Land Sizes

[jopham]

My family and I have nearly 500 rai of land and its is consist of many plots of land. I think the biggest plot is about 55 rai and the smallest is about 9 rai. I think ther are about 21 plots. The one which is furthest away is about 10 kilometers from the farmhouse.

Question: is your situation the same? In particular Maizefarmer who I believe has got 1500 rai, is this in one piece or many?

[Loom]

South of Khamphaeng Phet a little, probably near the cane refinery you use, it's rare to find plots with more than 50 rai. Plot size ranges from 15-30 rai. Wife rents out a few small plots scattered around but there's no fixed period for the length of the lease. She replaced one tenant a few years ago for producing poor yields. Otherwise the lease term is indefinite.

[Maizefarmer]

My family and I have nearly 500 rai of land and its is consist of many plots of land. I think the biggest plot is about 55 rai and the smallest is about 9 rai. I think ther are about 21 plots. The one which is furthest away is about 10 kilometers from the farmhouse.

Question: is your situation the same? In particular Maizefarmer who I believe has got 1500 rai, is this in one piece or many?

It's a single farm unit - but made up of 16 plots.

Started off in the 1980's as several adjoining plots, which over the years has expanded by buying neighbouring plots. As big as it is likely to get - depending on what my son decides to do when he's finished his studies and army service. As its stands at the moment he's all very keen to carry on, but you know what youngsters are like and that could change.

[jopham]

Gee Maizefarmer that is a very big piece of land in one hit. Did you have to put any roads in there?

[Maizefarmer]

Depends how you define a single piece of land - it is in the sense that the borders are all shared and there is no 3rd party owned land in or between any part of my land, but there 3 public roads that cutting across at 3 points, and a river running down one of the borders (the other side of which is the base of a large mountain).

I started off with several hundred rai (that was one single purchase in the late 80's) and have built it up since - buying adjoining land when it comes up for grabs (usualy when a neighbour needs to raise cash). Public roads cut across the land in 3 places, which helps when it comes to moving machinary round, and I have added about 7 km's of dirt track over the years (not public access) where needed.

The largest single field is just under 400 rai, the remainder vary in size from 19rai thru to just under 100rai (a single field meaning a piece of land contained within one perimeter fence).

..... and before someone asks, the land is "owned" by a Thai registered company (the directors - myself and other family members). The shares of this company belong to an offshore trust structure which I am the trustee of, and my kids are the beneficiaries - which gives me as much control as is possible to legally achieve under Thai law.

[catwho]

My family and I have nearly 500 rai of land and its is consist of many plots of land. I think the biggest plot is about 55 rai and the smallest is about 9 rai. I think ther are about 21 plots. The one which is furthest away is about 10 kilometers from the farmhouse.

Question: is your situation the same? In particular Maizefarmer who I believe has got 1500 rai, is this in one piece or many?

It's a single farm unit - but made up of 16 plots.

Started off in the 1980's as several adjoining plots, which over the years has expanded by buying neighbouring plots. As big as it is likely to get - depending on what my son decides to do when he's finished his studies and army service. As its stands at the moment he's all very keen to carry on, but you know what youngsters are like and that could change.

Hi MF.

I gather all land is in different titles,from chanute down,but just to get an idea of the way land prices have gone up[every area different]in the last 20 yrs since you brought your 1st land,

do you have an idea on land prices now, how they have gone up [percentage wise],say in the last 10 yrs around your area

It seems things and land prices are moving up quicker these days,

thanks...cat

[jopham]

In my area Phitsanulok 9 years ago we bought 10 rai with no roadaccess but was jointed to some land we had before which has got road access. It did not haven a proper title (it took 7 years to get one) for 11 000 baht per rai. Now it worth about 25 000 baht per rai.

[Maizefarmer]

My family and I have nearly 500 rai of land and its is consist of many plots of land. I think the biggest plot is about 55 rai and the smallest is about 9 rai. I think ther are about 21 plots. The one which is furthest away is about 10 kilometers from the farmhouse.

Question: is your situation the same? In particular Maizefarmer who I believe has got 1500 rai, is this in one piece or many?

It's a single farm unit - but made up of 16 plots.

Started off in the 1980's as several adjoining plots, which over the years has expanded by buying neighbouring plots. As big as it is likely to get - depending on what my son decides to do when he's finished his studies and army service. As its stands at the moment he's all very keen to carry on, but you know what youngsters are like and that could change.

Hi MF.

I gather all land is in different titles,from chanute down,but just to get an idea of the way land prices have gone up[every area different]in the last 20 yrs since you brought your 1st land,

do you have an idea on land prices now, how they have gone up [percentage wise],say in the last 10 yrs around your area

It seems things and land prices are moving up quicker these days,

thanks...cat

Yes in the sense that I have not amalgamated the seprate CHANOTES into one, but have kept them as seperate titles - but no, in the sense that they are all CHANOTE type titles - except 2 pieces, which are currently on NGOR SOR SAAM GOR titles (as were a few plots when I got them, but have over time changed all to CHANOTE).

Value/Investment wise(?)- the first piece of land I purchased in the late 80's was around 370 - 380 rai - that has more than quad-tripled in value since. In respect of the last 10years - well, you'll recall the so-called "Asian crisis" about 10 years back, at which point Thailand devalued the Baht from around Baht 30 per $1 to around Baht 70 something per $1 - so I changed a large amount of U$D to Thai Baht - that helped a huge amount and effectively enabled me to purchase land at half the price I had budgeted for.

Since then the Baht has slowly but steadily continued to gain strength - against the Baht, I'd say the last 10 years have seen a good 100% plus increase in the land value.

But when calculating you return, keep in mind where your purchase fundshave come from. If its U$D or Euro, the returns are somewhat different to land purchased with Thai Baht, earned/sourced in Thailand. My personal opinion (note: personal opinion) is that if the TB continies at this rate we will see another devaluation sometime Q3 ('09) - Q2 ('10) - in whcih case, if you are intending to purchase with U$D or Euro, and are in no rush, it may well be worth waiting to late 2009/early 2010 - and rent in the meantime.

Will land will continue to rise in value in Thailand? Little doubt about that. They aren't building any more - so all though there will continue to be ups and downs in the property market, you can rest assured that over the medium/long term, land will continue to represent a sound investment in Thailand - in particular rural land has no restrictions, and urban land in fast expending towns e.g. I was looking at 4 rai residential plot in Pak Chong this time last year - then Baht 300 000 per rai (fairly close to the town centre). The owner is now asking 465 000 per rai!! - and he'll get it.

[dotcom]

Depends how you define a single piece of land - it is in the sense that the borders are all shared and there is no 3rd party owned land in or between any part of my land, but there 3 public roads that cutting across at 3 points, and a river running down one of the borders (the other side of which is the base of a large mountain).

I started off with several hundred rai (that was one single purchase in the late 80's) and have built it up since - buying adjoining land when it comes up for grabs (usualy when a neighbour needs to raise cash). Public roads cut across the land in 3 places, which helps when it comes to moving machinary round, and I have added about 7 km's of dirt track over the years (not public access) where needed.

The largest single field is just under 400 rai, the remainder vary in size from 19rai thru to just under 100rai (a single field meaning a piece of land contained within one perimeter fence).

..... and before someone asks, the land is "owned" by a Thai registered company (the directors - myself and other family members). The shares of this company belong to an offshore trust structure which I am the trustee of, and my kids are the beneficiaries - which gives me as much control as is possible to legally achieve under Thai law.

What size is your farm currently?

[Maizefarmer]

1647rai exactly - far as I can work out.

[catwho]

Thanks MF,

As usual a good reply,upgrading to chanute title, has this a time limit to change to chanute from a lower title?

and at what expence.

the mrs said you have to wait a certain time before you can change to chanute.And you are right about pakchong,clean air in the hills,2 hrs from bkk

resorts everywhere,plenty of things to do,farm land is beautifull but too xxxz to buy now just for farming for me anyway

thanks again .

cat

[Maizefarmer]

Yes - there is a min time period you have to have had the land for before you can change to a Chanote - and to be honest with you, I can't remember off hand what it is - its either 3 months or 3 years.

Also keep in mind that applying for Chanote has to be publicised in or posted up somewhere - so that anyone who ants to object and submitt their objection. Thats the theory, in practise this has become little more than part of the overall formaility of the process and getting a Chanote comes down to little more than having had the land for that min time period i.e. satisfy the time requirement and you are extremly unlikely not to be successfull with the application.

The best farming land in my opinion in that area (Pak Chong area) has to be around Muek Lek - its cooler in the summer and the humidity is lower. Also the soil has a higher organic content remember: Pak Chong is at the top of platuae - it's the transition from the basin that Bangkok lies in to the platuea that distinguishes the North and North East. Muek Lek lies just at that transition - just as you start climbing from the basin up to the higher land of the platuea. It is one fo the best dairy & cattle farming areas in Thailand in my opinion.