Land And House Co Ltd

[j0hnga1t]

What is the reputation of this builder(www.lh.co.th)? I'm going to look at some of their projects in the Bangkok area in May during a visit.....I'm looking for a retirement home.

Thanks

[JeffCA]

They are the largest developer. Recent articles in the Bangkok Post have mentioned their designs being "behind the times" based on the Company's own research. They have a good reputation overall from everything I have read and heard. I'll leave it to someone who lives there to comment on overall quality of the product. I chose AP-Thai for my retirement condo.

What is the reputation of this builder(www.lh.co.th)? I'm going to look at some of their projects in the Bangkok area in May during a visit.....I'm looking for a retirement home.

Thanks

[DavidS]

I live in a housing development by L&H that is basically a gated community, with new phases still under development, and the village managed by them. So, not a condo, but the same company anyway.

Having been here for 1 year, I would say that the generally quality of work done has been good. Any minor problems have been promptly rectified.

This is not to say that there has been nothing wrong. If a contractor takes short cuts, then you will have problems. The supervising engineers cannot be everywhere all the time.

We had 2 problems here, the first when we discovered that the kitchen sink would not drain properly, when we connected a dishwasher to the system, and had a backflow. Turned out that the workers fitting the original piping allowed scraps of PVC pipe to get into the drainage system. Second was we had an overflowing septic tank after a few months. We had to get the district office sanitation people in to pump it out. Their workers said there was a blockage in the outflow. Turned out it was shoddy work. L&H rebuilt the outflow system.

So, yes there were issues. But the nice part was getting them fixed was completely hassle free and cost us nothing. We were even reimbursed for the cost of the sanitation team from the district office. The supervising engineers went to great lengths to ensure prompt and proper rectification of defects.

All said, I would have no hesitation whatsoever about buying into a development by this company. Hope this helps you, and good luck.

[Moonfruit]

^ Great post.

Im gonna sound like i have an interest in L&H but i really dont!

I work in a business related to real estate and L&H are one of the best there are.

If there are problems, they are fixed. You can tell the quality compared to others just by looking.

A world apart in my opinion. If i was in the market to buy a house, it would only be a L&H development.

[Irene]

To add to others, I have asked a few Thai couples on which development companies are the best and most reliable in their workmenship, LH has been mentioned most often. Most would also mention unsurpassable after-sale services. Not only that, as a stock investor, we view LH as a pioneer in uplifting gated community to a highest level and to buy that stock whenever the price drops unreasonably. They are in an enviable position in terms of goodwill.

[LaoPo]

To add to others, I have asked a few Thai couples on which development companies are the best and most reliable in their workmenship, LH has been mentioned most often. Most would also mention unsurpassable after-sale services. Not only that, as a stock investor, we view LH as a pioneer in uplifting gated community to a highest level and to buy that stock whenever the price drops unreasonably. They are in an enviable position in terms of goodwill.

Who's 'we' , if I may ask ?

Sounds like a good promo for LH, is it ?

Their website looks nice but is very, very slow and more Thai than Farang orientated but maybe it's me, from a distance.

LaoPo

[Who, me ?]

Land and House looks quite OK. Many friends are most happy. Quality contruction (by Thai standards), quality service, etc.....

DO NOT do anything with AP....I live in a one of their "village"

Never ever had so many "disappointments" (this is an understatement)

[Irene]

To add to others, I have asked a few Thai couples on which development companies are the best and most reliable in their workmenship, LH has been mentioned most often. Most would also mention unsurpassable after-sale services. Not only that, as a stock investor, we view LH as a pioneer in uplifting gated community to a highest level and to buy that stock whenever the price drops unreasonably. They are in an enviable position in terms of goodwill.

Who's 'we' , if I may ask ?

Sounds like a good promo for LH, is it ?

Their website looks nice but is very, very slow and more Thai than Farang orientated but maybe it's me, from a distance.

LaoPo

LaoPo,

"we" in my context means stock analysts among all the brokerage companies and my investor friends in general when we evaluate choices of investments. We also talk in that light about LH. I just sold my LH stocks and expect to buy when there is a dip. That is the only interest I have with LH. For my own wealth preservation, I love to hear a lot of bad things about LH, then I could strike out LH from my choice. I invest in our stock market under Warren Buffet's concept or morningstar's direction on companies with moat, that is to look for value in which competitors have difficulties to break in.

I consider LH is one of them at the moment because of their goodwill they have cornered in the property market for housing development. (For condos, it is Sansiri. I also love to hear any bad things about them because I deal with them a lot.)

In the 1997 financial crisis, LH was almost in a bankruptcy stage until Government Investment Company of Singapore came in to help and making huge profits from LH shares. So LH knows of the pain in not being able to sell.

[vegas]

I hear that for every house you buy, they move your belongings for free. Maybe they will move your stuff from OS as well?

[steveromagnino]

Land and House were voted one of the top companies to watch in Asia Inc of one of those other mags; back in the early 2000s they really changed the way houses were sold; they would build the entire development, and only sell completed units rather than off plan as was the common practise.

Their designs and target customers are primarily Thai, I cannot think of any development of theirs other than possibly Phuket where it would have been even close to taking into account foreigners as the main market.

Hence some foreigners will not look the design. Sometimes.

Architecturally, they are not exactly up there with some other developers such as Noble, but much more practical and you get something you can see and touch, not a show unit. If you need something changed, you just go to work in your own unit and redecorate (and many people do that).

There is a reason they command such a decent multiple on the stockmarket.

I am surprised to hear bad things abuot AP, given that this is the same family, and almost an offshoot of L&H, AP is mostly mid end condos.

Another darling of the stockmarket is LPN which is concentrated on their market segment (mid end condos) in the same way that Sansiri and L&H focus on theirs. LPN have been a tad lacklustre with the shift to getting EIAs prior to commencing construction, but have probably the best site selection in their end of the market.

[Irene]

'steveromagnino',

Thank you. Good stuff.

[Digitalbanana]

Their website looks nice but is very, very slow and more Thai than Farang orientated but maybe it's me, from a distance.

Wouldn't that be because 99.99% of their customers will be Thai?

Having driven around a few of their housing projects in and around Bangkok I noticed not one foreigner living there. The newer projects still had very cooperative (especially if you are Thai) sales offices on site and well maintained infrastructures.

If one drives around some of the older projects where the sales offices have since gone and the service declined I was witness to no more than overpriced and run down neighborhoods more reminiscent of trailer parks in the west. Unless one pays for the higher prices homes in the village expect to living in very cramped conditions.

My Thai wife was happy not to buy into this kind of project where it seems, despite the friendly and reliable service, the overheads are too high and mostly going into L&H coffers.

[DavidS]

Their website looks nice but is very, very slow and more Thai than Farang orientated but maybe it's me, from a distance.

Wouldn't that be because 99.99% of their customers will be Thai?

Having driven around a few of their housing projects in and around Bangkok I noticed not one foreigner living there.

At least 3 caucasians and perhaps a couple of east asians where I live, but I wasn't particularly interested to be honest. After 12 years in Thailand, I am very comfortable living among locals. Better be, I live with one.

If I felt I needed more foreigners around me, I would opt for a condo.