back a deposit, water problem, etc) and sometimes without any problems. But to FIND a good one is difficult.

Isaan will attract more and more foreigners. It's a great place to live. Services for real estate, rentals, etc. is a NEED. In your opinion, but of course you do not have a monetary interest

Everyone is absolutely free to use them or not, to compare prices and to shop around.

The "dude" from "Nongkai" no doubt agrees with your view. Do you want me to link his posts from 2 years back as "Nongkaidude" selling at 13,000 rental in Nongkai ? Can do

In the meantime, can you post your qualifications as a Lawyer? Accreditted in Thailand? Work Permit? Put them up. I know you paid a bit to be a "sponsor" on here, but hey....... lawyers have not the best reputation in the world

Edited December 15, 2007 by yorkman

[marshbags]

Members have the right along with their freedom of choice to ask for the advice of T.Visa and it,s members.

In this case the property situation and seeking the advice of members who live within the Udon community.

It would appear that we are to be considered to be misleading the O.P. and certain posters, including myself, are trying to make out that we do not know what we are on about.

Me, i am not unbiased about the imput of others and wish only to offer my 10 bahts worth of what i consider useful advice, based on what i have observed over several years.

As other members have also of course.

I did not do it for gain and certainly did not state anything to mislead the O.P., indeed several posters have offered their take based on experience and reality within the area.

If those who disagree with these observations do so, as is your right, by all means post your views on the situation, but please do not try to use business orientated views as this gives the impression that you are looking after your own personal interests, only, and are not doing your own cause any help.

I,d like to think you are offering an opinion based on the best interests of the clients needs and welcome any imput that is honest and positive, while providing alternatives to choose from.

The manager of FBI no doubt is under the impression that we are all idiots and out to create problems and that after years of living in the community, we do not know what we are on about.

I also understand why he takes this stance due to his bias and dependency on renting / selling properties.

As we have one of T.Visa,s sponsors actively debating on his behalf, due to considerations that this entails and possibly upsetting the apple cart, i am refraining from posting my more in depth observations on several comments that were made as they could be considered in a derogratory nature.

These observations, based on feedback from several local expats, by the way, to compliment my own personal views.

FBI are not the sponsors posted on the top of the page and in my opinion are not entitled to this consideration, but i will non the less refrain from using his obvious tone and lack of being unable to grasp the understanding of what T.Visa members do on a continual basis.

Offer unbiased advice and help to fellow members based on our experiences and past mis... whatevers.

The O.P. i hope, does not regret the responses ( from all sides ), finds them helpful and makes his own decisions on what is offered and isn,t put off asking for further imput relating to any issues within Udonthani and the community.

It is not what our members are about, to mislead requests of assistance, nor to offer advice, contrary to the advantage of those seeking honest observations, otherwise they are soon found out and suffer the consequences.

T.Visa,s well earned reputation has continually spread among the expat community based on fair play and the will by it,s members to help everyone who require genuine assistance, and without any rewards other than the feel good factor of helping others.

Should i ask for advice, i would expect nothing less and while some would not be agreeable to others, i would be sensible enough to make decisions from all that is offered and act accordingly.

marshbags

[johnjohnson]

Wow I thought this thread was dead. I don't mind going through an agent the first year I live there. I've gone through them before and they do provide a service for people like me with no thai friends or thai speaking girlfriend in the area, and thats worth something.

Thanks for the replies

See you all in Udon

[klikster]

I am the manager and the owner of FBI Udon Real Estate and I must say that I am dumbfounded of the quality of the replies that John Johnson is receiving.

You will need to find the property yourself, and pay for the transport.

That's a major factor?

You can also be 99% sure that you will not receive a lease contract in English, you will therefore not know what you are responsible for.

Translations are cheap .. and I would prefer an independent one .. and the Thai version of a contract is the "legal" one.

What about the deposit, will this be returned when you move out again ? … many times it is not.

Are you carrying your own inventory of houses? If not, are you guaranteeing the return of deposits yourself?

If the roof is leaking in the middle of the night or a toilet, an air-con etc. is not working, do you think that the owner will fix it straight away ? … and do you think that he will pay for it ???

Same as above ... but ..

Will you go out in the middle of a rainy night and fix a roof leak.

You will have none of those problems, if you were renting a property through FBI or through some of the other real estate agencies.

Bull puckey!

But Yorkman is right, I am a farang and I am here for business, is this bad ?

Depends entirely on how ethically you do business.

And all I can say is, that taken Marshbags advise is probably the most rapidly way of loosing your investment.

I think the odds are that the renter might need to work a little harder, but would probably save 30-50% .. every month.

And just out of curiousity, do you think that font you used enhanced your post?

[kangeroo]

yes its the usual storie op ask a reasonable question every body has to cut each others throat to get the high ground .

[thaitot]

I must say I agree with marshbags when it comes to finding a rental or even a purchase.

I am not real informed on how commissions are distributed amongst realestate agents or if there is any kind of licensing procedure. But it apppears to be a cut throat business as far as commissions are concerned.

I am very familiar with western procedures ,I know I am in Thailand.

I have been in the market for 2 months to purchase a house not in Udon.

Unless you agree to their procedures you will not get any information from them.

Ask a question about a property for sale you get six back but no answers to your original question.

I have given up. I get on my motorbike I drive untill I see an area I like write down numbers then ask questions.

I am close to buying with no help from an agent that I would gladly pay if their services were rendered.

The atmosphere and the lack of selling contracts where the seller pays must not exist in thailand .

So realtors are afraid to let you go unescorted for fear you will try to cut a deal with the owner or manager or tuk tuk driver or anybody else. It seems everybody loses.

When all you are trying to do is find a place that suits your needs.

[Thedonald]

I must say I agree with marshbags when it comes to finding a rental or even a purchase.

I am not real informed on how commissions are distributed amongst realestate agents or if there is any kind of licensing procedure. But it apppears to be a cut throat business as far as commissions are concerned.

I am very familiar with western procedures ,I know I am in Thailand.

I have been in the market for 2 months to purchase a house not in Udon.

Unless you agree to their procedures you will not get any information from them.

Ask a question about a property for sale you get six back but no answers to your original question.

I have given up. I get on my motorbike I drive untill I see an area I like write down numbers then ask questions.

I am close to buying with no help from an agent that I would gladly pay if their services were rendered.

The atmosphere and the lack of selling contracts where the seller pays must not exist in thailand .

So realtors are afraid to let you go unescorted for fear you will try to cut a deal with the owner or manager or tuk tuk driver or anybody else. It seems everybody loses.

When all you are trying to do is find a place that suits your needs.

[Thedonald]

I live in Pattaya and want to go somewhere else, I was thinking Udon but after reading this I don't know. I rent and have never had a problem. I for one would never go through a real estate agent here. I will give you a for instance. At one time I was thinking of buying a condo here. Went to a real estate agent who told me about a nice condo that people had to go back to the UK quickly and needed to sell. Went there and a very nice condo it was. Talked to some friends and they said it sounded a little bit pricey and I put it off. Another friend looked at the same place six months later and same story had to go back to the UK quickly but the price had gone up from my quote. Go figure. Do I trust real estate agents? About as much as lawyers. Is Udon a good place to live?

[yorkman]

I live in Pattaya and want to go somewhere else, I was thinking Udon but after reading this I don't know. I rent and have never had a problem. I for one would never go through a real estate agent here. I will give you a for instance. At one time I was thinking of buying a condo here. Went to a real estate agent who told me about a nice condo that people had to go back to the UK quickly and needed to sell. Went there and a very nice condo it was. Talked to some friends and they said it sounded a little bit pricey and I put it off. Another friend looked at the same place six months later and same story had to go back to the UK quickly but the price had gone up from my quote. Go figure. Do I trust real estate agents? About as much as lawyers. Is Udon a good place to live?

Well it's quite bit different to what you are used to maybe

The flip reply would be why don't you go and take a look I suppose, although that is serious advice too.

Advantages. Easy connections to BKK if you need that, but at the same time you are 10 minutes away from what many think of as the real Thailand. It's clean and tidy compared with a lot of Thailand, although that is relative!! It's got just about every facility, in fact I can't think of what it has not got that I personally might want. Scenery is not far away, 40 minutes to the Mekong, 90 minutes to Loei and the mountains. Lots to do, ohh and its cheap compared with the south.

Disadvantages. Well it's not really a girly destination if thats what was wanted. It exists, but it's small scale and pretty tame. No beach (although there is what is jokingly referred to as Issan beach not far away!!). The climate can be a bit harsh at some times of the year. It's more of a family and kids place, if you see what I mean. Some may think this an advantage

Quite a few other places in Issan offer the same or similar advantages/disadvantages to be fair.

I have reasons to be in Udon (the missis and family, you know how it is ) but there is no reason not to look in the NW either, lovely country over there too.

Hope that helps. As I say it's 1 hour on a plane from BKK, take a look