cryo Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below. My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darknight Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 i stayed in view talay 2a for 8 months. Place is ok, building B was still under construction but is an exact copy of a , only the pool is more big. Disadvantage of a ground floor condo is that every body that walks by tries to have a look in. they have glass doors. Advantage , no balcony to be trown off. Security is ok although not special, they let most people through anyway so sometimes you can have some problems by the pool ect. After two at night they are pissed drunk. But they "khrab" at you all the time For living i would say without car at least 40.000 a month. If you need to rent a car 60.000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TizMe Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. This question always amuses me. Without knowing anything about you, your lifestyle or your current expenses, it is impossible to tell you. I know some people that seem to live comfortably on the smell of last nights Tom Yung Kung, others that need to spend 200,000 Baht each month. Give us a breakdown of your current monthly expenditure and maybe we can guestimate how much you will need to live comfortably in Pattaya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometime Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> My wife and I stay in Viewtalay 2 B,had the condo about two years and no security problems as yet, we are on the second floor so we can leave the balcony door open to create a through draught so we don’t use the aircon.(this saves lots of baht ) In your reference “ access easier in old age” we selected the second floor so we don’t have to use the lift we use the service stairs, you would have to be quite infirm not to manage the steps. We are on the Jomtien side and hear a little noise from the cars parking and the regular motorcycle taxis I think you will hear a lot more on the ground floor unless it’s an apartment at the far end of the building. Don’t forget if you have an apartment on the ground floor on the Pattaya side all the motorcycles park there under cover and can be a little annoying. We Retire there full time around July . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuff Said Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 If you want a ground floor condo in View Talay 2B without the problem of passers by looking in try for one on Jomtien side of the building beyond the main entrance, at the end of the building furthest away from the pool. This avoids most of the passers by looking in from the car park as these rooms are beyond the main entrance. The only people who will come close to your balcony will be the condo's gardeners who keep the grounds looking immaculate. Not all the rooms have glass doors to the corridors, some were fitted with them when built, presumably because they were suitable for commercial use. But glass doors can easily be replaced with wooden ones. Or get some nice curtains. View Talay 2A's pool is longer but narrower than that of 2B, overall that are about the same size. Both are very well kept and often have their own security guard. The security is adequate and the staff make regular patrols of the floors. But there is quite a high turnover of security staff. If buying a condo in your own name is important, it is to me, do ask the seller if transfer to a foreigners name is OK, as the 49% foreign ownership quota in both View Talay 2B, and 2A for that matter, has long since been taken up. You can buy from a foreign owner no problem, but if you are offered a condo that's registered in a Thai's name you cannot have it in your name and will need to set up a company. As for you Darknight, you don't know your A's from your B's. View Talay 2B, the building furthest from the Thappraya Road, was the first to be completed; that was in October 2001. View Talay 2A was completed on November 15 2003. Just for your benefit each building is now identified with by a large A or B above it's main entrance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 I don't know the particular apartment block, but the general problems with ground floor is security. You will need bars on the windows. Opening windows to allow the breeze to blow though is a good point. I would recommend the climb up the stairs to the 1st floor at least, as a part of your regime to keep fit, as time goes on. We live in a bungalow, and the lack of stairs does allow the legs to stiffen up more rapidly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cryo Posted November 22, 2004 Author Share Posted November 22, 2004 Thanks all for taking the time to reply. Cheers Cryo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darknight Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 As for you Darknight, you don't know your A's from your B's. View Talay 2B, the building furthest from the Thappraya Road, was the first to be completed; that was in October 2001. View Talay 2A was completed on November 15 2003. Just for your benefit each building is now identified with by a large A or B above it's main entrance. Well i sure will admit to that. Never figured the a and the b thing out It's sure logical to call your first building B ain't it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susah_sih Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Why buy at lower floor? People wants to buy condo because they want a nice view Even if you dont want the view, by the time you want to sell your condo you may have difficulty in selling your condo. Because most people want condos with a view. Higher floor condos means: 1. Better View 2. Better air quality (pollution from motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc) is less at high floor, low floor guarantees you to gasoline smell or other smell, kerosene from food street vendors, etc) 3. Quieter (you wont be woken up by the sound of loud motorcycle/tuk-tuk 4. Higher social status (to some people, they will only move from smaller to bigger condo, from lower to higher floor condo, from C-class Mercedes to S-Class Mercedes) very few goes the other way around 5. Much more liquid investment (easier to sell than lower floor condos) 6. for your condo case, why add the worry that people may get into your condo because it is located close to the ground The point of view from someone who has been living in a condo all his life. Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathe Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Why buy at lower floor?People wants to buy condo because they want a nice view Even if you dont want the view, by the time you want to sell your condo you may have difficulty in selling your condo. Because most people want condos with a view. Higher floor condos means: 1. Better View 2. Better air quality (pollution from motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc) is less at high floor, low floor guarantees you to gasoline smell or other smell, kerosene from food street vendors, etc) 3. Quieter (you wont be woken up by the sound of loud motorcycle/tuk-tuk 4. Higher social status (to some people, they will only move from smaller to bigger condo, from lower to higher floor condo, from C-class Mercedes to S-Class Mercedes) very few goes the other way around 5. Much more liquid investment (easier to sell than lower floor condos) 6. for your condo case, why add the worry that people may get into your condo because it is located close to the ground The point of view from someone who has been living in a condo all his life. Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very informative Khun Suh sah. As I am thinking of buying one in the near future, have no idea about living in Condo. Wish a higher floor with good view and good pollution..oppss...good air, but only one thing still in my mind, what happen if it fires ? Do I have to collect some sefl-parachute in the room ..in case of emergency ;-) Do you think View Talay Condo is good to live or if one day dont like to stay anymore....still good to sell with little plus ? And if I dont stay for many months in a year..how can I manage to hire...for some months during my absent ? ( I am living in Europe ). The anual paying for electric and water are the same price as other thai ppl or higher ? I have no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatgaz Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Iam selling my condo shortly, own name, view talay 2 block b , ground floor, jomtien side. Are you interested ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susah_sih Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 If I were to buy a condo, I will not buy it in Pattaya. There are very few companies operate in Pattaya. So I dont think I want to rent out short term for people on vacation. So much hassle. I will buy condo in Bangkok instead, close to CBD area and close to SkyTrain. This is very important. In the future, even more Thais who bought houses far away from the city will start realizing that it is a big mistake to buy houses far away from the city. People in cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Jakarta are coming back to live close to the centre of the city, as they get tired of travelling far away. Besides the price of gasoline and traffic jam are significant factors for them to live close to where their business/work are. Therefore buying condo close to CBD ensures the preservation of the value of the condo. Since there will always be Thai & foreigners who will be interested in renting these condos. Whereas if you buy in Pattaya, your market is confined to the foreign retirees, off-the-beat foreigners, and seasonal tourists. A much smaller market indeed. Very few Thais will be interested in renting property in Pattaya. If they want to retire in Pattaya, they are rich enough and will buy a house of their own so that they can give their houses for inheritance to their loved ones. With regards to your concern on fire safety measures. High floor does seem intimidating. But even for now, firemen's ladder can only go up to 5th or 6th floor, making fire fighting for higher floors above 6th floor daunting tasks. I had lived on 7th floor before in Hong Kong and our family never opened the window since we could still smell car exhaust and still hear the vroom of motorcycles. You should buy high floors and find condos where the buildings have good fire safety measures: 1. Automatic water sprinkler with water reservoir located inside the building is a good chance for survival. In fact many studies shows that most big fire occur in buildings without automatic water sprinkler. 2. Heat & Smoke detectors that are maintained well 3. Good alarm that can wake people up in their deep sleep in the event of danger. This alarm should have sound threshold of at least 75dbA in the bedroom yet less than 100dbA at the source to prevent damage to hearing. 4. Use of non flameable electric cooker instead of conventional fire cooker. This is a major source of fire. So condos with electric cooker is safer than ones that allow conventional fire cooker. 5. Fire extinguisher in every unit is a must 6. Equipped yourself with gas & headcover mask. Statistics show that it is the smoke and not the fire that kills people most in a fire accident. 7. Use of furnishing & building materials that have adequate Flame Spread and Smoke Developed Ratings If all fails then, you should use the parachute as a last resort. But many people doubt whether this is effective, since it is difficult to stir parachute for untrained people away from danger (electric poles, pointy/sharp structures). In fire situation, you might be better off staying inside your apartment. And if you stay high enough, you could hope dearly that the fire will be put off soon before it spread to your floor. You should buy condo with good management in place, perhaps managed by international property firm, that enforce good practice for safety in the building. Many Thai like to buy new property and you may wonder why. Because many developers are not interested in maintaining condos; they are only interested in building new ones and sell them. Hence many condos after only a few years dont look too good since they dont maintain it well enough. It is therefore that Thais buy new condos because old condos usually look bad. Had the developers maintain the condos well, I am sure they will retain the value relatively well. Hence, how to mitigate all of these problems? I would say you need to buy a condo that is managed by international hotel is a better bet that your condo will be managed as a good as the hotel where their main business are. The case of The Regent Residences which is located in the same compound as The Regent Hotel would be such example: http://www.grandeasset.com/regent/index.htm The property developer Grande Asset has signed a contract with The Regent to manage its property for 20 years and another 10 year of option to manage it further. Grande Asset is also the company that will undertake the project, and not Grande Asset’s subsidiary that are usually the case of other developers. In fact most other developers set up new subsidiary for each condo they develop so that they can insulate themselves against claims if things go bad for their condo developing subsidiary. Grande Asset currently owns The Grande Westin and some other hotels in the development. Grande Asset has also secured financing for the development of all of their properties. Moreover, you may ask the Regent to market your condo for tenants for a fee, since you live in Europe and you dont have to worry that the Regent will run away with your rent money. I bought one unit at this Regent since it has all the qualities I am looking for in a condo. It is only 1 minute walking to BTS Nana. It does not have balcony. Balcony more often than not is usually misused by tenants like to dry clothing or puting some plants, putting some left over furniture (as there is not enough space inside) and many other things (such as killing yourself), making the whole appearance on the building ugly. Having lived in Hong Kong most of my life, I know what happen to many apartments with open air balconies in Hong Kong. Some crazy people just rent apartment to kill himself/herself or even rent a room in a hotel with balcony only to kill himself (just like what happened to the singer Leslie Cheung). Once there is a suicide case in the condo, the owner will have difficulties in selling/renting out his condos again. Asians are superstitious and will not want to have the same badluck to happen to them. Balcony also makes cleaning difficult; window cleaners do not usually clean balcony part. Balcony cleaning is usually left to the owners. Because Bangkok is a dusty city, it does not make sense to sit in balcony. Now in Hong Kong, most developers opt to build apartments with balconies that are fully covered with glass and that are protruding outward from the apartment to enhance the view. Developers here in Bangkok are still yet learning such things that are preferred by condo occupants. Worse since most of BKK developers never live their lifes in an apartment. Most of these developers live their life inside big mansions and imagining life in a condo. And therefore they are all building luxury lowrise condos, which are contradicting in every sense of its development. Why low rise? People choose to live in condo because they hope to live in cleaner air and quieter. If it is low rise and luxury, then you might as well buy a house. why buy expensive condo? Because I am from Hong Kong and I have lived all my life in high rise apartments, I know very well people preference. In Hong Kong, if you are moving from 5th floor apartment to say 30th floor, people will say wow, prosperity has come to you therefore you can afford higher floor. But people will pitty you if you move the other way around. After all, you have to understand the mindset of the majority buyers who are Thai and who are more or less share the same kinds of thinking as other Asians. By following the mindset of the majority people, you make sure that you can sell your condo in the future. In early days, some westerners living in Hong Kong thought Chinese Feng Shui was very stupid and they dont believe in it at all. And they went ahead with buying apartments that are next to hospital, or close to cemetry, in the end they lost money on these condos since no one else want to buy these condos. So even if they don’t believe, by acting against the majority belief was even more stupid than believing in it. Why buy at lower floor?People wants to buy condo because they want a nice view Even if you dont want the view, by the time you want to sell your condo you may have difficulty in selling your condo. Because most people want condos with a view. Higher floor condos means: 1. Better View 2. Better air quality (pollution from motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc) is less at high floor, low floor guarantees you to gasoline smell or other smell, kerosene from food street vendors, etc) 3. Quieter (you wont be woken up by the sound of loud motorcycle/tuk-tuk 4. Higher social status (to some people, they will only move from smaller to bigger condo, from lower to higher floor condo, from C-class Mercedes to S-Class Mercedes) very few goes the other way around 5. Much more liquid investment (easier to sell than lower floor condos) 6. for your condo case, why add the worry that people may get into your condo because it is located close to the ground The point of view from someone who has been living in a condo all his life. Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very informative Khun Suh sah. As I am thinking of buying one in the near future, have no idea about living in Condo. Wish a higher floor with good view and good pollution..oppss...good air, but only one thing still in my mind, what happen if it fires ? Do I have to collect some sefl-parachute in the room ..in case of emergency ;-) Do you think View Talay Condo is good to live or if one day dont like to stay anymore....still good to sell with little plus ? And if I dont stay for many months in a year..how can I manage to hire...for some months during my absent ? ( I am living in Europe ). The anual paying for electric and water are the same price as other thai ppl or higher ? I have no idea. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathe Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 If I were to buy a condo, I will not buy it in Pattaya.There are very few companies operate in Pattaya. So I dont think I want to rent out short term for people on vacation. So much hassle. I will buy condo in Bangkok instead, close to CBD area and close to SkyTrain. This is very important. In the future, even more Thais who bought houses far away from the city will start realizing that it is a big mistake to buy houses far away from the city. People in cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Jakarta are coming back to live close to the centre of the city, as they get tired of travelling far away. Besides the price of gasoline and traffic jam are significant factors for them to live close to where their business/work are. Therefore buying condo close to CBD ensures the preservation of the value of the condo. Since there will always be Thai & foreigners who will be interested in renting these condos. Whereas if you buy in Pattaya, your market is confined to the foreign retirees, off-the-beat foreigners, and seasonal tourists. A much smaller market indeed. Very few Thais will be interested in renting property in Pattaya. If they want to retire in Pattaya, they are rich enough and will buy a house of their own so that they can give their houses for inheritance to their loved ones. With regards to your concern on fire safety measures. High floor does seem intimidating. But even for now, firemen's ladder can only go up to 5th or 6th floor, making fire fighting for higher floors above 6th floor daunting tasks. I had lived on 7th floor before in Hong Kong and our family never opened the window since we could still smell car exhaust and still hear the vroom of motorcycles. You should buy high floors and find condos where the buildings have good fire safety measures: 1. Automatic water sprinkler with water reservoir located inside the building is a good chance for survival. In fact many studies shows that most big fire occur in buildings without automatic water sprinkler. 2. Heat & Smoke detectors that are maintained well 3. Good alarm that can wake people up in their deep sleep in the event of danger. This alarm should have sound threshold of at least 75dbA in the bedroom yet less than 100dbA at the source to prevent damage to hearing. 4. Use of non flameable electric cooker instead of conventional fire cooker. This is a major source of fire. So condos with electric cooker is safer than ones that allow conventional fire cooker. 5. Fire extinguisher in every unit is a must 6. Equipped yourself with gas & headcover mask. Statistics show that it is the smoke and not the fire that kills people most in a fire accident. 7. Use of furnishing & building materials that have adequate Flame Spread and Smoke Developed Ratings If all fails then, you should use the parachute as a last resort. But many people doubt whether this is effective, since it is difficult to stir parachute for untrained people away from danger (electric poles, pointy/sharp structures). In fire situation, you might be better off staying inside your apartment. And if you stay high enough, you could hope dearly that the fire will be put off soon before it spread to your floor. You should buy condo with good management in place, perhaps managed by international property firm, that enforce good practice for safety in the building. Many Thai like to buy new property and you may wonder why. Because many developers are not interested in maintaining condos; they are only interested in building new ones and sell them. Hence many condos after only a few years dont look too good since they dont maintain it well enough. It is therefore that Thais buy new condos because old condos usually look bad. Had the developers maintain the condos well, I am sure they will retain the value relatively well. Hence, how to mitigate all of these problems? I would say you need to buy a condo that is managed by international hotel is a better bet that your condo will be managed as a good as the hotel where their main business are. The case of The Regent Residences which is located in the same compound as The Regent Hotel would be such example: http://www.grandeasset.com/regent/index.htm The property developer Grande Asset has signed a contract with The Regent to manage its property for 20 years and another 10 year of option to manage it further. Grande Asset is also the company that will undertake the project, and not Grande Asset’s subsidiary that are usually the case of other developers. In fact most other developers set up new subsidiary for each condo they develop so that they can insulate themselves against claims if things go bad for their condo developing subsidiary. Grande Asset currently owns The Grande Westin and some other hotels in the development. Grande Asset has also secured financing for the development of all of their properties. Moreover, you may ask the Regent to market your condo for tenants for a fee, since you live in Europe and you dont have to worry that the Regent will run away with your rent money. I bought one unit at this Regent since it has all the qualities I am looking for in a condo. It is only 1 minute walking to BTS Nana. It does not have balcony. Balcony more often than not is usually misused by tenants like to dry clothing or puting some plants, putting some left over furniture (as there is not enough space inside) and many other things (such as killing yourself), making the whole appearance on the building ugly. Having lived in Hong Kong most of my life, I know what happen to many apartments with open air balconies in Hong Kong. Some crazy people just rent apartment to kill himself/herself or even rent a room in a hotel with balcony only to kill himself (just like what happened to the singer Leslie Cheung). Once there is a suicide case in the condo, the owner will have difficulties in selling/renting out his condos again. Asians are superstitious and will not want to have the same badluck to happen to them. Balcony also makes cleaning difficult; window cleaners do not usually clean balcony part. Balcony cleaning is usually left to the owners. Because Bangkok is a dusty city, it does not make sense to sit in balcony. Now in Hong Kong, most developers opt to build apartments with balconies that are fully covered with glass and that are protruding outward from the apartment to enhance the view. Developers here in Bangkok are still yet learning such things that are preferred by condo occupants. Worse since most of BKK developers never live their lifes in an apartment. Most of these developers live their life inside big mansions and imagining life in a condo. And therefore they are all building luxury lowrise condos, which are contradicting in every sense of its development. Why low rise? People choose to live in condo because they hope to live in cleaner air and quieter. If it is low rise and luxury, then you might as well buy a house. why buy expensive condo? Because I am from Hong Kong and I have lived all my life in high rise apartments, I know very well people preference. In Hong Kong, if you are moving from 5th floor apartment to say 30th floor, people will say wow, prosperity has come to you therefore you can afford higher floor. But people will pitty you if you move the other way around. After all, you have to understand the mindset of the majority buyers who are Thai and who are more or less share the same kinds of thinking as other Asians. By following the mindset of the majority people, you make sure that you can sell your condo in the future. In early days, some westerners living in Hong Kong thought Chinese Feng Shui was very stupid and they dont believe in it at all. And they went ahead with buying apartments that are next to hospital, or close to cemetry, in the end they lost money on these condos since no one else want to buy these condos. So even if they don’t believe, by acting against the majority belief was even more stupid than believing in it. Why buy at lower floor?People wants to buy condo because they want a nice view Even if you dont want the view, by the time you want to sell your condo you may have difficulty in selling your condo. Because most people want condos with a view. Higher floor condos means: 1. Better View 2. Better air quality (pollution from motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc) is less at high floor, low floor guarantees you to gasoline smell or other smell, kerosene from food street vendors, etc) 3. Quieter (you wont be woken up by the sound of loud motorcycle/tuk-tuk 4. Higher social status (to some people, they will only move from smaller to bigger condo, from lower to higher floor condo, from C-class Mercedes to S-Class Mercedes) very few goes the other way around 5. Much more liquid investment (easier to sell than lower floor condos) 6. for your condo case, why add the worry that people may get into your condo because it is located close to the ground The point of view from someone who has been living in a condo all his life. Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very informative Khun Suh sah. As I am thinking of buying one in the near future, have no idea about living in Condo. Wish a higher floor with good view and good pollution..oppss...good air, but only one thing still in my mind, what happen if it fires ? Do I have to collect some sefl-parachute in the room ..in case of emergency ;-) Do you think View Talay Condo is good to live or if one day dont like to stay anymore....still good to sell with little plus ? And if I dont stay for many months in a year..how can I manage to hire...for some months during my absent ? ( I am living in Europe ). The anual paying for electric and water are the same price as other thai ppl or higher ? I have no idea. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for your reply Khuh Suh Sah Sih, I'm really very appreciated your informations about living in a Condo. Wh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathe Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 If I were to buy a condo, I will not buy it in Pattaya.There are very few companies operate in Pattaya. So I dont think I want to rent out short term for people on vacation. So much hassle. I will buy condo in Bangkok instead, close to CBD area and close to SkyTrain. This is very important. In the future, even more Thais who bought houses far away from the city will start realizing that it is a big mistake to buy houses far away from the city. People in cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Jakarta are coming back to live close to the centre of the city, as they get tired of travelling far away. Besides the price of gasoline and traffic jam are significant factors for them to live close to where their business/work are. Therefore buying condo close to CBD ensures the preservation of the value of the condo. Since there will always be Thai & foreigners who will be interested in renting these condos. Whereas if you buy in Pattaya, your market is confined to the foreign retirees, off-the-beat foreigners, and seasonal tourists. A much smaller market indeed. Very few Thais will be interested in renting property in Pattaya. If they want to retire in Pattaya, they are rich enough and will buy a house of their own so that they can give their houses for inheritance to their loved ones. With regards to your concern on fire safety measures. High floor does seem intimidating. But even for now, firemen's ladder can only go up to 5th or 6th floor, making fire fighting for higher floors above 6th floor daunting tasks. I had lived on 7th floor before in Hong Kong and our family never opened the window since we could still smell car exhaust and still hear the vroom of motorcycles. You should buy high floors and find condos where the buildings have good fire safety measures: 1. Automatic water sprinkler with water reservoir located inside the building is a good chance for survival. In fact many studies shows that most big fire occur in buildings without automatic water sprinkler. 2. Heat & Smoke detectors that are maintained well 3. Good alarm that can wake people up in their deep sleep in the event of danger. This alarm should have sound threshold of at least 75dbA in the bedroom yet less than 100dbA at the source to prevent damage to hearing. 4. Use of non flameable electric cooker instead of conventional fire cooker. This is a major source of fire. So condos with electric cooker is safer than ones that allow conventional fire cooker. 5. Fire extinguisher in every unit is a must 6. Equipped yourself with gas & headcover mask. Statistics show that it is the smoke and not the fire that kills people most in a fire accident. 7. Use of furnishing & building materials that have adequate Flame Spread and Smoke Developed Ratings If all fails then, you should use the parachute as a last resort. But many people doubt whether this is effective, since it is difficult to stir parachute for untrained people away from danger (electric poles, pointy/sharp structures). In fire situation, you might be better off staying inside your apartment. And if you stay high enough, you could hope dearly that the fire will be put off soon before it spread to your floor. You should buy condo with good management in place, perhaps managed by international property firm, that enforce good practice for safety in the building. Many Thai like to buy new property and you may wonder why. Because many developers are not interested in maintaining condos; they are only interested in building new ones and sell them. Hence many condos after only a few years dont look too good since they dont maintain it well enough. It is therefore that Thais buy new condos because old condos usually look bad. Had the developers maintain the condos well, I am sure they will retain the value relatively well. Hence, how to mitigate all of these problems? I would say you need to buy a condo that is managed by international hotel is a better bet that your condo will be managed as a good as the hotel where their main business are. The case of The Regent Residences which is located in the same compound as The Regent Hotel would be such example: http://www.grandeasset.com/regent/index.htm The property developer Grande Asset has signed a contract with The Regent to manage its property for 20 years and another 10 year of option to manage it further. Grande Asset is also the company that will undertake the project, and not Grande Asset’s subsidiary that are usually the case of other developers. In fact most other developers set up new subsidiary for each condo they develop so that they can insulate themselves against claims if things go bad for their condo developing subsidiary. Grande Asset currently owns The Grande Westin and some other hotels in the development. Grande Asset has also secured financing for the development of all of their properties. Moreover, you may ask the Regent to market your condo for tenants for a fee, since you live in Europe and you dont have to worry that the Regent will run away with your rent money. I bought one unit at this Regent since it has all the qualities I am looking for in a condo. It is only 1 minute walking to BTS Nana. It does not have balcony. Balcony more often than not is usually misused by tenants like to dry clothing or puting some plants, putting some left over furniture (as there is not enough space inside) and many other things (such as killing yourself), making the whole appearance on the building ugly. Having lived in Hong Kong most of my life, I know what happen to many apartments with open air balconies in Hong Kong. Some crazy people just rent apartment to kill himself/herself or even rent a room in a hotel with balcony only to kill himself (just like what happened to the singer Leslie Cheung). Once there is a suicide case in the condo, the owner will have difficulties in selling/renting out his condos again. Asians are superstitious and will not want to have the same badluck to happen to them. Balcony also makes cleaning difficult; window cleaners do not usually clean balcony part. Balcony cleaning is usually left to the owners. Because Bangkok is a dusty city, it does not make sense to sit in balcony. Now in Hong Kong, most developers opt to build apartments with balconies that are fully covered with glass and that are protruding outward from the apartment to enhance the view. Developers here in Bangkok are still yet learning such things that are preferred by condo occupants. Worse since most of BKK developers never live their lifes in an apartment. Most of these developers live their life inside big mansions and imagining life in a condo. And therefore they are all building luxury lowrise condos, which are contradicting in every sense of its development. Why low rise? People choose to live in condo because they hope to live in cleaner air and quieter. If it is low rise and luxury, then you might as well buy a house. why buy expensive condo? Because I am from Hong Kong and I have lived all my life in high rise apartments, I know very well people preference. In Hong Kong, if you are moving from 5th floor apartment to say 30th floor, people will say wow, prosperity has come to you therefore you can afford higher floor. But people will pitty you if you move the other way around. After all, you have to understand the mindset of the majority buyers who are Thai and who are more or less share the same kinds of thinking as other Asians. By following the mindset of the majority people, you make sure that you can sell your condo in the future. In early days, some westerners living in Hong Kong thought Chinese Feng Shui was very stupid and they dont believe in it at all. And they went ahead with buying apartments that are next to hospital, or close to cemetry, in the end they lost money on these condos since no one else want to buy these condos. So even if they don’t believe, by acting against the majority belief was even more stupid than believing in it. Why buy at lower floor?People wants to buy condo because they want a nice view Even if you dont want the view, by the time you want to sell your condo you may have difficulty in selling your condo. Because most people want condos with a view. Higher floor condos means: 1. Better View 2. Better air quality (pollution from motorcycle, tuk-tuk, etc) is less at high floor, low floor guarantees you to gasoline smell or other smell, kerosene from food street vendors, etc) 3. Quieter (you wont be woken up by the sound of loud motorcycle/tuk-tuk 4. Higher social status (to some people, they will only move from smaller to bigger condo, from lower to higher floor condo, from C-class Mercedes to S-Class Mercedes) very few goes the other way around 5. Much more liquid investment (easier to sell than lower floor condos) 6. for your condo case, why add the worry that people may get into your condo because it is located close to the ground The point of view from someone who has been living in a condo all his life. Hi all, I have been browsing this forum for a few months and are now considering buying a condo in Viewtalay 2B on the ground floor and hope you guys/gals can give me some info to the questions below.My wife and I are hoping to retire to Pattaya in the near future , can anybody see any problems with a ground floor condo (I have no interest in sea views etc) and I am hoping that it will make access easier in old age. What is the security like on the Viewtalay2B condo. What would be the average monthly expenditure required to live comfortably in Pattaya. I have holidayed in Pattaya a number of times and have visited the general area on numerous occasions previously. Cheers Cryo. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very informative Khun Suh sah. As I am thinking of buying one in the near future, have no idea about living in Condo. Wish a higher floor with good view and good pollution..oppss...good air, but only one thing still in my mind, what happen if it fires ? Do I have to collect some sefl-parachute in the room ..in case of emergency ;-) Do you think View Talay Condo is good to live or if one day dont like to stay anymore....still good to sell with little plus ? And if I dont stay for many months in a year..how can I manage to hire...for some months during my absent ? ( I am living in Europe ). The anual paying for electric and water are the same price as other thai ppl or higher ? I have no idea. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for your reply Khuh Suh Sah Sih, I'm really very appreciated your informations about living in a Condo. Why I like to choose a Condo in Pattaya and dont..in Bangkok ? We never want to live in BKK, as I used to live there almost half of my life there. Now I have been living in Europe and coming to visit my parents and sisters once a year. Our favarite places and beaches are always far away from BKK. But as I think of buying a condo, and we should at least a beach near the nose and not too far to let my only sister to take care sometimes. And since we are not a fan of Pattaya place. But this year I was stayed there for a week and felt that place more symphatic than years before. It came to a thought ....a place for holiday for my hubby and I. It likes a must that we might come over and stay for a while. My hubby let me decide what I am thinking, and he will then follow me what I am planning. So, I wish I can find at least a nice place for us. YOur advice about the Regent.....sounds really great. I shall follow and have some informations , if only I can afford the price. I shall soon making a decision. Many thanks for your brilliant advices. Saothai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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