Best Moo Bahns

[moneyshot]

Hi,

I am interested in buying a house in an estate in Chiang Mai, and was wanting some suggestions of the better moo bahns around.

Not concerned with which part of Chiang Mai, just the best quality houses in nice settings.

Price bracket, no more than 6 million.

Thanks

[Austhaied]

Hi,

I am interested in buying a house in an estate in Chiang Mai, and was wanting some suggestions of the better moo bahns around.

Not concerned with which part of Chiang Mai, just the best quality houses in nice settings.

Price bracket, no more than 6 million.

Thanks

I live in the best "moo baan" in the universe. PM me for details.

[PeaceBlondie]

I sincerely doubt that 6 million will get you in the best moobahn.

[Austhaied]

I sincerely doubt that 6 million will get you in the best moobahn.

Yes it will..

[moneyshot]

I realise there are some moo baans out there, where the houses exceed 6 million.

After looking around, the quality of houses and general ambiance varies greatly.

I am just after some suggestions to save time driving in and out of every estate.

[realthaideal]

Let's define some terms first to make this a more precise question. Moo Baan is a general term for a neighborhood, ANY neighborhood, anywhere. If it is a street with houses on it, and even some blocks with corners and houses around there too, it is a Moo Baan. Moo Baan = Neighborhood. When you live in a gated or protected community, you are living no doubt in a neighborhood within a HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. This in Thai is called a Krongan Baan - a 'Housing Project/ Development.' Housing developments are a subset of a neighborhood types. So I am assuming you are wanting to live in a 'nice place' that you deem secure and all to one level of sophistication such as Laguna Home or Kulapan, or what have you. What you are asking about is a Krongan Baan. 'Which krongan baans do you suggest' is the best way to put it. Sorry to pick at this, but this is a small annoyance to me hearing many Falang recently call a housing development a Moo Baan when in fact they are surrounded by Moo Baans everywhere. The devil is in the details.

[moneyshot]

Let's define some terms first to make this a more precise question. Moo Baan is a general term for a neighborhood, ANY neighborhood, anywhere. If it is a street with houses on it, and even some blocks with corners and houses around there too, it is a Moo Baan. Moo Baan = Neighborhood. When you live in a gated or protected community, you are living no doubt in a neighborhood within a HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. This in Thai is called a Krongan Baan - a 'Housing Project/ Development.' Housing developments are a subset of a neighborhood types. So I am assuming you are wanting to live in a 'nice place' that you deem secure and all to one level of sophistication such as Laguna Home or Kulapan, or what have you. What you are asking about is a Krongan Baan. 'Which krongan baans do you suggest' is the best way to put it. Sorry to pick at this, but this is a small annoyance to me hearing many Falang recently call a housing development a Moo Baan when in fact they are surrounded by Moo Baans everywhere. The devil is in the details.

'Which krongan baans do you suggest'

Thanks for explaining that. I have never heard of the name before, but did realise moobaans range from unsecured little villages to the the gated, with security style. I am after the latter, something with nice facilities eg. pool, gym, maybe tennis courts. I would also would like the krongan baan to have some greenery, so many are concrete jungles with absolutely no character. I like 2 of the newer krongan baans in the Land and Houses development on Maejo rd. Is there anything else out there similar, ie. lots of trees, well maintained, streets NOT laid out in grid formation, houses of decent build quality, some with views of surrounding rice fields.

Thanks for any help.

[tigerbeer]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

[ihop]

Is there anything else out there similar, ie. lots of trees, well maintained, streets NOT laid out in grid formation, houses of decent build quality, some with views of surrounding rice fields.

Thanks for any help.

At the current rate of development, I wouldn't get too attached to any views of surrounding rice fields.

[cmsally]

Is there anything else out there similar, ie. lots of trees, well maintained, streets NOT laid out in grid formation, houses of decent build quality, some with views of surrounding rice fields.

Thanks for any help.

At the current rate of development, I wouldn't get too attached to any views of surrounding rice fields.

My thoughts exactly, rice fields seem to turn very quickly into other things; mostly housing projects.

One of the reasons a lot of people prefer to be in the middle of the project rather than on the boundary.

You never know when construction over the wall might start.

[Bill97]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

Sivalai website information looks good but the land sizes seem small. You could get 3 or 4 pieces of land and a house, still pay a lot less than 6 mil and then you would have a nice garden and some space between your neighbors.

[moneyshot]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

Cheers for the suggestion Tigerbeer,

The houses look good and are much less expensive than the likes of Land and Houses. I will check it out soon.

[moneyshot]

Is there anything else out there similar, ie. lots of trees, well maintained, streets NOT laid out in grid formation, houses of decent build quality, some with views of surrounding rice fields.

Thanks for any help.

At the current rate of development, I wouldn't get too attached to any views of surrounding rice fields.

This is very true. A view of the mountain, or some kind of outlook apart from your neighbours house would be good.

Is there anything else out there similar, ie. lots of trees, well maintained, streets NOT laid out in grid formation, houses of decent build quality, some with views of surrounding rice fields.

Thanks for any help.

At the current rate of development, I wouldn't get too attached to any views of surrounding rice fields.

My thoughts exactly, rice fields seem to turn very quickly into other things; mostly housing projects.

One of the reasons a lot of people prefer to be in the middle of the project rather than on the boundary.

You never know when construction over the wall might start.

This is a thought, if buying in the middle of the development, then you know what the surrounding houses look like. No surprises as to the new development next door.

Thanks for the suggestions and observations

[moneyshot]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

Sivalai website information looks good but the land sizes seem small. You could get 3 or 4 pieces of land and a house, still pay a lot less than 6 mil and then you would have a nice garden and some space between your neighbors.

That is what I want, a little space between me and the neighbours. I will go and look at Sivalai and see the plot sizes and and positions.

[Donnyboy]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

so no water buffalos wandering in this moobaan?

[ProThaiExpat]

Having built my custom home in an earlier version of the Sivalai now under construction, I speak from experience that while Viraporn, the owner of company, is agreeable and tries hard to please, he sub-contracts all the work to teams of independent builders who use day laborers, many from Burma. Fine if you are doing a cookie cutter house that they have built many.

A custom home is another matter. Even though I specified in writing that my wall finishes were to be exactly as the model, used as an office, the sub used a rough grade sand and I ended up with rough textured walls. More importantly, the sub who did my house, had an incompetent foreman who couldn't read the plans so there were mistakes made everyday. He spent so much time and money correcting mistakes that he would have gone bankrupt unless Verapon had not bailed him out. The result was many fixes that materially affected the finish I received.

Word to the wise, specify the sub to build your house by choosing a house close to completion that you like the finish on and then specifying that sub to do your house.

Verapon did do one other custom house after mine and he once said to me that he learned from my build that the architect, supplied by Verapon, must be on the job everyday to make sure all goes according to plan. I was there twice a day, but that still didn't prevent a multitude of errors. I attribute the less than ideal job to the sub, who no longer works for them, not Verapon.

He speaks excellent English, as does his brother in law and assistant, Mannit, they are Thai Siks. I started with 13 pages of specifications, all were translated into Thai but that doesn't help if the sub is no good.

I doubt Verapon made any real money on my house build, but as he admits, they make money on selling the lots, not on the house builds. I specified my cost of construction to be his cost per square meter of his standard one level house and he agreed, but special items would be extra. I ended up with twice the sq. meters of his standard house so I was entitled to twice the electric points, walls etc. than standard so that took care of my "extras". Extras included beams, extra size sliding window doors, 3 phase electric, etc. I bought all my own fixtures, tile, etc. so much credit for those 'standards" not used in my construction.

On balance, I think they are fair and accustomed to working with falang.

[moneyshot]

Hi ProThaiExpat,

Thanks you for sharing your experiences.

Sivalai sounds very good, the only negative is that houses have to be built and as you experienced, not easy to get the quality control without being there everyday. Finding a good builder, who works together with the architect is definitely needed. I have heard that it is hard to find a good builder in Chiang Mai now, because all the good ones are busy and booked up for quite some time. I am not very keen on going through the headache of building, but considering the the alternative is buying somewhere like L&H, where the houses are finished and then sold but come at a premium, the headache could be worth it in the end.

I will be sure to come and see Sivalai soon.

[whatsupdoc]

How about Palm Springs? I think the older Palm Springs is one of the nicest moo baans in Chiang Mai but their new project (Palm Springs Country Homes) is also very good. The plots are a bit on the small side but you can buy two or more plots adjacent to each other and have your house build as you like it.

The quality is almost comparable to Land & House but much cheaper. Another advantage of Palm Springs is that it is relatively close to town.

[moneyshot]

How about Palm Springs? I think the older Palm Springs is one of the nicest moo baans in Chiang Mai but their new project (Palm Springs Country Homes) is also very good. The plots are a bit on the small side but you can buy two or more plots adjacent to each other and have your house build as you like it.

The quality is almost comparable to Land & House but much cheaper. Another advantage of Palm Springs is that it is relatively close to town.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Ill check it out.

[ihop]

If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Home Buyers' - Chiang Mai edition mag. for 20 baht from DK or Suriwong Bookstore or Lotus. Most of the housing developments have advertisements in it and there is a very comprehensive project listing with starting prices. The articles are in Thai and English but the location map is in Thai so you'll have to match the number to the ad page. You'll also get a basic idea as far as the style of homes offered in town from the ads.

If you already have an area you prefer in mind that will narrow choices down. I would suggest keeping an openmind and drive to and from that location a few times from places you go to often. And as mentioned, allocate some of that 6 mil for a larger plot of land between you and your neighbor and where you can plant your oasis.

Happy house hunting.

[Bill97]

How about Palm Springs? I think the older Palm Springs is one of the nicest moo baans in Chiang Mai but their new project (Palm Springs Country Homes) is also very good. The plots are a bit on the small side but you can buy two or more plots adjacent to each other and have your house build as you like it.

The quality is almost comparable to Land & House but much cheaper. Another advantage of Palm Springs is that it is relatively close to town.

Palm Springs has had some heavy flooding in recent years and it has to be doubtful that any possible fix has been truly tested yet.

[moneyshot]

If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Home Buyers' - Chiang Mai edition mag. for 20 baht from DK or Suriwong Bookstore or Lotus. Most of the housing developments have advertisements in it and there is a very comprehensive project listing with starting prices. The articles are in Thai and English but the location map is in Thai so you'll have to match the number to the ad page. You'll also get a basic idea as far as the style of homes offered in town from the ads.

If you already have an area you prefer in mind that will narrow choices down. I would suggest keeping an openmind and drive to and from that location a few times from places you go to often. And as mentioned, allocate some of that 6 mil for a larger plot of land between you and your neighbor and where you can plant your oasis.

Happy house hunting.

Thanks ihop

I have not heard of the magazine, but will pick up a copy soon.

[moneyshot]

How about Palm Springs? I think the older Palm Springs is one of the nicest moo baans in Chiang Mai but their new project (Palm Springs Country Homes) is also very good. The plots are a bit on the small side but you can buy two or more plots adjacent to each other and have your house build as you like it.

The quality is almost comparable to Land & House but much cheaper. Another advantage of Palm Springs is that it is relatively close to town.

Palm Springs has had some heavy flooding in recent years and it has to be doubtful that any possible fix has been truly tested yet.

Cheers for the tip Bill

[whatsupdoc]

I think the new project (Palm Springs Country Homes, on the central ring road) is better protected against flooding than the old Palm Springs.

[scotbeve]

i think the best mooban in town with superb quality in finishing without any bullshit is Sivalai 3 out in San Kampheng.

They can build you a superb house below 6 mil. Unless you rather have something "branded" as Land & House or Quality House. Which is priced too much for what they deliver IMHO.

The contractor didn't really do a good job in Sivalai 2 though...

[iang]

Also have a look at Home in Park http://www.homeinpark.com - much wider streets / sois & much larger building blocks than many housing developments in CM. Also has pool, gym, tennis court, club house etc.

[moneyshot]

Thanks iang

Home in the park looks very nice from the website, I will be sure to check that too.

Being close to the airport, is it on the flight path?

[Warrioroo]

Definiately give Sivalai 3 a look - i just finished building a house there myself and have been happy with the service. The Architect, despite working what seems like 18 hours/day, 7 days a week, tries hard and does a good job. Just make him write things down as he tends to get 3-4 phone calls from other clients while you're talking to him!

Also, Sivalai just expanded a little and there will be some nice plots at the south east corner which should be available soonish, and should be cheaper than the plots currently available near the middle and front of the development.

Now, if only the clubhouse was finished...

[Guts]

I am interested in buying a house in an estate in Chiang Mai, and was wanting some suggestions of the better moo bahns around.

Not concerned with which part of Chiang Mai, just the best quality houses in nice settings.

moneyshot,

Koolpunt 10 in San Kamphaeng has good homes. Atmosphere is nice too.

Home In Park is also worth a look.

Sivalai 3 is good value for the money, but I personally would not put it in the category of 'better quality homes'.

When you are inspecting projects, don't steer blind on what the developer tells you. Do talk with residents living there for awhile (6 months to a year). Knock on a few doors and ask their living experience and/or building experience.

If you buy or build a home in a project with lots of development going on, expect a lot of noise, dust, traffic, and labor annoyances, which could easily go on for another year or maybe two, especially if the project has various development phases, or is extending the project.

Building a home in Thailand is fun if you can control your building project, but it can also be a very stressful event. The language barrier can give more problems then you could ever think of. Put everything in writing, especially modifications, extra's, and detailed quality specifics. Double-check everything.

Research as much as you can, or hire a residential property assistant.

If you need more information or resources, leave me a message.

[KhunDave]

Thanks iang

Home in the park looks very nice from the website, I will be sure to check that too.

Being close to the airport, is it on the flight path?

It's not on the main flight path, so no jets, but the local Mae Hong Son flights come over a couple of times per day. Not a problem.